After his ascendency, Pushyamitra asked Yajnasena to come back to the Magadha fold but Yajnasena declined the proposal of Pushyamitra. In the ‘Malavikaginimitram’ of Kalidasa a detailed description of the love affairs of Malvika (Princess of Vidarbha) and Agnimitra (the eldest son of Pushyamitra) are found. From the aforementioned drama, it can be known that there ensued a fierce battle between Vidarbha and Magadha. Agnimitra, the son of Pushyamitra Sunga, had led the army of Magadha. In the battle Yajnasena was defeated and the kingdom of Vidarbha was divided into two parts. One part was given to Yajnasena and other part was given to Madhavasena, the cousin of Yajnasena.
The Yavana Incursions:
The most significant event of the period of Pushyamitra Sunga was the struggle with the Yavans from the west and the valiant resistance by the Sungas. The important source material that throws light on Yavanas invasion are ‘Gargi Sanghita’, Patanjali’s ‘Mahabhasya’ and ‘Malavikaginimitram’ of Kalidasa. Based on these sources it is known that the Yavanas invaded India around 155 BCE under their prominent leader whose name was probably Menander. During the course of the invasion, the Yavanas, conquered the western provinces of the country viz., Saketa, Panchala and Mathura and reached up to Pataliputra. Under this circumstances, Pushyamitra decided to resist the Yavanas and it is from the ‘Malavikaginimitram’ that a fierce battle was fought on the bank of the river Sindhu where Yavanas were badly defeated and they were pushed back with heavy losses.
The Asvamedha Sacrifice:
In order to commemorate his victory against the Yavanas and state of Vidarbha, Pushyamitra Sunga performed asvamedha sacrifice. The event is proved in the ‘Malavikaginimitram’ and by Patanjali. Notably, Patanjali was officiating as priest in this sacrifice. We come to know from the Ayodhya Inscription of Dhanadeva that two ‘Asvamedha Yajna’ were performed by Pushyamitra. The performance of these sacrifices indicates that Pushyamitra Sunga assumed the title of ‘Chakravarti’ and he succeeded in bringing peace, prosperity and harmony in his empire. It is mentioned in ‘Harvansa Purana’ that it was Pushyamitra Sunga who performed ‘Asvamedha’ after Janmejaya.
Extent of
Empire:
It is obvious that Pushyamitra’s kingdom was definitely
smaller than the Mauryan rulers. Its extent was about half of the empire of
Ashoka. It was mainly because that after the downfall of the Mauryan Dynasty
many states which were previously under the Mauryan control had declared their independence.
Whatever may be, if we accept the opinion of the Tibetian Historian, Taranatha,
and ‘Divyavadana’ that Pataliputra continued to be the capital city of the
Sungas. Besides that, according to Ayodhya Inscription Ayodhya was under the
jurisdiction of Pushyamitra, whereas according to the ‘Malavikaginimitram’ his
dominions comprised Vidisha and the Southern regions as far as the Narmada.
Religion:
Among the most significant contribution that the
Sungas ushered, the consolidation of the religion was one of another important
event. Some aspects of culture which received set back at the time of the
Mauryas had received dominant priority.
In the religious filed, one major shift with the
coming of the Sungas in power, was the revival of Brahamanism that had received
set back during Mauryan administration. In fact, the Sunga administration was
the result of Brahmanic revolt against the weak and pacific Buddhist monarchy
of the Mauryas. Pushyamitra Sunga was himself was a staunch follower of
Brahmianism who performed two ‘Asvamedha Yajnas’ that probably re-established
the Brahminism. During this period, Bhagavatism got its popularity and even
many foreigners had adopted this form of cult. As a result, the religious
belief of the people got changed the started to worship ‘Kartikeya’, the god of
war. Furthermore, the society was very much influenced by this new social
order. The revival of Hinduism, initiated by the Sungas reached its zenith
under the patronage of the Imperial Guptas.
Art:
A good deal of advancement was made in the field of
Art during Sunga period. Every aspect of art viz., architecture, sculpture,
painting etc. flourished during this period. The Sungas constructed several
grand palaces in the cities of Pataliputra, Vaisali, Mathura, Kausambi and
Taxila. The architecture that is visible from the Stupas and gets of temples
and it is believed that a new school of architecture developed at Vidisha.
Sanchi stupa
which was built by Ashoka was enlarged in Sunga period provided with railings. In
addition to that, four beautiful gateways were constructed in all four sides on
which the engravings were exquisitely and nicely finished. The Sanchi and
Barhut stupas stand testimony to the fact that the architecture, paintings and
other developments in art reached its zenith. It is also important to note that
the art of the Sunga period was different from that of the Mauryan period.
During Mauryan period, woods and bricks were used in the construction of
buildings and stupas but the same was replaced during Sunga period with stone. Secondly,
the Maurya art was dominated by religious zeal, while the art of the Sungas was
free from sectarianism. Thirdly, the Sunga art endeavored to depict and to
represent each and every aspect of society and human life, while the Mauryan
art the life of the people were not depicted.
Literature:
Along with the religion and art, sufficient progress
was made in the field of literature during the Sunga period. The Sunga rulers
were the great patrons of literature and learning. The revival of Brahmanism encouraged
for the development of Sanskrit language and literature. It was under the
patronage of the Sunga rulers that the Sanskrit scholar Patanjali composed his
celebrated work ‘Mahabhashya’. Probably, it was during this period, the ‘Manu
Smriti’ and ‘Vishnu Smriti’ was composed. Moreover, it is believed that the old
portions of the ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ were compiled during this period. The
noted scholar Vatsyayana also composed his celebrated work ‘Kamasutra’ during
Sunga period.
