Kanva Dynasty

Introduction

Kanva Dynasty’s rules are called as Kanvayanas. The first king of the Kanva Dynasty, Vasudeva Kanva was from a Brahmin caste. He defeated the last king of the Shunga Dynasty, Devabhuti and built the Kanva Dynasty. This whole incident got scripted in Banabhatta’s Harshacharita and Harshacharita also mentioned the continued ruling of the Shunga princes. They ruled from the Besnagar, also currently known as Vidisha to defend the leftover parts of the Shunga Kingdom.

Who were the Kanvas?

Kanvas were the kings of the Kanva dynasty who were Brahmins in their origin. They were known to be the descendants of Sage Saubhari. The first ruler of the Kanva Dynasty was Vasudeva Kanva who ruled from Pataliputra, Magadha which was located in the Eastern India. The people of the Kanva Dynasty were also known as Kanvayanas and they were the successors of the Shunga Dynasty or the Shungas.

The last king of the Shunga Dynasty was Devabhuti who lost his empire with the defeat by the Kanvas. The reigning period of the Kanvas was very short as they ruled not more than 45 years.

Kanva dynasty: Important Rulers

Kanvayanas was known to be the descendants of the Kanva Rishi. There were four kings in total who ruled from the Kanva Dynasty, namely, Vasudeva Kanva, Bhumimitra Kanva, Narayana Kanva and Susarman Kanva. All the Kanvayanas ruled from the Pataliputra, Magadh which was located in Eastern India. Vasudeva Kanva ruled for almost 9 years and handed the throne to his son Bhumimitra Kanva.

Bhumimitra handled the throne for fourteen years and then followed by his son Narayana. The Kanva dynasty coins were not only discovered in the Pataliputra but also in the Vidisha region where the Shunga dynasty princes were residing. Narayana, the son of Bhumimitra, became the next king after the reign of Narayana.

Narayana ruled over the throne for almost 12 years and handed over the throne to his son Susarman. Susarman, after his 10 years of ruling, got defeated by the Satvahanas. The Purana says, Susarman was killed by the Andhra dynasty founder, Balipuccha.

Overthrow of the Shunga Dynasty

Pushyamitra Shunga was the founder of the Shunga dynasty which was located in the Magadha. This dynasty was formed after the Mauryan empire fall and there were 10 rulers in total who ruled during this dynasty. The archaeological evidence indicates the reformation of the Shunga dynasty through its coins and inscriptions.

The Shunga Dynasty had a mix of different castes and religions and Sanskrit was known to be the widely used language during this era. The notable kings of this dynasty were Pushyamitra Shunga, Agnimitra, Bhagabhadra and Devabhuti.

Shunga Dynasty rulers were facing troubles from various civil and personal problems. Provinces like Yavanas and Sakas started growing strong whereas the Satavahanas became independent. The minister of Sunga Kindom, Vasudeva Kanva, during this turmoil, declared himself as the new ruler and named his dynasty as Kanva dynasty after murdering the last king of the Shunga Dynasty, Devabhuti.

Successors of the Kanva Dynasty

Balipuccha, the founder of the Andhra dynasty killed the last king of Kanva, Susarman and Simuka established the Satvahana dynasty in Central India. The term Satvahana means driven by seven in Prakrit and as per the Hindu folklore it indicates the Seven ponies of the Sun God’s chariot. The most notable rulers of the Satvahana Dynasty were Satakarni, Hala, Goutamiputra Satkarni and Simuk.

The urban capital communities of Satvahana changed many times; sometimes it was Pratishthana or Paithan and other times it was Amaravati. The Satvahana territory is currently located in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. Their territory sometimes also included Karnataka, Gujrat and Madhya Pradesh. Satvahanas had liberal religious views and the administration during this era was based on Shastras.

Satvahanas were the first Indian rulers who sculptured the face of the king in the coins. This instruction began with the king Gautamiputra Satakarni who got this idea from the Western Satraps. The coins were mostly made in Prakrit as they used Prakrit more than Sanskrit. Some coins were also made in the Telegu, Tamil and Kannada languages and they mostly worshipped Buddism and Brahminism.

Conclusion

The defeat of the Susurman caused the fall of the Kanva dynasty and the rise of the Satvahana dynasty. However, Magadha did not fall under the Satvahana dynasty and fall under the Mitra dynasty of Kaushambi till the 2nd century CE. The capital of the Kanva dynasty, Patuliputra was located in Eastern India but the defeat of Susarman happened in Central India. The glory of the Kanvas and Magadh and Magadhan empire vanished after the short 45 years of ruling by the Kanva dynasty rulers.

FAQs

Qns 1. Who ruled over Pataliputra after the Kanva dynasty?

Ans. Pataliputra was located in Magadha and Magadha was ruled by the Mitra dynasty after the fall of the Kanvayanas. After that, Pataliputra was ruled by the Gupta rulers for some time.

Qns 2. Who were the Yavanas?

Ans. Yavanas were the foreigners in the Magadh land and the founder of this kingdom was Demetrius. The Indian literature indicates them as the descendants of Greek origin.

Qns 3. Who were the Sakas?

Ans. Sakas or Scythians were a nomadic Iranian group who came to the current Pakistan and North Western India from Central Asia. They resided in this location from almost the 2nd-century BC-4th century AD.

Qns 4. How did Devabhuti get killed?

Ans. Devabhuti was killed by his minister Vasudeva Kanva, the first ruler of the Kanva dynasty. He killed Devabhuti with the help of a servant’s daughter who hoaxed herself as the queen.

Qns 5. Which dynasty ruled after the Gupta emperors?

Ans. Gupta dynasty played a significant role in Magadh’s rule as they took over the Magadh’s possession after the fall of the Kanva dynasty. The Pushyabhuti dynasty or the Vardhana dynasty ruled over Magadh after the fall of the Gupta dynasty.