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The
period (187 B .C
to 320 A.D ) between
the downfall of the Mauryan Empire and the rise of the next
powerful Gupta Empire is marked by the presence of various dynasties
in North, South and North- Western India In Magadha , the Mauryas
were succeeded by the Sungas .
According to Harshacharitra of Bana , while reviewing
the army under the pretext of showing
him his forces , the base-born (Anarya) General
Pushyamitra crushed his master Brihadratha , the Maurya who was weakin
keeping his coronation oath
" .Pushyamitra is stated to have ruled for 36 years.
During
his reign he had to fight to work against the Yavanas
(Greeks) whose leader was
Demetrios . The
rule of Sungas for around 112 years proved important particularly
for
central Bharat . This is because if the Sungas had not driven
away the Yavanas they might
have succeeded in establishing
their control in the northern India, as they already had
conquered Saketa , Panchala and Mathura . Brahmanial religion
asserted an aggressive form during the Sunga period . They were
succeeded by the Kanvas . It is also
believed that the Kanvas usurped the whole power of Sungas and
ruled like modern Peshwas, reducing their masters to the character
of nominal sovereigns . The
next prominent post-Mauryan dynasty was of the Satvahanas
or Andhras .
The
inscription available and the Puranas indicate the origin of
the Satvahanas somewhere in western Bharat , near Pratichthan
( modern Paithan in Aurangabad ). The most important
king of the dynasty was Gautamiputra Sri Satakarni . He
is described as the destroyer of the Sakas , Yavanas and Pahlavas
. It was during this dynasty that the foreign trade
flourished and the Deccan played an important role in
commercial relation of India and the west Paithan and Tagara
were important marks of those days and the prominent harbors
were Kopara and Kalyan . This was the dynasty during
which Brahmanical religion and Buddhism flourished side by side
. However the
Satvahana kings themselves were Brahmins . Their reign was marked by their performance
of religious sacrifices like Ashwamedh , Rajasuya , Agnyadeya
, Anvaramaabhiyana , Gavamayana , Aghirasamayana , etc. Buddhism
also made considerable progress because of the policy of religious
tolerance of the Satvahana kings. Almost
all the caves so far found in Deccan , dedicated to Buddhism
were excavated during the Satvahana period .
The
next important period in the history of India , after the fall
of the Mauryas is that of the Kushan Empire
. This is because it was during
this period that 'nascent Christianity
met full grown Buddhism in the academics and markets
of Asia and Egypt while
both religions were exposed to the influence of surrounding paganism in many forms
and the countless works of which gave expression to the forms
of polytheism.
The most important king of the Kushana Empire was Kanishka.
Change-Kiev, the
Chinese Ambassodar in Badria
has left an account of the migration of the Yuch-Chi
to the South-west . Kushanas were a section of Yuch-chi race.
Mathura and Gandhana schools of
art developed during the Kushana Empire .
The
post-Mauryan period gains importance in the history of Bharat
because of the presence of the dynasties
that contributed
to ancient Indian polity , idea of
kinship etc . Another characteristic of this period is ,
that a large number of foreigners settled
in Bharat during this period. Caste
system leaving its rigidity far
back , became flexible
. There were Anuloma and Pratiloma marriages . Further
people could change their
professions to suit their needs . All
the three prominent religions , Brahmanism , Buddhism and Jainism
underwent
changes . While Vedic
religion lost its popularity
, Bhagavatism took the place. As far as Buddhism is concerned
, Mahayan developed as a different sect.
The
most important feature of this period was the thriving trade
between Bharat
and western world . Settlement of foreigners in Bharat gave
impetus to trade . It was
during this period, the Roman Empire emerged as a paramount
power in the western world
which
eventually provided grand opportunity for flourishing trade
with Bharat .As
far as administration is concerned , there was no substantial
change in the system from that of the Mauryans .
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