Sunga Empire

Category: History of Buddhism

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

Also known as Shunga Empire.

The Sunga Empire controlled North-central and Eastern India from around 185-73 BCE. It was established after the fall of the Indian Mauryan Empire. The capital of the Sungas was at Pataliputra.

Overthrow of the Mauryan dynasty (185 BCE)

The Sunga dynasty was established in 185 BCE, about 50 years after Ashoka's death, when the king Brhadrata, the last of the Mauryan rulers, was assassinated by the then commander-in-chief of the Mauryan armed forces, Pusyamitra Sunga. Pusyamitra is said in the Puranas to have been the senānī or army-commander of the last Maurya king Brhadratha. (Ref: Yuga Purana, Mitchener, 2002), while he was taking the Guard of Honour of his forces. Pusyamitra Sunga then ascended the throne.

Persecution of Buddhism

Pusyamitra Sunga, a Brahmin, is recorded as having "destroyed monasteries and killed Monks" (Divyavadana, p429-434): 84.000 Buddhist stupas which had been built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka were destroyed, and 100 gold coins were offered for the head of each Buddhist monk. A large number of Buddhist monasteries (viharas) were allegedly converted to Hindu temples, in such places as Nalanda, Bodhgaya, Sarnath or Mathura.

Secular historians, however, have rejected Pusyamitras alleged persecution of Buddhists. The allegations appeared two centuries after King Pusyamitra's death in Asokâvadâna and the Divyâvadâna. Historical facts confirm that Pusyamitra allowed and patronized the construction of monasteries and Buddhist universities in his domains, as well as the still-extant Stupa of Sanchi. Following Ashoka's sponsorship of Buddhism, it is possible that Buddhist institutions fell on slightly harder times under the Sungas but no evidence of active persecution has been noted. Etienne Lamotte observes: To judge from the documents, Pushyamitra must be acquitted through lack of proof. See Ashoka and Pushyamitra, iconoclasts? by Koneraad Elst. Furthermore, eminent Indian historian Romila Thapar has largely refuted the claims made of Pusyamitra Sunga's persecution of Buddhists as exaggerations. She writes that the idea of Pusyamitra being violently anti-Buddhist has been stated, but archaeological evidence suggests the contrary. Buddhist literature relates that Pusyamitra "wishing to gain notoriety decided that even a wicked action could be excused provided it made him well known". When questioning people as to why Ashoka gained fame, he was told that it was due to Ashoka having built 84,000 stupas for Buddhism. Whereupon Pusyamitra decided that he would gain fame by destroying these 84,000 stupas". Yet, an archaeological study of the Stupa at Sanchi proves that it was enlarged and encased in its present covering during the Sunga period. It is much more likely that the Asokavadana is merely a legend of Pusyamitra's attack of the Mauryas, and reflects the fact that, with the declining influence of Buddhism in the Imperial court, Buddhist monuments and institutions would naturally receive less attention. (Ref: Thapar, Romila, Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas, Oxford University Press, 1960 P200).

Conflict with the Indo-Greeks

From around 180 BCE the Greco-Bactrian ruler Demetrius I of Bactria, conquered the Kabul Valley and parts of northwestern India. Demetrius helped established an Indo-Greek kingdom from the Hindu Kush to Mathura, which was to last in parts until the end of the 1st century BCE, and under which Buddhism was able to flourish. In particular, one of the successors of Demetrius, the Indo-Greek "Saviour king" Menander (Pali: Milinda) was a strong benefactor of the Buddhist faith at that time.

The Indo-Greeks and the Sungas seem to have reconciled and exchanged diplomatic missions around 110 BCE, as indicated by the Heliodorus pillar, which records the dispatch of a Greek ambassador named Heliodorus, from the court of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas, to the court of the Sunga king Bhagabhadra at the site of Vidisha in central [ndia.

Later Sunga realizations

During the historical Sunga period (185-73 BCE), Buddhist activity also managed to survive somewhat in central India (Madhya Pradesh) as suggested by some architectural expansions that were done at the stupas of Sanchi and Barhut, originally started under King Ashoka. These stupas, however, are located quite far from the Sunga center of power, and it is questioned whether these works were due to the weakness of the control of the Sungas in these areas, or a late sign of tolerance on their part.

The last of the Sunga kings was Devabhuti.

List of Sunga Kings

• Pusyamitra Sunga (185 - 149 BCE)
• Agnimitra (149 - 141 BCE)
• Vasujyeshtha (141 - 131 BCE)
• Vasumitra (131 - 124 BCE)
• Andhraka (124 - 122 BCE)
• Pulindaka (122 - 119 BCE)
• Ghosha
• Vajramitra
• Bhagabhadra
• Devabhuti (83 - 73 BCE)

See also

• History of Buddhism
• History of India
• Greco-Buddhism

References

• Ashoka and the decline of the Mauryas Romila Thaper (London 1961).
• The Yuga Purana, John E. Mitchiner, Kolkata, The Asiatic Society, 2002, ISBN 8172361246

External links

• List of rulers of Magadha
• Medallions from Barhut
• Sunga art in North India (Bharhut and Bodgaya)