Editing Pushyamitra Shunga

{{Short description|Shunga Emperor from 185 to 149 BCE}}
{{for|the 5th century CE tribe|Pushyamitras}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox royalty
| succession   = [[List of monarchs of Magadha#House of Shunga|Emperor of Magadha]]
| image        = SungaMasculine.jpg
| caption      = Sunga period masculine figurine, 2nd-1st century BCE, [[Guimet Museum]]
| reign        = {{circa|185|149 BCE}}
| religion     = [[Hinduism]]
| succession1  = [[Senapati|General]] of [[Mauryan Empire|Magadha]]
| predecessor  = [[Brihadratha Maurya]] (as [[List of Mauryan emperors|Mauryan emperor]])
| successor    = [[Agnimitra]]
| birth_date   = {{circa|late 3rd century BCE}}
| birth_place  = [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]], [[Maurya Empire]] (present-day [[Bihar]], [[India]])
| death_date   = {{Circa|149 BCE}}
| death_place  = [[Pataliputra]], [[Shunga Empire]](present-day [[Bihar]], [[India]])
| dynasty      = [[Shunga Empire|Shunga]]
| father       = 
| mother       = 
}}

'''Pushyamitra Shunga''' ([[IAST]]: {{IAST|Puṣyamitra Śuṅga}}; reigned {{circa|185|149 BCE}}), also known as '''Pushpamitra Shunga''' ([[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]]: {{IAST|Puṣpamitra Śuṅga}}) was the founder and the first ruler of the [[Shunga Empire]] which he established to succeed the [[Maurya Empire]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mitchiner |first=John E. |title=The Yuga Purāṇa |publisher=The Asiatic Society |year=1986 |isbn=978-93-81574-56-0 |edition=1st |location=Kolkata |pages=71 |language=en}}</ref> His original name was Puṣpaka or Puṣpamitra and the confusion between Puṣyamitra and Puṣpamitra arose because of the erroneous readings of 'p' and 'y' in the manuscripts.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mitchiner |first=John E. |title=The Yuga Purāṇa |publisher=The Asiatic Society |year=1986 |isbn=978-93-81574-56-0 |edition=1st |location=Kolkata |pages=71–72 |language=en}}</ref>  

Pushyamitra is recorded to have performed the [[Ashvamedha]] ritual to legitimize his right to rule.<ref>{{cite book |author=Dineshchandra Sircar |author-link=Dineshchandra Sircar |title=Studies in the Religious Life of Ancient and Medieval India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mh1y1eMgGBMC&pg=PA175 |year=1971 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-2790-5 |page=175}}</ref> Inscriptions of the Shungas have been found as far as the [[Ayodhya]] (the [[Ayodhya Inscription of Dhana|Dhanadeva–Ayodhya inscription]]), and the ''[[Divyavadana]]'' mentions that his empire stretched as far as [[Sagala|Sakala]] (now [[Sialkot]]) in [[Punjab]] region, now in Pakistan.

Though Buddhist texts claim that Pushyamitra persecuted Buddhists, past and contemporary scholars have rejected these claims.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mishra|first=Ram Kumar|title=Pushyamitra Sunga and the Buddhists |date=2012|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44156189|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=73|pages=50–57|jstor=44156189 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref><ref name=thapar />

==Foundation of the Shunga Empire==
Pushyamitra Shunga founded the [[Shunga Empire]] after assassinating the last Mauryan emperor [[Brihadratha Maurya]]. Subsequently, he drove out the Greeks with the [[Shunga–Greek War]] and ruled for 36 years.<ref name="s590">{{cite book | last=Roxburgh | first=E. | title=The Mauryan Empire of India | publisher=Cavendish Square Publishing | series=Great Empires | year=2015 | isbn=978-1-5026-0640-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XpFmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA42| page=42}}</ref><ref name="v667">{{cite book | last=Tarn | first=W.W. | title=The Greeks in Bactria and India | publisher=Cambridge University Press | series=Cambridge Library Collection - Classics | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-108-00941-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HeJS3nE9cAC&pg=PA175 | page=175}}</ref><ref name="v298">{{cite book | last=Kulke | first=H. | last2=Rothermund | first2=D. | title=A History of India | publisher=Routledge | series=Asian history | year=1998 | isbn=978-0-415-15482-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V0GEtXp-GsUC&pg=PA71 | page=71}}</ref>

The Buddhist text ''[[Ashokavadana]]'' names Pushyamitra as the last Mauryan emperor.{{sfn|Lahiri|1974|p=29}} {{quote|[[Samprati|Sampadin's]] son was Bṛhaspati who, in turn, had a son named Vṛṣasena, and Vṛṣasena had a son named Puṣyadharman, and Pusyadharman begot [[Pushyamitra|Pusyamitra]]...... With the death of Pusyamitra, the Mauryan lineage came to an end.<br>--Aśokāvadāna{{sfn|Strong|1989|pp=292, 294}} }} This text appears to have confused Brihadratha with Pushyamitra.{{sfn|Lahiri|1974|p=30}}

H. C. Raychaudhuri theorized that the name "Shunga" is derived from the Sanskrit word for the fig tree.<ref>''Raychaudhari Hemchandra, "Tha Audvijja Senani of the Harivansa?", Indian culture, Vol. IV, 1938, P. 360-365''</ref>

== Alleged persecution of Buddhists ==
=== Buddhist accounts ===
Buddhist texts claim that Pushyamitra cruelly persecuted the Buddhists. The earliest source to mention this is the 4-5th Century CE text ''[[Ashokavadana]]'' (a part of ''[[Divyavadana]]''). According to this account, Pushyamitra (described as the last Mauryan emperor) wanted to be famous. His ministers advised him that as long as Buddhism remained the dominant faith, he would never be as famous as his ancestor [[Ashoka]], who had commissioned 84,000 [[stupa]]s. One advisor told him that he could become famous by destroying Buddhism. Pushyamitra then tried to destroy the [[Kukkutarama]] monastery, but it was saved by chance. He then proceeded to [[Sagala|Shakala]] in the north-west, where he offered a prize of one hundred ''[[Roman Republican currency#The denarius system|Roman denarii]]'' (coins) for every head of a Buddhist monk brought to him. Next, he proceeded to the Koshthaka kingdom, where a Buddhist [[yaksha]] named Damshtranivasin killed him and his army with help of another yaksha named Krimisha.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|pp=95-96}}{{sfn|Lahiri|1974|p=33}}

{{quote|... Pushyamitra equipped a fourfold army, and intending to destroy the Buddhist religion, he went to the [[Kukkutarama]] (in [[Pataliputra]]). ... Pushyamitra therefore destroyed the [[sangharama]], killed the monks there, and departed. ... After some time, he arrived in [[Sagala|Sakala]], and proclaimed that he would give a ... reward to whoever brought him the head of a Buddhist monk.{{sf|Strong|1989|p=293}}}}
Like other portions of the text, these accounts are regarded by many historians as being exaggerated.<ref name="Jayantanuja2007">{{cite book | author=Jayantanuja Bandyopadhyaya | title=Class and Religion in Ancient India | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gwUF11NRyT4C&pg=PA209 | access-date=29 November 2012 | year=2007 | publisher=Anthem Press | isbn=978-1-84331-727-2 | page=209}}</ref>

''Vibhasa'', another 2nd century text, states that Pushyamitra burned Buddhist scriptures, killed Buddhist monks, and destroyed 500 monasteries in and around [[Kashmir]]. In this campaign, he was supported by yakshas, ''kumbhanda''s, and other demons. However, when he reached the [[Bodhi tree]], the deity of that tree took the form of a beautiful woman and killed him.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=96}} ''Shariputrapariprichha'', translated into Chinese between 317 and 420 CE also mentions this legend, but this particular version is more detailed, and describes eastern India (not Kashmir) as the center of Pushyamitra's anti-Buddhist campaign.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=96}}

The medieval-era ''[[Manjushri-mula-kalpa|Arya-Manjushri-Mula-Kalpa]]'' mentions a wicked and foolish king named Gomimukhya ("cattle-faced"), or Gomishanda ("Gomin, the bull"), who seized the territory from the east to Kashmir, destroying monasteries and killing monks. Ultimately, he and his officers were killed in the north by falling mountain rocks.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=96}}{{sfn|Lahiri|1974|p=33-34}} This king is identified with Pushyamitra by [[Jayantanuja Bandyopadhyaya]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Jayantanuja |last=Bandyopadhyaya |title=Class and Religion in Ancient India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gwUF11NRyT4C&pg=PA209 |year=2007 |publisher=Anthem |isbn=978-1-84331-332-8 |page=209 }}</ref>

The 16th-century Tibetan Buddhist historian [[Taranatha]] also states that Pushyamitra and his allies killed Buddhist monks and destroyed monasteries from ''madhyadesha'' (midland) to [[Jalandhar]]a. These activities wiped out the Buddhist doctrine from the north, within five years.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=96}}

=== Authenticity of Buddhist claims ===
[[File:Pushyamitra epigraph.jpg|thumb|The name "Pushyamitra" ([[Brahmi script]]: 𑀧𑀼𑀰𑁆𑀬𑀫𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀭) in the [[Ayodhya Inscription of Dhana]].]]
Based on Buddhist tradition, some scholars believe that Pushyamitra was indeed a persecutor of the Buddhist faith. However, others believe that Buddhist scholars were biased against Pushyamitra, because he did not patronize them.{{sfn|Lahiri|1974|pp=34-35}}
According to archaeologist [[John Marshall (archaeologist)|John Marshall]], there is evidence of some damage to Buddhist establishments at [[Takshashila]] around the time of Shunga rule. He also theorized that the [[Sanchi Stupa|Sanchi stupa]] was vandalized in 2nd century BCE (that is, during Pushyamitra's reign), before being rebuilt on a larger scale.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|pp=96-97}} G. R. Sharma, who excavated the Buddhist ruins at [[Kosambi|Kaushambi]], suggested that the destruction of the local monastery might have happened during the reign of Pushyamitra Shunga. P. K. Mishra believes that the damage to the [[Deur Kothar]] stupa is also datable to Pushyamitra's period.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=97}} H. C. Raychaudhari pointed out that Buddhist monuments were constructed at [[Bharhut]] during the Shunga rule.{{sfn|Lahiri|1974|p=34}} However, according to N. N. Ghosh, these were constructed during the reign of later Shunga rulers, not Pushyamitra's period.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=97}}

H. Bhattacharya theorized that Pushyamitra might have persecuted Buddhists for political, rather than religious, reasons: the politically active Buddhists probably supported the [[Indo-Greek Kingdom|Indo-Greek]] rivals of Pushyamitra, which might have prompted him to persecute them.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=100}} The ''Ashokavadana'' states that Pushyamitra declared a reward for killing Buddhist monks in [[Sagala|Shakala]] (present-day Sialkot), which was located near the Indo-Greek frontiers. According to K. P. Jayaswal, this further highlights a political motivation behind his alleged persecution of Buddhists.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|pp=99-100}}

Others have expressed skepticism about the Buddhist claims of persecution by Pushyamitra. [[Étienne Lamotte]] points out that the Buddhist legends are not consistent about the location of Pushyamitra's anti-Buddhist campaign and his death.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=98}} The ''[[Ashokavadana]]'' claims that Pushyamitra offered Roman ''dinara''s as a reward for killing Buddhist monks, but the ''dinara'' did not come into general circulation in India before the 1st century BCE.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ganguly|first=Kanchan|title=Roman Coins in India and their impact.pdf|url=https://www.academia.edu/34202941}}</ref> ''Ashokavadana'' also claims that Ashoka persecuted ''Nirgrantha''s ([[Ajivika]]s), which some assert is a fabrication, considering that Ashoka's edicts express tolerance towards all religious sects.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=99}} The Sri Lankan Buddhist text ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' suggests that several monasteries existed in present-day Bihar, Awadh and Malwa at the time Pushyamitra's contemporary [[Dutthagamani]] ruled in Lanka. This suggests that these monasteries survived Pushyamitra Shunga's reign.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=100}}

H. C. Raychaudhury argued that Pushyamitra's overthrow of the Mauryans cannot be considered as a Brahmin uprising against Buddhist rule, as Brahmins did not suffer during the Mauryan rule: Ashoka's edicts mention the Brahmins before [[Shramana]]s, and the appointment of a Brahmin general (Pushyamitra) shows that the Brahmins were honoured at the Mauryan court.{{sfn|Lahiri|1974|p=34}} The fact that the ''Ashokavadana'' mentions Pushyamitra as a Mauryan further erodes its historical credibility, and weakens the hypothesis that he persecuted Buddhists because he was a Brahmin.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|p=99}} Raychaudhury also argued that according to ''[[Malavikagnimitra]]'', a Buddhist nun named Bhagavati Kaushiki attended Pushyamitra's court, which indicates that they did not persecute Buddhists. However, Shankar Goyal states that there is no evidence of Kaushiki being a Buddhist nun.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rxpuAAAAMAAJ |title=Aspects of ancient Indian history and historiography |author=Shankar Goyal |publisher=Harman |year=1993 |isbn=9788185151694 |page=30 }}</ref> 

Historian Eric Seldeslachts states that there is "no proof whatsoever that Pushyamitra actually persecuted the Buddhists" though he may not have actively supported the Buddhists, invoking the Buddhist wrath.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Heirman |first1=Ann |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kr_M1e7yImoC |title=The Spread of Buddhism |last2=Bumbacher |first2=Stephan Peter |date=2007-05-11 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-15830-6 |pages=141 |language=en}}</ref>

[[Romila Thapar]] writes that the lack of concrete archaeological evidence casts doubt on the claims of Buddhist persecution by Pushyamitra.<ref name="thapar">Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas by Romila Thapar, Oxford University Press, 1960 P200</ref>

It is possible that the Buddhist influence at the Mauryan court declined during Pushyamitra's reign, and the Buddhist monasteries and other institutions stopped receiving royal patronage. This change might have led to discontent among the Buddhists, resulting in exaggerated accounts of persecution.{{sfn|Simmons|Sarao|2010|pp=99-100}}

[[Michael Witzel]] states that ''[[Manu Smriti]]'', which emphasizes the role of orthodox faith in state-craft and society, was first compiled under Pushyamitra's rule. According to Kaushik Roy, it was a Brahmanical reaction to the rise of Buddhism and Jainism.<ref name="roy">Roy, Kaushik (2012). Hinduism and the Ethics of Warfare in South Asia: From Antiquity to the Present, p.109-118. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|9781107017368}}</ref>

===Accounts against persecution===
[[File:Sanchi Stupa Nr. 2 (1999).JPG|thumb|Shunga period [[stupa]] No. 2 at [[Sanchi]].]]
[[File:East Gateway and Railings Bharhut Stupa.jpg|thumb|East Gateway and Railings, Red Sandstone, [[Bharhut]] Stupa, 2nd century BCE. [[Indian Museum]], [[Kolkata]].]]
Shunga emperors were seen as amenable to Buddhism and as having contributed to the building of the stupa at [[Bharhut]].<ref>Akira Hirakawa, Paul Groner, "A History of Indian Buddhism: From Sakyamuni to Early Mahayana", Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1996, {{ISBN|81-208-0955-6}} pg 223</ref> During his reign the Buddhist monuments of Bharhut and [[Sanchi]] were renovated and further improved. There is enough evidence to show that [[Pushyamitra]] patronised buddhist art.<ref>Sir john Marshall, "[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.278482 A Guide to Sanchi]", 1918</ref>

== Succession of the throne ==
Pushyamitra Shunga was succeeded in 148 BCE by his son [[Agnimitra]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |first=Sailendra Nath  |last=Sen |publisher=New Age International, 1999 |year=1999 |isbn=978-8-12241-198-0 |page=170 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA170}}</ref>

== In literature ==
Pushyamitra Shunga's history is recorded in the [[Harshacharita]] authored by [[Bāṇabhaṭṭa]].

According to ''Vicarasreni'' of [[Merutunga]], Pushyamitra or Pushpamitra got his throne in 204 BC.{{sfn|Jain|1991|p=85}}

== See also ==
* [[History of Buddhism]]
* [[Indo-Greeks]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Sources ===
{{ref begin}}
* {{cite book |last=Jain |first=Kailash Chand |title=Lord Mahāvīra and His Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8-TxcO9dfrcC |date=1991 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] | isbn=978-81-208-0805-8 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Simmons|first1=Caleb|last2=Sarao|first2=K. T. S.|editor1-last=Danver|editor1-first=Steven L.|title=Popular Controversies in World History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=slVobUjdzGMC |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-59884-078-0 }}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vdu1AAAAIAAJ |title=Indigenous states of northern India, circa 200 B.C. to 320 A.D. |first=Bela |last=Lahiri |publisher=University of Calcutta |year=1974 |page=31 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Strong|first1=John S.|author-link = John S. Strong|title=The Legend of King Aśoka : a study and translation of the Aśokāvadāna|date=1989|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton|isbn=0-691-01459-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kp9uaQTQ8h8C&pg=PA232}}
* {{citation |last=Thapar |first=Romila |author-link=Romila Thapar |title=The Past Before Us|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aei9AAAAQBAJ |year=2013 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |isbn=978-0-674-72651-2 }}
{{ref end}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Shunga Empire|King of Shunga Dynasty]]
| years = 185–149 BCE
| before = [[Mauryan Dynasty]]''<br /> '''[[Brihadratha Maurya]]'''''
| after = [[Agnimitra]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shunga, Pushyamitra}}
[[Category:2nd-century BC Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:140s BC deaths]]
[[Category:Persecution of Buddhists]]
[[Category:Founding monarchs]]
[[Category:Shunga dynasty]]
[[Category:People from the Maurya Empire]]
[[Category:Indian generals]]
[[Category:Emperors of Magadha]]