Agnimitra
Shunga emperor from 149 to 141 BCE
title: "Agnimitra" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["shunga-dynasty", "emperors-of-magadha", "2nd-century-bc-indian-monarchs"] description: "Shunga emperor from 149 to 141 BCE" topic_path: "geography/india" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnimitra" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Shunga emperor from 149 to 141 BCE ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox royalty"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Agnimitra |
| succession | Emperor of Magadha |
| reign | 149 – 141 BCE |
| coronation | 149 BCE |
| predecessor | Pushyamitra Shunga |
| successor | Vasujyeshtha |
| issue | |
| dynasty | Shunga |
| father | Pushyamitra Shunga |
| mother | Devamala |
| spouse | Dharini |
| Iravati | |
| Malavika | |
| succession1 | Crown Prince of Magadha |
| predecessor1 | Unknown |
| successor1 | Vasujyeshtha |
| succession2 | Viceroy of Vidisha |
| place of burial | |
| :: |
| name = Agnimitra | title = | image = | caption = | succession = Emperor of Magadha | reign = 149 – 141 BCE | coronation = 149 BCE | full name = | predecessor = Pushyamitra Shunga | successor = Vasujyeshtha | issue = | royal house = | dynasty = Shunga | father = Pushyamitra Shunga | mother = Devamala | spouse = Dharini Iravati Malavika | succession1 = Crown Prince of Magadha | predecessor1 = Unknown | successor1 = Vasujyeshtha | succession2 = Viceroy of Vidisha | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | date of burial = | place of burial = | Agnimitra (; ) was the second Shunga emperor who reigned over what is now northern and central India. He succeeded his father, the emperor Pushyamitra, in 149 BCE. The Vayu Purana and the Brahmanda Purana have assigned 8 years as the length of his reign.
Ancestry and early life
According to Kālidāsa in the Mālavikāgnimitra (Act IV, Verse 14), Agnimitra belonged to a Brahmin Baimbika family; the Puranas also mention him as a Shunga. The Mālavikāgnimitra, (Act V, Verse 20) informs us that he was the Goptri (viceroy) at Vidisha during his father's reign.
The play Mālavikāgnimitra gives us the names of three of his queen-consorts: Dharini (the mother of the fourth Shunga emperor, Vasumitra), Iravati, and Malavika (a princess of Vidarbha).
Military campaigns
Conquest of Vidarbha
Main article: Mālavikāgnimitram
According to the Mālavikāgnimitra (Act I, Verse 6–8 and Act V, Verse 13–14), a war broke out between the Shungas and neighboring Vidarbha kingdom during Agnimitra's reign as viceroy of Vidisha (between 175 and 150 BCE). Before the rise of the Shungas, Vidarbha had become independent from the Mauryan Empire when a former Mauryan hi (secretary) 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 secretary, 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 suzerainty of the Shunga rulers.
Succession
Agnimitra succeeded his father, the emperor Pushyamitra, in 149 BCE and reigned for eight years. His reign ended in 141 BCE, and he was succeeded either by his son Vasujyeshtha (according to the Matsya Purana) or Sujyeshtha (according to the Vayu, Brahamānda, Vishnu, and Bhagavata Puranas).
| title = King of Shunga dynasty | years = 149–141 BCE | before = Pushyamitra | after = Vasujyeshtha
References
References
- Lahiri, Bela (1974). ''Indigenous States of Northern India (Circa 200 B.C. to 320 A.D.)'' Calcutta: University of Calcutta, pp.47–50
- Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972). ''Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty'', Calcutta: University of Calcutta,1972, p.328
- Sen, Sailendra Nath. (1999). "Ancient Indian History and Civilization". New Age International, 1999.
- Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1972). ''Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty'', Calcutta: University of Calcutta,1972, p.330
- https://www.shabdkosh.com/dictionary/english-sanskrit/secretary/secretary-meaning-in-sanskrit
- [http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/kalidas.html Kalidas, Encyclopedia Americana]
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::