Mod 4: Magadha after the Kanvas — the Political Vacuum, Kushana Raids, the Murundas and the Road to the Guptas (28 BCE – 320 CE)
Concept
11.7 Three centuries without an empire
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
The post-Kanva vacuum
With the Kanvas gone, Magadha had no strong dynasty of its own for about three and a half centuries (c. 28 BCE – 320 CE). Power in India moved to the north-west (Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Kushanas), the Deccan (Satavahanas) and Kalinga. Pataliputra survived as a city but no longer as an imperial capital.
| Power | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Local “Mitra” kings | Copper coins from Panchala, Kaushambi and Mathura |
| Kushanas | Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist tradition: Kanishka attacked Pataliputra and took the poet Ashvaghosha and the Buddha’s alms-bowl; Kushana copper coins at Buxar, Kumrahar, Vaishali, Chirand |
| Murundas | Jain texts and a Chinese account suggest a Murunda (perhaps Shaka-linked) ruler at Pataliputra; Samudragupta’s Allahabad prashasti names “Shaka-Murundas” among those who paid homage |
| Licchavis | Re-emerge; their princess Kumaradevi married Chandragupta I — the Gupta–Licchavi coins celebrate this |
- c. 28 BCE–320 CE: no imperial dynasty in Magadha; power in NW, Deccan, Kalinga.
- Mitra kings; Kushana raid (Ashvaghosha); Murundas; Licchavis → Guptas.
- Question: Who were the “Shaka-Murundas”? Answer: Rulers named in Samudragupta’s Allahabad prashasti; linked with Pataliputra.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] After the Kanvas, Magadha lacked a strong dynasty until about:
[UPSC level] In the post-Kanva period, political power in India shifted mainly to:
[BPSC level] According to Buddhist tradition, Kanishka took from Pataliputra the poet:
[UPSC level] The “Shaka-Murundas” are named in the inscription of:
[BSSC pattern] Kumaradevi, who married Chandragupta I, was a princess of the:
[UPSC level] Local copper coins of “Mitra” kings in this period come from:
[School] Which dynasty finally revived Magadha’s imperial glory?
One-liners
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Who were the “Shaka-Murundas”?
Rulers named in Samudragupta’s Allahabad prashasti; linked with Pataliputra.Concept
11.8 Bihar in the gap years
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Archaeology and reasons for decline
- Kumrahar (Patna): occupation continued through the Shunga–Kushana period; Kushana-period levels and coins were found in the Altekar–Mishra excavations (1951–55).
- Chirand (Saran): a multi-period mound on the Ganga–Ghaghara confluence with Kushana-period remains above its famous Neolithic levels.
- Buxar and Vaishali: finds of Kushana copper coins show trade and contact with the Kushana world (see Chapter 12).
- Trade shifted to the north-west (Silk Road) and the western coast (Roman trade), away from the middle Ganga.
- Regional states (Kalinga, Satavahanas, Mitra kings) blocked any single power in the Ganga plain.
- Short dynasties founded by palace coups lacked legitimacy and resources.
Minister Vasudeva killed the last Shunga, Devabhuti, in c. 73 BCE and founded the Brahmana Kanva (Kanvayana) dynasty. Four kings — Vasudeva, Bhumimitra, Narayana and Susharma — ruled a shrinking Magadha for about 45 years until the Andhras (Satavahanas) killed Susharma in c. 28 BCE. Magadha then lost its imperial role until the Guptas.
- Kumrahar, Chirand, Buxar, Vaishali: Kushana coins and levels.
- Decline: trade shift, regional states, illegitimate coups.
- Question: Where is Chirand? Answer: Saran district, at the Ganga–Ghaghara confluence.
MCQs
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[BPSC level] Kushana copper coins have been found in Bihar at:
[UPSC level] Chirand in Bihar is famous mainly for its:
[BSSC pattern] Chirand lies at the confluence of the Ganga and the:
[BPSC level] Kushana-period levels at Kumrahar were found in the excavations of:
[UPSC level] One reason for Magadha’s decline after the Kanvas was:
[BPSC level] Samudragupta proudly called himself:
[UPSC level] Which source tradition says Kanishka took the Buddha’s alms-bowl from Pataliputra?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Where is Chirand?
Saran district, at the Ganga–Ghaghara confluence.Concept
🎯 UPSC · BPSC · BSSC · State PSC level: PYQs and traps
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Post-Mauryan shift of power; Murundas; trade routes |
| BPSC | Kushana coins in Bihar; Chirand; Kumrahar |
| BSSC / SSC | Sequence up to the Guptas |
Which Gupta king married the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi? (a) Samudragupta (b) Chandragupta I (c) Chandragupta II (d) Kumaragupta
- Chandragupta I (c. 319/320 CE) married Kumaradevi; Samudragupta proudly called himself “Licchavi-dauhitra” (daughter’s son of the Licchavis).
- The Kushanas did not end the Kanvas; they came later and raided Pataliputra.
- “Shaka-Murundas” appear in Samudragupta’s Allahabad pillar inscription.
- Satavahanas ended the Kanvas; Kushanas raided later; Guptas revived Magadha.
- Question: When did the Gupta era start? Answer: c. 319/320 CE.
MCQs
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[BPSC level] Who married the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi?
[UPSC level] Which statement about Magadha c. 28 BCE – 320 CE is correct?
[BSSC pattern] Which came first?
[UPSC level] Who ended the Kanva dynasty, and who later raided Pataliputra?
[School] Pataliputra became an imperial capital again under the:
[BPSC level] The Gupta era is reckoned from about:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
When did the Gupta era start?
c. 319/320 CE.