YugMap Bharat, artharth India
Polities › Post-Mauryan Powers

Shunga Dynasty

Dynasty Level 2
c. 185–73 BCE

Founded by Pushyamitra Shunga after the last Maurya.

🗺 See on map in 129 BCE
Capital
Pataliputra / Vidisha
Region
Gangetic Plain
Duration
112 years
Main period
Post-Mauryan Powers

Approximate extent.

At a glance

Move along the chart to read any year; click a ruler or event to open the map there.

Rulers
Pushyamitra ShungaAgnimitraDevabhuti
Events
185 BCE175 BCE150 BCE125 BCE100 BCE73 BCE

Rulers

Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.

Key events

YearEventPlace
c. 185 BCE Pushyamitra Shunga assassinates Brihadratha
End of the Mauryan dynasty.
The Mauryan dynasty ended and the Shunga dynasty began.
 Pataliputra
c. 150 BCE Bharhut stupa railings carved Bharhut

Personalities

Patanjali
active c. 150 BCE
Grammarian who wrote the Mahabhashya on Panini

📚 Recommended reading on the Shunga Dynasty

Textbook

Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)

NCERT · NCERT

The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.

NCERT basics UPSC Prelims SSC State PSC
Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗
Textbook

Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)

NCERT · NCERT

Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.

NCERT basics UPSC Prelims UPSC Mains SSC State PSC
Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗
Textbook

An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I (Class 11)

NCERT · NCERT

The standard base for art and architecture questions — stupas, temples and sculpture.

NCERT basics UPSC Prelims State PSC
Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗
Textbook

India's Ancient Past

R. S. Sharma · Oxford University Press

The expanded version of the classic old-NCERT ancient India text; clear and exam-friendly.

UPSC Prelims UPSC Mains SSC State PSC
Amazon ↗Flipkart ↗

We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. See all recommended books →

Contemporaries

Powers that coexisted with the Shunga Dynasty for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.

Anuradhapura Kingdom ★
Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017
Overlap: 112 years
 Satavahana Empire ★
Deccan · c. 200 BCE – c. 225 CE
Overlap: 112 years
 Early Pandyas (Sangam era)
South · c. 400 BCE – c. 300 CE
Overlap: 112 years
 Early Cholas (Sangam era)
South · c. 300 BCE – c. 300 CE
Overlap: 112 years
 Early Cheras (Sangam era)
South · c. 300 BCE – c. 300 CE
Overlap: 112 years
 Greco-Bactrian Kingdom
Northwest · c. 256–125 BCE
Overlap: 60 years
 Mahameghavahana (Chedi) of Kalinga
East · c. 200 BCE – c. 50 CE
Overlap: 112 years
 Indo-Greek Kingdoms
Northwest · c. 200 BCE – c. 10 CE
Overlap: 112 years
 Indo-Scythian (Saka) Kingdoms
Northwest · c. 110 BCE – c. 80 CE
Overlap: 37 years