Sunga Dynasty

The Sunga Empire or the Shunga Empire was an ancient Indian dynasty from the Magadha that controlled the vast areas of the Indian subcontinent from around the 187 to 78 BCE. The dynasty was established by the Pushyamitra Sunga after the fall of the Maurya Empire. Its capital was the Pataliputra but later emperors such as Bhagabhadra also held court at the Besnagar, modern vidisha in the Eastern Malwa.

Pushyamitra Sunga ruled for 36 years and was succeeded by his son Agnimitra. There were ten Sunga rulers. The empire is noted for its numerous wars with both foreign and indigenous powers. They fought battles with the Kalingas, Satavahanas, the Indo-Greeks, and possibly the Panchalas and Mathuras.

The Sunga Empire played an imperative role in patronizing Indian culture at the time when some of the most important developments in Hindu thought were taking place. Patanjali's Mahabhasya was composed in this period. Artistry also progressed with the rise of the Mathura school of art. Thereafter, there was a downfall of the dynasty and Kanvas succeeded around 73 BCE.

The Sunga dynasty was established in the 185 BCE, about 50 years after the Ashoka's death, when the Emperor Brhadratha, the last of the Mauryan rulers, was assassinated by the then commander-in-chief of the Mauryan armed forces, Pushyamitra Sunga, while he was taking the Guard of Honour of his forces. Pushyamitra Sunga then ascended the throne.

Pushyamitra Sunga became the ruler of Magadha and neighbouring territories. The empire of Pushyamitra was extended up to Narmada in the south, and controlled by Jalandhar and Sialkot in the Punjab in the north-western regions and the city of Ujjain in central India. The Kabul Valley and much of the Punjab passed into hands of the Indo-Greeks and the Deccan to the Satavahanas.
The Sungas were succeeded by the Kanva dynasty around 73 BCE.

Rulers of the Dynasty:

Pushyamitra Sunga:

Pushyamitra Sunga from 185–149 BCE was the founder and first King of the Sunga Dynasty in Northern India.
Pushyamitra was originally the Senapati (General) of the Mauryan Empire. In 185 BCE he assassinated the last Mauryan Emperor (Brihadratha Maurya) during an army review, and proclaimed himself King. He then performed the Ashwamedha Yajna and brought much of Northern India under his rule. Inscriptions of the Shungas have been found as far as the Jalandhar in the Punjab, and the Divyavadana mentions that his rule extended as far as Sagala (Sialkot, Pakistan).

Agnimitra 

Agnimitra (reigned 149–141 BCE) was the second King of the Sunga Dynasty of northern India. He succeeded his father, Pushyamitra Sunga, in 149 BCE. The Vayu Purana and the Brahmanda Purana have assigned 8 years as the length of his reign.
Agnimitra's 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).

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunga_Empire

Mewar dynasty

Mewar or Mewad is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur and some parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and Harayana.

The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom, the Mewar Kingdom or Udaipur Kingdom, that later became aprincely state under the British.

It was originally called Medhpaat and Lord Shiva (Ekling Nath) is called The King of Mewar. So Shiva is also called Medhpateshwar (Lord of Medhpaat). Over time, Medhpath became Mewar. The Mewar region it includes lies between the Aravali Range to the northwest, Ajmer to the north, Gujarat and the Vagad region of Rajasthan to the south, the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh state to the southeast and the Hadoti region of Rajasthan to the east.

The northern part of Mewar is a gently sloping plain, drained by the Bedach and Banas River and its tributaries, which empty northwest into the Chambal River, a tributary of the Yamuna River. The southern part of the region is hilly, and marks the divide between the Banas and its tributaries and the headwaters of the Sabarmati and Mahi rivers and their tributaries, which drain south into the Gulf of Khambhat through Gujarat state. The Aravalli Range, which forms the north western boundary of the region, is composed mostly of sedimentary rocks, like marble and Kota Stone, which has traditionally been an important construction material.

The Udaipur State, also known as Mewar Kingdom, was a princely state in India at the time of the British Raj.

The state of Mewar was founded around 530; later it would also, and ultimately predominantly, called Udaipur after the name of the capital. When Udaipur State joined the Indian Union in 1949 it had been ruled by the Chattari Rajputs of Mori Guhilot Parihar and Sisodia dynasties for over 1,400 years.

Rulers of Mewar Dyansty:

Maharana Pratap:

Maharana  Pratap the Hindu Rajput ruler of Mewar. He belongs to the Sisodia clan of Rajput. Maharana pratap is considered to exemplify qualities of bravery and Chivalry to which the Rajputs aspire, especially in the context of his opposition to the Mughal emperor Akhbar. Maharana Pratap was said to be a man of the strong Rajput Character. He was far more brave and chivalrous. He is the only ruler of India that didn’t give into Mughal rule.

Maharana Pratap was born on 9th may 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan.  He was the son of Maharana Udai Singh II and his mother was Rani Jeevant Kanwar. Maharana Udai Singh II ruled ruled the kingdom of Mewar, with his capital of the Chittor. Maharana Pratap was destined to be the 54th ruler of Mewar in the Sisodiya Rajput. Maharana Pratap was the eldest of twenty five sons and he was given the title of crown prince.

Maharana Pratap died at the age of 27 in year 1597 due to the multiple injuries in an accident. In his life the main goal of Maharana Pratap was not to surrender in the front of Mughals. Even while lying in the lap of death Maharana Pratap made his son and successors swear to maintain the eternal conflict against the Mughal Emperor. Maharana Pratap lived his whole life with the courage and he never bowed down in front of any situation. He died in fighting for his own nation, for his people and importantly for his honour.

Maharana Sanga:

Maharana sangram singh also famous as Rana Sanga. Rana Sanga was the Sisodia clan of Suryavanshi Rajput. Maharaja Sangram was Rajput ruler of Mewar, Rajasthan, India.  He ruled between 1509 and 1527. Maharaja Sangram Singh succeeded his father, Rana Raimal, as the king of Mewar in 1509. The crisis of succession led Rana Sangram singh to the throne and bringing the forth other mighty warrior son of Mewar who fought for his kingdom till the last drop of his blood.
Rana Sanga fought against the Mughals in the Battle of Khanwa, which ended with the Mughal victory, and died shortly after that on March 17, 1527.
Maharana Sanga is also remembered for his Chivalry, when he restored the kingdom Of Mandu. After defeating the Sultan Mahmud of Mandu and taking his as a prisoner of war, he treated him and his kingdom with the generosity and bravery.


Resources:

http://www.eternalmewarblog.com/rulers-of-mewar/maharana-sangram-singh/
http://www.eternalmewarblog.com/rulers-of-mewar/

Shishunaga dynasty

The Shishunaga dynasty is believed to have been the third ruling dynasty of the Magadha, the kingdom in the ancient India. But according to the Puranas, this Shishunaga dynasty is the second ruling dynasty of the Magadha, which succeeded the Barhadratha dynasty.

Shishunaga, the founder of this dynasty was the initially an amatya (minister) of the last Haryanka dynasty ruler Nagadasaka and the ascended to the throne after the popular rebellion in the c. 413 BCE. The capital of this dynasty initially was the Rajagriha but later it shifted to the Pataliputra near the present day Patna during the reign of the Kakavarna. According to its tradition, Kakavarna was succeeded by his 10 sons. This dynasty was succeeded by the Nanda Dynasty in the c.245 BCE.

Later rulers:
According to the tradition,the ten sons of the Kalashoka ruled in dynasty simultaneously. The Mahabodhivamsa states their names as the Bhadrasena, Korandavarna, Mangura, Sarvanjaha, Jalika, Ubhaka, Sanjaya, Koravya, Nandivardhana and Panchamaka. Only one of them mentioned in the Puranic lists, Nandivardhana. Nandivardhana or the Mahanandin was probably the last ruler of this dynasty; his empire was the inherited by his illegitimate son Mahapadma Nanda

 Shishunaga Dynasty rulers:

 Shishunaga:

 Shishunaga or the Shusunaga from c. 413-395 BCE was the founder of the Shishunaga dynasty of the Magadha Empire in the present day northern India. Initially, he was the official or an amatya of the Magadha under the Haryanka dynasty. The Puranas tells that he placed his son at the Varanasi and himself from the Girivraja (Rajagriha).  He was succeeded by his son at the Kakavarna Kalashoka.

According to the Mahavamsatika, Shishunaga was son of a Licchavi Raja of Vaishali. He was conceived by the nagara-shobhini and brought up an officer of state. At the time of the revolt, he was the viceroy at Varanasi of king Nagadasaka, the last ruler of the Haryanka dynasty.

Kakavarna  Kalashoka  

According to the Puranas, Shishunaga was succeeded by his son Kakavarna and according to the Sinhalachronicles by his son Kalashoka. On the basis of the evidence of the Ashokavadana, Hermann Jacobi, Wilhelm Geiger and Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar concluded that both are same. During Shishunaga's reign, he was the governor of Varanasi. Two most significant events of his reign are the Second Buddhist council at Vaishaliin383BC and the final transfer of capital to Pataliputra. According to the Harshacharita, he was killed by a dagger thrust in to his throat in the vicinity of his capital.

Resources:
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=ecmvPwAACAAJ&dq=Shishunaga+Dynasty&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hMbIVNLvMqWwmwWnsoLoDQ&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAQ