Post-Maurya Kingdoms

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

The collapse of the Mauryan rule in 187 BCE paved the way for the emergence of several powers in the Indian subcontinent. The period from the decline of the Mauryas to the rise of the Guptas (2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE) is known in Indian history as the post - Mauryan period. The Indo-Greek Kingdom, or Graeco-Indian Kingdom, also known historically as the Yavana Kingdom, was a Hellenistic-era Greek kingdom covering various parts of Afghanistan, the northwest regions of the Indian subcontinent, (all of present Pakistan), and a small part of Iran; from 180 B.C.E. to around 10 C.E. The kingdom began when the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius invaded India in 180 B.C.E., ultimately creating an entity which seceded from the powerful Greco-Bactrian Kingdom cantered in Bactria. Bactria or Bactriana, was an ancient region in Central Asia. Alexander also had established in neighboring Bactria several cities (Ai-Khanoum, Begram) and an administration that lasted more than two centuries under the Seleucids and the Greco-Bactrians, all the time in direct contact with Indian territory. In India, the overthrow of Maurya Dynasty occurred around 185 B.C.E. The book concentrates mainly on post mauryan history.

Amanpreet Hebbar is a historian specializing in ancient Indian history, with a particular focus on the post-Maurya kingdoms. Hebbar's educational journey includes a PhD degree in History, with a specialization in ancient civilizations. This academic background has equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of the historical context and cultural intricacies of the post-Maurya period in India. As an author, Hebbar's expertise lies in meticulously researching and exploring the post-Maurya kingdoms that emerged after the decline of the Mauryan Empire. In addition to his research and writing endeavors, Hebbar actively participates in academic conferences, seminars, and workshops. He shares his knowledge and insights with fellow historians, researchers, and enthusiasts, fostering meaningful discussions and collaborations within the field. Hebbar's contributions to the study of ancient Indian history have earned him recognition and respect within the academic community.

The collapse of the Mauryan rule in 187 BCE paved the way for the emergence of several powers in the Indian subcontinent. The period from the decline of the Mauryas to the rise of the Guptas (2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE) is known in Indian history as the post Mauryan period. The Indo-Greek Kingdom, or Graeco-Indian Kingdom, also known historically as the Yavana Kingdom, was a Hellenistic-era Greek kingdom covering various parts of Afghanistan, the northwest regions of the Indian subcontinent, (all of present Pakistan), and a small part of Iran; from 180 B.C.E. to around 10 C.E. The kingdom began when the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius invaded India in 180 B.C.E., ultimately creating an entity which seceded from the powerful Greco-Bactrian Kingdom cantered in Bactria. Bactria or Bactriana, was an ancient region in Central Asia. Alexander also had established in neighboring Bactria several cities (Ai-Khanoum, Begram) and an administration that lasted more than two centuries under the Seleucids and the Greco-Bactrians, all the time in direct contact with Indian territory. In India, the overthrow of Maurya Dynasty occurred around 185 B.C.E. when Pusyamitra Sunga, described as a "senapati", was the commander-in-chief of Mauryan Imperial forces and a Brahmin, who assassinated the last of the Mauryan emperors Brhadrata. Pusyamitra Sunga then ascended the throne and established the Sunga Empire, which extended its control as far west as the Punjab. Parthia is an ancient land corresponding roughly to the modern region of Khorasan in Iran. The Parthians ruled from 247 BCE to 224 CE, creating a vast empire that stretched from the Mediterranean in the west to India and China in the east. East of the Caspian Sea there emerged from the steppe of Central Asia a nomadic Scythian tribe called the Parni. Later called the Parthians and taking over the Seleucid Empire and fending off the Romans, they established themselves as a superpower in their own right. The Parthian Empire was founded by Arsaces I of Parthia, when he rebelled against the Seleucid Empire. The Parthian kingdom had its reach from Turkey to eastern Iran. Indo-Scythians is a term used to refer to Scythians (Sakas), who migrated into parts of Central Asia and north-western South Asia, from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th century CE. Generally, they were pastoralists and good horsemen. They often attacked sedentary societies with the intention of acquiring pastoral grazing land and livestock typical cattle-centric steppe nomad behaviour. Following the death of Alexander the Great and the gradual diminution of his eastern empire, the Sakas infiltrated those lands to create states of their own.

The Kushan Empire (c. First-Third Centuries) reached its cultural zenith circa 105- 250 C.E., extended from Tajikistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and into the Ganges River valley in northern India. The Kushan tribe of the Yuezhi confederation, believed to be Indo-European people from the eastern Tarim Basin, China, possibly related to the Tocharians, created the empire. They were the furthest eastern Indo- European speaking people. The emergence of the vast Kushan Empire from the first century AD until its decline in the third century saw the political unification of much of Central Asia, from modern day India and Pakistan to the Iranian borders. Cultural exchanges flourished. encouraging the development of Greco-Buddhism, a fusion of Hellenistic and Buddhist cultural elements, expanding into central and northern Asia as Mahayana Buddhism. Kanishka has earned renown in Buddhist tradition for having convened a great Buddhist council in Kashmir, in 72A.D. Kanishka also had the original Gandhari vernacular, or Prakrit. Buddhist texts translated into the language of Sanskrit. Kushano- Sasanian Kingdom (also called Kushanshahs or Indo-Sasanians) is a historiographic term used by modern scholars, to refer to a branch of the Sasanian Persians who established their rule in Bactria during the 3rd and 4th centuries CE at the expense of the declining Kushans. Shortly after the Sasanian king Ardashir I overthrew the Parthians, he marched to the east and invaded Bactria (circa 230 AD). Under him and his son Shapur I, the Kushans lost the western part of their empire and these provinces in Bactria and Gandhara came under the rule of Sasanian nobles called Kushanshahs. In about 325 AD. Shapur II took direct control of the southern part of the region.

The book concentrates mainly on post mauryan history.

**Contents and Sample Pages**