Mod 2: Pushyamitra’s Wars, Ashvamedhas and Religion — the Yavana Threat, Vidarbha, Kalinga and the Persecution Debate
Concept
10.3 Wars on three fronts
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Yavanas, Vidarbha and Kalinga
Pushyamitra’s reign (c. 185–149 BCE) was full of war. The biggest danger came from the Indo-Greeks (Yavanas) of Bactria, who had crossed the Hindu Kush. Patanjali’s Mahabhashya gives two grammar examples of an action in the recent past: “arunad Yavanah Saketam” (the Yavana besieged Saketa) and “arunad Yavano Madhyamikam” (the Yavana besieged Madhyamika, near Chittor).
| Front | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Indo-Greeks | Yavanas (probably under Demetrius or Menander) reached Saketa; they were pushed back. Pushyamitra’s grandson Vasumitra defeated them on the bank of the Sindhu while guarding the sacrificial horse | Mahabhashya; Malavikagnimitram; Yuga Purana |
| Vidarbha | Agnimitra defeated Yajnasena; Vidarbha was split between Yajnasena and his cousin Madhavasena, with the Varada river as the line | Malavikagnimitram |
| Kalinga | Kharavela claims he frightened the king of Rajagriha and made the king of Magadha bow at his feet (often read as Bahasatimita); identification with Pushyamitra is now doubted | Hathigumpha inscription |
- Yavana sieges of Saketa and Madhyamika (Mahabhashya); Vasumitra wins on the Sindhu.
- Vidarbha: Yajnasena defeated; Kalinga: Kharavela’s raid (Hathigumpha).
- Question: Which city did the Yavanas besiege near Ayodhya? Answer: Saketa.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] The Mahabhashya’s example “arunad Yavanah Saketam” refers to a Yavana siege of:
[UPSC level] Madhyamika, besieged by the Yavanas according to Patanjali, was near:
[BPSC level] The Shunga prince who defeated the Yavanas on the Sindhu was:
[UPSC level] Vasumitra fought the Yavanas while guarding:
[BSSC pattern] The ruler of Vidarbha defeated by Agnimitra was:
[UPSC level] The Hathigumpha inscription’s claim about a king of Magadha was once linked to Pushyamitra by reading the name as:
[BPSC level] The Indo-Greeks who threatened the Shungas came from:
One-liners
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Which city did the Yavanas besiege near Ayodhya?
Saketa.Concept
10.4 Ashvamedha and religion
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Vedic revival and the Buddhist question
Pushyamitra revived the great Vedic sacrifices. The Ayodhya inscription of Dhanadeva calls him “dvir-ashvamedha-yajin” — performer of two Ashvamedhas. The Mahabhashya’s sentence “iha Pushyamitram yajayamah” (“here we perform sacrifices for Pushyamitra”) is taken to mean that Patanjali himself officiated.
- Divyavadana (c. 2nd–3rd century CE) says he destroyed monasteries up to Shakala (Sialkot) and offered 100 dinaras for each monk’s head. Taranatha repeats such claims.
- Against: the dinara coin did not exist in his time; Buddhist art flourished at Bharhut (“Suganam raje”), Sanchi and Bodh Gaya under the Shungas.
- Current view (Romila Thapar, Upinder Singh): the stories reflect loss of royal patronage and political hostility to monasteries seen as Mauryan allies, not proven mass persecution.
The Shunga capital was Pataliputra. The stone railing (vedika) round the Mahabodhi shrine at Bodh Gaya, with gifts by ladies such as Kurangi and Nagadevi, was put up in the Shunga period — strong evidence that Buddhism continued to receive gifts in Magadha.
- Two Ashvamedhas (Ayodhya inscription of Dhanadeva); Patanjali officiated.
- Persecution story (Divyavadana) doubted; Bharhut, Sanchi, Bodh Gaya flourished.
- Question: What does “dvir-ashvamedha-yajin” mean? Answer: Performer of two horse sacrifices.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
Question 2: According to epigraphic evidence, how many Ashvamedha sacrifices were performed by Pushyamitra Shunga?
[BPSC level] The Ayodhya inscription that praises Pushyamitra was issued by:
[UPSC level] The Mahabhashya sentence “iha Pushyamitram yajayamah” suggests that:
[UPSC level] The Divyavadana story that Pushyamitra offered 100 dinaras per monk’s head is doubted partly because:
[BPSC level] Divyavadana says Pushyamitra destroyed monasteries as far as:
[BSSC pattern] The Shunga period saw a revival of:
[BPSC level] Ladies named Kurangi and Nagadevi are recorded as donors of the Shunga-period railing at:
One-liners
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What does “dvir-ashvamedha-yajin” mean?
Performer of two horse sacrifices.Concept
🎯 UPSC · BPSC · BSSC · State PSC level: PYQs and traps
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Persecution debate; Yavana raids; Hathigumpha |
| BPSC | Two Ashvamedhas; Ayodhya inscription; Saketa siege |
| BSSC / SSC | Vedic revival under the Shungas |
Which inscription records that Pushyamitra Shunga performed two Ashvamedha sacrifices? (a) Hathigumpha (b) Ayodhya inscription of Dhanadeva (c) Besnagar pillar (d) Junagadh
- Dhanadeva, ruler of Kosala and sixth in descent from Pushyamitra, calls him “dvir-ashvamedha-yajin”.
- Saketa = Ayodhya region; Madhyamika = Nagari near Chittor.
- Vasumitra (grandson) beat the Yavanas — not Agnimitra.
- “Persecution” comes from Buddhist texts written centuries later.
- Saketa = Ayodhya; Madhyamika = Nagari near Chittor.
- Question: Who beat the Yavanas on the Sindhu? Answer: Vasumitra.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[UPSC level] Which evidence argues AGAINST large-scale Shunga persecution of Buddhism?
[BPSC level] How many Ashvamedhas did Pushyamitra perform, per the inscription of his descendant?
[BSSC pattern] The Yavana kings linked with the raids of Pushyamitra’s time are:
[UPSC level] Who among these modern historians questions the persecution story?
[BPSC level] Vidarbha after Agnimitra’s war was divided along the river:
[School] The Ashvamedha was a:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Who beat the Yavanas on the Sindhu?
Vasumitra.