Brihadratha Maurya

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Brihadratha Maurya
9th
Shunga Emperor)
DynastyMaurya Empire
ReligionBuddhism

Brihadratha was the 9th and last Emperor of the

Mauryan Empire. He ruled from 187 to 185 BCE, when he was overthrown and assassinated by his General, Pushyamitra Shunga, who went on to establish the Shunga Empire. The Mauryan territories, centred on the capital of Pataliputra, had grown considerably from the time of Ashoka
to when Brihadratha came to the throne.

Reign

According to the Puranas, Brihadratha succeeded his father Shatadhanvan to the throne and ruled for three years.[1]

Invasion of Demetrius I

In 186 BCE, northwestern India (parts of modern-day

Punjab region. Soon, however, they had to leave for Bactria to fight a fierce battle (probably between Eucratides I and Demetrius).[3]

The hypothesized

Yavana invasion of Pataliputra is based in the Yuga Purana
. Written in a prophetic, the a scripture describes the campaign of King Dharmamita:

  1. Then, having approached
    Indo-Greeks), wicked and valiant, will reach Kusumadhvaja ("The city of the flower-standard", Pataliputra).
  2. Then, once Puspapura (Pataliputra) has been reached, [and] its celebrated mud[-walls] cast down, all the realms will be in disorder, there is no doubt.
  3. There will then finally be a great war, of wooden weapons, and there will be the vilest of men, dishonourable and unrighteous.
— Yuga Purana[4][5]


Overthrow by Pushyamitra Shunga

Brihadratha Maurya the last Mauryan Emperor was killed in 185 BCE and power usurped by his general, Pushyamitra Shunga who then took over the throne and established the Shunga Empire.[6] Bāṇabhaṭṭa's Harshacharita says that Pushyamitra, while parading the entire Mauryan army before Brihadratha on the pretext of showing him the strength of the army, crushed his master.[7] Pushyamitra killed the former emperor in front of his military and established himself as the new ruler.

See also

References

Citations

  1. .
  2. ^ S. Paranavithana. The Greeks and the Mauryas, 1971. https://archive.org/details/thegreeksandthemauryassenartparanavitana1971_104_N
  3. ^ Lahiri, B. (1974). Indigenous States of Northern India (Circa 200 B.C. to 320 A.D.) , Calcutta: University of Calcutta, pp.22-4
  4. ^ The Yuga Purana. Translated by Mitchiner, John E. Calcutta: The Asiatic Society. 1986. p. 91.
  5. ^ The Sungas, Kanvas, Republican Kingdoms and Monarchies, Mahameghavahanas, Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti, p.6 [1]
  6. ^ Thapar 2013, p. 296.
  7. ^ Lahiri, B. (1974). Indigenous States of Northern India (Circa 200 B.C. to 320 A.D.) , Calcutta: University of Calcutta, pp.24-5

Sources

Brihadratha Maurya
Preceded by Maurya Emperor
187–185
Succeeded by
Succeeded by