Post-Mauryan Period:
Que. Evaluate the significant political features of the Post-Mauryan Northern India. What are the main sources of it? [UPSC CSE-2020]
Introduction:
The Post Mauryan period did not witness a large empire like that of the Mauryas, but it is notable for intimate and widespread contacts between Central Asia and India as we witness invasions by various groups of people based in Central Asia and western Chinalike Indo-Greeks, the Scythians or the Shakas, the Parthians or the Pahlavas and the Kushanas.
In north-western India Mauryas were succeeded by a number of ruling dynasties from Central Asia like Indo- Greeks. Kusanas. Sakas and Western Kshatrapas. Of them, the Kushans became the most famous.
Coins, inscriptions and literary sources like Buddhist texts (such as the Angavijja. Lalitavistara, Milindapanha. Mahavastu) and Brahmanical texts are major sources of the Post Mauryan Northern India.
The significant political features of the Post Mauryan Northern India:
The disintegration of the Mauryan empire led to the rise of many regional kingdoms in different parts of the country. At the same time, we witness invasions by various groups of people based in Central Asia and western China. These were Indo-Greeks, the Scythians or the Shakas, the Parthians or the Pahlavas and the Kushanas. It was through such political processes that India came in closer contact with the central Asian politics and culture.
(1) The Shungas:
The last Mauryan king was killed by his Commander-in-Chief, Pushyamitra Shunga, who then established his own dynasty in north India. It came to be known as Shunga dynasty. While the Shungas were ruling in north India, the Indo- Greeks also known as Yavanas, about whom we shall study in some details later, emerged in Bactria (Balkh) as an independent power and soon started extending their rule in the north-western and northern parts of India. There are indications that Pushyamitra Shunga came in conflict with Demetrius, a Bactrian Greek ruler without suffering much political damage. An inscription engraved on a pillar at Besnagar (present day Vidisha) refers to one Heliodorus, native of Taxila near Rawalpindi in Pakistan, as an envoy of an Indo-Greek ruler Antialkidas in the court of Bhagabhadra, who has been identified with one of the later Shunga rulers. According to the inscription he was devotee of Lord Krishna.
In around the second quarter of the first century BC, the last of the Shunga rulers was killed treacherously by his minister Vasudeva, who then laid down the foundations of the Kanva dynasty. We know virtually nothing about the Kanvas except for the rather cursory references to them in later texts.
(2) The Bactrians or the Indo-Greeks:
After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, many Greeks came to settle on the northern western boarders of India with Bactria (area to the north-west of the Hindukush mountains in the present day north Afghanistan) as an important centre. The rulers of Bactria came to be called the Bactrian-Greeks because of their Hellenistic (Greek) ancestry. One of the rulers of the line named Demetrius as mentioned above came into conflict with Pushyamitra.
However, the most celebrated Indo-Greek ruler was Menander. His empire appears to have included southern Afghanisthan and Gandhara, the region west of the R. Indus. He has been identified with king Milinda mentioned in the famous Buddhist text Milindapanho which contains philosophical questions that Milinda asked Nagasena (the Buddhist author of the text) and informs us that impressed by the answers, the king accepted Buddhism as his religion. Menander is believed to have ruled between c. 155 BC and 130 BC.
(3) The Shakas:
Shaka is the Indian term used for the people called Scythians, who originally belonged to central Asia. Defeated by their neighbours the Yuch-chis (the tribal stock to which the Kushanas belonged) they gradually came to settle in northwestern India around Taxila in the first century B.C Under the successive Shaka rulers their territories extended up to Mathura and Gujarat.
The most famous of all the Shaka rulers was Rudradaman who ruled in the middle of second century AD. His empire was spread over almost whole of western India. His achievements are known through the only inscription that he got engraved on a boul- der at Girnar or Junagarh. This inscription happens to be the first royal inscription of early India composed in chaste Sanskrit.
(4) The Parthians:
The Parthians were of Iranian origin and because of strong cultural connection with the Shakas, these groups were referred to in the Indian sources as Shaka-Pahlava. The important inscription indicating the Parthian rule in the northwestern area of Pakistan is the famous Takht-i-Bahi inscription recovered from Mardan near Peshawar. The inscription, dated in 45 AD, refers to Gondophernes or Gondophares as a Parthian ruler. Some literary sources associate him with St. Thomas, who is said to have converted both, the king and his brother, to Christianity.
Main Sources of Post-Mauryan Political History:
(1) Literary Sources:
Literary sources provide valuable insights into the political history of post-Mauryan northern India. Ancient texts such as the Puranas, Buddhist and Jain texts, and Sanskrit epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana contain references to the political events, rulers, and kingdoms of the period. For example, the Puranas, composed during the Gupta period, offer detailed accounts of dynastic genealogies, royal lineages, and historical events.
(2) Inscriptions:
Inscriptions engraved on pillars, rock edicts, copper plates, and stone slabs serve as important sources for reconstructing the political history of post-Mauryan northern India. These inscriptions, issued by rulers and administrators, provide information about royal decrees, land grants, administrative policies, and diplomatic relations. The inscriptions of Ashoka, for instance, offer valuable insights into the administrative practices and political ideology of the Mauryan Empire, while inscriptions from later periods shed light on the rise of regional kingdoms and dynasties.
(3) Numismatic Evidence:
Numismatic evidence, including coins and coin hoards, offers tangible evidence of the political and economic developments of the post-Mauryan period. Coins issued by rulers such as the Sungas, Kushans, Satavahanas, and Guptas bear inscriptions and symbols that provide clues about the extent of their territories, the titles of rulers, and the economic policies of their administrations. Numismatic evidence also helps in dating historical events and tracing the circulation of goods and currencies across different regions.
(4) Archaeological Finds:
Archaeological excavations and discoveries contribute to our understanding of post-Mauryan political history by unearthing artifacts, structures, and settlements associated with ancient kingdoms and dynasties. Archaeological sites such as Pataliputra (modern-day Patna), Sanchi, Taxila, and Amaravati provide evidence of urban centers, palaces, fortifications, and religious monuments that were integral to the political and cultural life of the period. Artifacts such as pottery, sculptures, seals, and weapons offer insights into the material culture and technological advancements of ancient societies.
Conclusion:
The Post-Mauryan period in Northern India witnessed a profound transformation in political dynamics, marked by fragmentation of authority, rise of regional kingdoms, foreign invasions, and administrative innovations. These features, illuminated by literary texts, inscriptions, numismatic evidence, and archaeological findings, offer valuable insights into the complexities of governance during this era. They underscore the diverse and dynamic nature of ancient Indian polity, shaping subsequent historical trajectories.
