Post-Mauryan kingdoms

Story hook

It is 185 BCE. Brihadratha, the last Mauryan emperor, is assassinated on the parade ground at Pataliputra by his own general Pushyamitra Sunga — ending the Mauryan dynasty that had ruled the subcontinent for 137 years. The empire that follows is not one, but a mosaic: Sungas + Kanvas in the Ganga heartland; Indo-Greeks + Sakas

• Parthians + Kushans sweeping in from the northwest; Satavahanas ruling the Deccan; Cheras + Cholas + Pandyas in the deep south.

This 500-year post-Mauryan + early-historic phase (~200 BCE - 300 CE) is when Indian sculpture and architecture take recognisable form (Gandhara, Mathura, Amaravati schools), Mahayana Buddhism emerges, Sanskrit plays + Tamil Sangam poetry are composed, and India trades silver coins with Rome.

For UPSC, the post-Mauryan is the second-most-tested chunk of Ancient History after Mauryan + Gupta.

Why this matters for UPSC

For UPSC:

• Prelims: Sunga + Kanva + Indo-Greek + Saka + Parthian + Kushan + Satavahana + Sangam dynasties; Kanishka I + 4th Buddhist Council; Gautamiputra Satakarni; 3 art schools (Gandhara + Mathura + Amaravati); Saka era 78 CE + Vikram Samvat 58 BCE.
• Mains GS-I: Cultural synthesis under Kushan-Satavahana; Mahayana emergence; Indo-Roman trade.
• Interview: Why does the Saka era survive as India's national calendar?