Kaushambi during the Shunga Dynasty

After the fall of the Mauryan empire, political disintegration set in and India was soon divided into a number of independent kingdoms. Brihadratha, the last Maurya emperor of Magadha, was according to the Puranas and the Harsha & Charita, assassinated by his general Pasyamitra who usurped the throne and founded a new line of kings.

The first Shunga ruler Senapati Pusyamitra succeeded in occupying a considerable portion of the Maurya empire: in the North Sooner or later, Pusyamitra seems to have shifted his capital from Pataliputra to Kaushambi.^[1] Kaushambi since then came to occupy an important position, which continued till the rise of the Guptas.

After the death of Pusyamitra or during his last days the Shunga empire seems to have been divided among his sons into several independent kingdoms. These kingdoms were:

1. Pataliputra or Magadha,
2. Kaushambi or Vatsa (including sometimes major parts or south western Magadha and parts of the southern Atavika territory).
3. Vidisha or Dasarna
4. Ayodhya or Morth Kosala
5. Ahicchatra or North Pancala
6. Mathura or Surasena

Some of these kingdoms were related among themselves as is borne out by inscriptional evidence, in the case of Kaushambi, Mathura and Pancala.

Pusyamitra's eldest son Agnimitra is known to have made Vidisha his headquarter.^[2] From there he could look after not only Dasharna and western Malwa, but also the southern region upto Vidarbha. Agnimitra's son Vasumitra is credited with having defeated the Yavanas (Greeks) on the bank of the Sindhu (tributary of the Cambal river).

After the middle of the 2nd B.C. the Scythians seem to have started their inroads on Malwa from the Saurashtra side. These foreigners could not be checked and eventually they succeeded in occupying a part of the Western Malwa during the reign of the later Shungas^[3]. Agnimitra and his successors could rule over Vidisa for a period of about 76 years. The last ruler Devabhuti was killed by Kanva Vasudeva^[4]. The later and his three successors held under them parts of the Vidisa region for a period of only 45 years according to the Puranas. The Kanvas were succeded by the Satavahanas in the eastern Malwa.

The cases of other territories in the north were somewhat different. In so far as Magadha is concerned, we have been able to get the names a of only few kings.^[5] With mitra ending names, assignable to the period between 1st century B.C. and 2nd century A.D. From the available numismatic evidence it seems that there was no independent 'Mitra' dynasty as such in Magadha which could have continued its rule for a considerable time. According to Prof. K.D. Bajpal parts of Magadha were under Kaushambi during the ascendancy of the Kaushambi kings.^[6] Coins and inscriptions kings Kaushambi kings, are known from various parts of Bihar also. Prof. Bajpai's contention is that Baha satimitra of Kharavela's Hathigupha inscription is no other than the Babasatinitra^[7] of the Kaushambi coins, This Bahasatimitra is called Magadha Raja in Kharavela's inscription alluding thereby to the wide influence of the Kausambị rulers including Magadha. Magadha of the period has not given any typical regional coinage as is the case with the Pancala, Mathura or Kaushambi.

The reigning period of each of the three dynasties of Ayodhya, Ahicchatra and Mathura seems to have spread over several hundred years. Majority of the rulers of these families bore 'Mitra' ending names as is clear from their coins and inscriptions.^[8]

The case of Kaushambi is, however, different. Here we get almost a continuous chain of rulers from about the middle of the 2nd century B.C. upto the conquest and occupation of the region by Samudragupta in the middle of the 4th cent. A.D.^[9]

The first probable ruler occupying the throne of Kaushambi about the middle of the 2nd cent. B.C. was probably Sangavarma. A.copper coins bearing the name 'Sugavamasa' in the Ashokan Brahmi script and the figure of a horse standing before yüpa with some other symbols has recently been brought to light by Prof. K.D. Bajpai.^[10]

The coin is in the collection of Sri Janeshwardas ol Allahabad who acquired it from Kaushambi. The epithet 'Shunga' in his name, no doubt, shows some affiliation with the Shunga house of Pusyamitra. No less significant is the horse standing before a Gupta' on this coin, especially when we recollect that Pusyamitra Shunga is credited with having performed two Ashvamedha sacrifices. All the same, at the present state of our knowledge it is not easy to equate · Shungavarma with Pusyamitra or any other known ruler of the latter's family.

Other early rulers of the Kaushambi house known to us are Angaraja and Dhanbhuti. These names, along with a few others of the family occur in the Bharhut inscriptions referring to the gifts made by king Dhanabhuti. According to the inscription no. 1 incised on the pillar of the eastern gateway of Bharhut "This gateway was caused to be made by Vatsiputra Dhanabhuti son of Gotiputra Agaraju (Angara) and grandson of king Gargiputra vshvadeva within the dominion of the Shungas".

According to Prof. K.D. Bajpai, Vishvadeva, Angaraja and Dhanabhuti belonged to the Shunga house of Kaushambi. They were probably the descendants of King Shungavarma referred to above. The ruling house of Kaushambi lent its patronage to the Stupa at Bharhut, which was located in their territory.

Cunningham had announced the discovery of two coins of king AngaRaja, the father of Dhanbhuti, Recently more coins of this king from Kaushambi bearing the name Agarajusa (exactly in the same Brahmi characters as on the Bharhut inscription) have been brought to light.^[11] They are of various sizes and weights, showing the important position of the ruler.^[12]

Prof. K.D. Bajpai has identified Agaraju of the Bharhut inscription with Agaraju of the coins. The Palaeography goes in support of this theory. This king may have ruled over Kaushambi about 125 B.C.

We now come to Ring Dhanabhuti, the of AngaRaja. From the Bharhut inscriptions No. 172 and 103^[13] and the Mathura Pillar inscription of Dhanabhuti (II)^[14], we can form a geneology as under:

Gargi → Visvadeva: Gaupti → Agaraju: Vatsi → Dhanabhuti: Nagaraksita → Dhanbhuti (II) of Mathura.

Prof. Bajpai has not accepted the dates assigned to the above by Cunningham.^[15] According to Prof. Bajpai Dhanabhuti I flourished a little before 100 B.C.; when the eastern gateway at Bharhut was erected.^[16]

A clay seal of Dhanbhuti has recently been obtained from Kaushambi by Sri Janeshwardas. This seal has been published by Prof. Bajpai.^[17] The seal with a decorated and holed knob is 4.4 cm. high and the diameter of its circular bottom is 4.00 cm. The bottom bears a swastike and another symbol (which seems to be a combination of Indradhwaja and taurines). The Brahmi legend written almost in the centre is Dhanabhutisa.

The characters on this seal and those occurring on the Bharhut inscription of Dhanabbuti (no. 1 and 103) have a great similarity. According to Prof. Bajpai this seal from Kaushambi can be attributed to King Dhanabhuti of the Bharhut inscriptions, whon Prof. Bajpai takes to be the ruler of Kaushambi. Regarding the Mitra kings of Kaushambi, Allan mentioned only four kings in his catalogue.^[18] Prof. A.S. Altekar brought to light the names of eight more Mitra (and several Non-Mitras) rulers of Kaushambi.^[19]

Some of these are known to us from inscriptions also.^[20] These mitra kings ruled over the Vatsa kingdom from the 2nd century B.c. to the 2nd century A.D. though not necessarily in actual succession to each other, as all the Kaushambi rulers falling under the period did not bear Mitra-ending names.

1. Brihaspatimitra I
2. Brihaspatimitra II
3. Agnimitra
4. Jyesthamitra
5. Jayamitra
6. Radhmitra
7. Prajapatimitra
8. Rajamitra
9. Rajanamitra
10. Shuramitra
11. Varunamitra
12. Pathmitra
13. Satamitra
14. Sarpamitra
15. Devamitra
16. Brahmamitra
17. Satyamitra
18. Bahamitra
19. Ishvaramitra
20. Ramamitra
21. Priyamitra
22. Shivamitra.
23. Bhumimitra
24. Vijayamitra
25. Suryamitra.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

No epigraphic or other records of Pusyamitra or his immediate successors are known from Pataliputra or thereabout They are, however, known from the region between Ayodhya and Bharhut.

[2]:

Vidisa having been made the head quarter of the main Sunga line, it was probably in the fitness of things that Antialkides, the Greek ruler of Taxila sent his ambassador Heliodorus to Vidishă and not to any other capitals, such as Anicchatra, Mathura or Kaushambi. Besides Agnimitra and Vasumitra the other rulers of the vidisa house bearing Mitra-ending names are. Vajramitra, Revatimitra and Venimitra The last two are known from Bharhut inscriptions.

[3]:

Recently some coins bearing apparently Scythian names and assignable to the later balf of the 2nd century B.C. and Barly 1st century B.C. have been acquired from Ujjain and Vidisha. This and the literary references, such as those in the Kalakacaryakathanaka tend to prove the occupation of the Ujjayini region by the Sakas before 57 B.C.

[4]:

Copper coins from Kaushambi bearing the legend, 'Kanvasya' may be assigned to the Kaņva dynasty.

[5]:

B.g. king Visanghanitra known from the Kailvan(distt. Patna) stone inscription dated the year 108 (186 A.D.), [Indian Archaeologya Review, 1955-6,p.29; pl XLIV. The Bodhagaya railing inscriptions give us the names of kings Brahmamitra and Indragnimitra. But these do not seem to have been the rulers of Magadha(J.NS.I.,XXVI,I).

[6]:

Agnimitra of the Vaisali sealing', J.U.P.H.S. (N.S.), Vol.IX pl. 2,pp. 87-9 by Prof.K.D.Bajpai.

[7]:

Brhaspatimitra of the Mora (Mathura) brick inscription also seems to be the ruler of Kaushambi.

[8]:

Allan, B.M.C. Ancient India, pp. 135-39; 169-75; 192-204 and respective plates.

[9]:

See Prof. K.D. Bajpai's paper in J.N.S.1, XXIV, pp.9-19.

[10]:

Coin of King Sungavarna from Kaushambi, Indian Numismatic Chronicle, Patna, Vol. 5, pp. 84-06

[11]:

Cunningham, Ibid, p. 17; J.N.S.I., IV, pp 137-8; XXII; pp. 131-33, pl. VI,21; The reading Agarajusa is quite clear on same Kaushambi coins in the possession of Prof. K.D. Bajpai and same in the collection of Sri Janeshwardas of Allahabad.

[12]:

The name Angaraja itself possibly implies his sovereignty over the Anga kingdom.The contemporary Anga is not known to have any janapada coinage of its own.

[13]:

Barua and Sinha, Barhut Inscriptions, pp. 1-3,30-31.

[14]:

Cunningham, op.cit., pp. 16, 130, pl. LIII.

[15]:

Op. cit., p. 16,130.

[16]:

Cf. Barua, Proceedings of the 4th Oriental Conference (Allahabad, 1928) pp. 681-92

[17]:

J.N.S.I., Vol. XXV., P.16

[18]:

Op.cit, Intro.,pp. XCVI-XCVIII; pp 150-54. Allan has wrongly attributed (opucit, p. 172; pl. XXV, 8-11) The coins of Gomitra of Kaushambi to Gomitra II of Mathura.

[19]:

J.N.S.I., IV, pp. 1-16; 133-145 and plates.

[20]:

E.g. Brihaspatimitra, Varunamitra, Sivamitra, Pothmitra, and Devamitra.