Kanva dynasty


The Kanva dynasty or Kanvayana was a Brahmin dynasty that replaced the Shunga dynasty in parts of eastern and central India, and ruled from 75 BCE to 30 BCE.
Although the Puranic literature indicates that the Kanva Dynasty ruled in Magadha, their coins are primarily found in and around Vidisha in central India, which had also been the capital of the later Shunga rulers.
The last ruler of the Shunga dynasty, Devabhuti, was overthrown by his minister Vasudeva, who founded the Kanva dynasty in 75 BC. The Kanva ruler allowed the kings of the Shunga dynasty to continue to rule in obscurity in a corner of their former dominions. There were four Kanva rulers. According to the Puranas, their dynasty was brought to an end by the Satavahanas.

Origin

killed Devabhuti of Shunga dynasty and established the rule of Kanva dynasty.

Rulers

The first ruler of the Kanva dynasty was Vasudeva after whose Gotra the dynasty was named. He was succeeded by his son Bhumimitra. Coins bearing the legend Bhumimitra have been discovered from Panchala realm. Copper coins with the legend "Kanvasya" have also been found from Vidisha, as well as Kaushambi in the Vatsa realm. Bhumimitra ruled for fourteen years and was later succeeded by his son Narayana. Narayana ruled for twelve years. He was succeeded by his son Susharman who was the last king of the Kanva dynasty.
The last king of Kanva dynasty was killed by Balipuccha, who founded the Andhra dynasty.

Aftermath

The defeat of the Kanva dynasty by the Satavahana dynasty was a localised event in Central India. However, numismatic and epigraphic evidence suggests that Magadha itself came under the hegemony of the Mitra dynasty of Kaushambi from the 1st century BCE until the 2nd century CE.

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