Agnimitra
Encyclopedia
Agnimitra (reigned 149–141 BCE) was the second King of the Sunga Dynasty of northern India
. He succeeded his father, Pusyamitra Sunga
, in 149 BCE. The Vayu Purana
and the Brahmanda Purana
have assigned 8 years as the length of his reign.
in the Mālavikāgnimitra (Act IV, Verse 14), Agnimitra belonged to the Baimbika family (Baimbika-kula), while the Puranas
mention him as a Sunga.. The Mālavikāgnimitra, (Act V, Verse 20) informs us that he was the Goptri (viceroy) at Vidisha
during his father's reign .
The Mālavikāgnimitra gives us the names of three of his queens: Dharini (the mother of the fourth Sunga King, Vasumitra
), Iravati, and Malavika (a princess of Vidarbha).
kingdom during Agnimitra's reign. Before the rise of the Sungas, Vidarbha had become independent from the Mauryan Empire when a former Mauryan sachiva (minister) put his brother-in-law Yajnasena on the throne. Madhavasena, a cousin of Yajnasena, sought help from Agnimitra in overthrowing his cousin, but was captured while crossing the border of Vidarbha and imprisoned.
Agnimitra demanded the release of Madhavasena, and in return Yajnasena demanded the release of the former Mauryan minister, who had been captured earlier by Agnimitra. Instead, Agnimitra sent his army to invade Vidarbha. Yajnasena was defeated and forced to divide Vidarbha with Madhavasena, and both cousins recognized the suzerainity of the Sunga rulers.
(according to the Matsya Purana
) or Sujyeshtha (according to the Vayu, Brahamānda, Vishnu, and Bhagavata Puranas).
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He succeeded his father, Pusyamitra Sunga
Pusyamitra Sunga
Pusyamitra Sunga was the founder and first King of the Sunga Dynasty in Northern India.Pusyamitra Sunga was originally a Senapati of the Mauryan empire. In 185 BCE he assassinated the last Mauryan Emperor during an army review, and proclaimed himself King...
, in 149 BCE. The Vayu Purana
Vayu Purana
The Vayu Purana is a Shaiva Purana, a Hindu religious text, dedicated to the god Vayu , containing about 24,000 shlokas.-Date:Banabhatta refers to this work in his Kadambari and Harshacharita...
and the Brahmanda Purana
Brahmanda Purana
The Brahmanda Purana is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts and has been assigned the eighteenth place in almost all the lists of the Puranas.Brahma in Sanskrit means "the biggest", anda/andam means globe...
have assigned 8 years as the length of his reign.
Ancestry and early life
According to KālidāsaKalidasa
Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...
in the Mālavikāgnimitra (Act IV, Verse 14), Agnimitra belonged to the Baimbika family (Baimbika-kula), while the Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
mention him as a Sunga.. The Mālavikāgnimitra, (Act V, Verse 20) informs us that he was the Goptri (viceroy) at Vidisha
Vidisha
Vidisha is a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India, located near the state capital Bhopal. Vidishā is the administrative headquarters of Vidisha District. The city was also known as Bhilsa during the medieval period.-Geography:...
during his father's reign .
The Mālavikāgnimitra gives us the names of three of his queens: Dharini (the mother of the fourth Sunga King, Vasumitra
Vasumitra
Vasumitra , was the fourth King of the Sunga Dynasty of Northern India...
), Iravati, and Malavika (a princess of Vidarbha).
War with Vidarbha
According to the Mālavikāgnimitra (Act I, Verse 6-8 and Act V, Verse 13-14), a war broke out between the Sungas and neighboring VidarbhaVidarbha
Vidarbha is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. Its former name is Berar . It occupies 31.6% of total area and holds 21.3% of total population of Maharashtra...
kingdom during Agnimitra's reign. Before the rise of the Sungas, Vidarbha had become independent from the Mauryan Empire when a former Mauryan sachiva (minister) put his brother-in-law Yajnasena on the throne. Madhavasena, a cousin of Yajnasena, sought help from Agnimitra in overthrowing his cousin, but was captured while crossing the border of Vidarbha and imprisoned.
Agnimitra demanded the release of Madhavasena, and in return Yajnasena demanded the release of the former Mauryan minister, who had been captured earlier by Agnimitra. Instead, Agnimitra sent his army to invade Vidarbha. Yajnasena was defeated and forced to divide Vidarbha with Madhavasena, and both cousins recognized the suzerainity of the Sunga rulers.
Succession
Agnimitra's reign ended in 141 BCE and he was succeeded either by his son VasujyeshthaVasujyeshtha
Vasujyetha was the third King of the Sunga Dynasty of Northern India. His reign was not well documented, thus little is known about him. He is credited with successfully completing his grandfather's Ashvamedha and for defeating forces of the Indo-Greek Kingdom along the banks of the Sindhu River...
(according to the Matsya Purana
Matsya Purana
Matsya Purana is the sixteenth purana of the Hindu scriptures. During the period of mahapralaya, Lord Vishnu had taken Matsya Avatar to save the seeds of all lives and Manu...
) or Sujyeshtha (according to the Vayu, Brahamānda, Vishnu, and Bhagavata Puranas).
Further reading
- Indigenous States of Northern India (Circa 200 BC to 320 AD) by Bela Lahiri, University of Calcutta,1974.
- Malavikagnimitram (Malavika and Agnimitra) by Kalidasa (ed.) by Ramji Thakur, Global Vision, New Delhi, 2004, ISBN 81-8220-014-8.
External links
- List of rulers of Magadha on Bruce Gordon's *"Regnal Chronologies".