First of all, let’s understand the Mauryan genealogy a little. Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of Maurya Empire. After this the reins passed to his son Bindusara and his son Ashoka, this was the golden age of Mauryan dynasty and Buddhism. Brihadratha became the last ruler of the Maurya dynasty in 184-187 BC. Pushyamitra enters from here. Brahmin general Pushyamitra kills Brihadratha during the parade. And from here begins the Shunga Dynasty. This dynasty ruled Central India for about a century. And during this period the influence of Buddhism in India declined very rapidly.
Who was Pushyamitra Sung? Did they persecute Buddhists?
Most of the information about the Sung dynasty (187 BC to 73 AD) and Pushyamitra comes from Puranas written years later. Most of the stories are from 300 years later. Ashokavadana and Divyavadana written in the Gupta dynasty show a very brutal image of Pushyamitra. Interestingly, instead of describing Pushyamitra as a Brahmin, Pushyamitra is associated with the Mauryan dynasty. Both these Buddhist sources claim that Pushyamitra persecuted the Buddhists and destroyed their monasteries and places of worship. It is claimed in the Divyavadana that Pushyamitra even announced a gold coin in exchange for the head of a Buddhist monk. Other aspects of Pushyamitra are also mentioned.
What is in historian Romila Thapar’s book?
Noted historian Romila Thapar in his book Early India from the Origin to AD 1300 writes, ‘Pushyamitra, while leading the Mauryan army, killed the last Mauryan ruler and usurped the throne.’ Thapar writes that Buddhist sources claim that Pushyamitra persecuted the Buddhists and destroyed their monasteries and places of worship. This may be an exaggeration, but archaeological evidence shows that Buddhist monuments in the Shunga region were then in a dilapidated state and under restoration.
However, she adds that the damage to the Sanchi Stupa and Kaushambi Math dates back to the Sunga period. She also connects Pushyamitra’s two Ashvamedha yajnas with the promotion of Brahmanism during his reign. However, in the Malavikagnimitram written by Kalidasa, a different image of Pushyamitra is mentioned from Buddhist sources.
Did Pushyamitra persecute the Buddhists when he met the Yavanas?
When Pushyamitra took over, the Yavanas advanced as far as the Khyber. According to the Yuga Purana, the Yavanas reached Saket (Ayodhya) and Kusumadhvaja (Pataliputra). After this he returned, upon which Pushyamitra performed the Ashwamedha Yajna. Some stories also say that Pushyamitra became very angry with the Buddhists for meeting the Yavanas and attacked them. However, there is no concrete evidence for this in history.
Then who burnt Nalanda?
Nalanda was famous as a center of knowledge in the world. This golden story of Nalanda continued from the fifth century to about the 12th century. About 10 thousand foreigners continued their studies in the ancient Nalanda University till 1193. It was later destroyed by the Turkish invader Bakhtiar Khilji. Historians say that when the university was attacked, its library contained about nine million books and manuscripts, which were reduced to ashes. So the Pushyamitra connection of the attack on Nalanda does not seem far-fetched. Because this dynasty ended several years before him.
Some interesting things
Where is information about Pushyamitra Sung found in history?
- After the end of the Sung dynasty, the four Puranas – Vayu, Brahma, Bhavishi and Matsya were written in the Gupta dynasty. In this we get information about Pushyamitra.
- Kalidasa’s Malavika Agnimitra also mentions Pushyamitra Sung. This is the love story of Agnimitra, son of Pushyamitra.
- Pushyamitra Sung is also mentioned in Banabhata’s Harshacharita, written about eight hundred years after the Sung dynasty. It mentions Shunga as the non-Aryan warrior who killed Brihadratha.
How did Pushyamitra die?
The Yuga Purana says that Pushyamitra’s heart fell on a beautiful woman from Madradesh. The Shungas fight a war for him and are killed.
When was Divyavadan written?
Divyavadan was written in the second century. That is about 300 years after the death of Pushyamitra.
How far was Pushyamitra’s kingdom?
Buddhist sources state Pushyamitra’s range from present-day Jalandhar to the Magadha-anga region. In Puranic sources, his kingdom is said to have extended only to Kaushal and Magadha.
Was Pushyamitra a Mauryan?
In the last chapter of The Legends of King Ashoka, an English translation of the Buddha source Asokavadana, Pushyamitra is associated with the Mauryan dynasty. It is written that Ashoka’s son was Kunal. Kunal’s son was Sampadin and Sampadin’s son was Brihaspati and Brihaspati’s son was Pushyamitra.