AdrianneKinne08 at 23:43, 20 March 2026

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{{short description|Eighth ruling dynasty of Magadha (73–28 BCE)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Kanva Dynasty
| title_leader = [[List of monarchs of Magadha#House of Kanva|Emperor]]
| leader1 = [[Vasudeva Kanva]] (first)
| leader2 = [[Bhumimitra]] (second)
| leader3 = Susarman (last)
| year_leader1 = 73–64 BCE
| year_leader2 = 64-50 BCE
| year_leader3 = 38–28 BCE
| common_name = Kanva dynasty
| year_start = 73 BCE
| year_end = 28 BCE
| capital = [[Pataliputra]] and [[Vidisha|Besnagara]]
| government_type = Monarchy
| p1 = Shunga dynasty
| s1 = Principality of Pataliputra
| flag_s1 = Principality of Patialputra Map.jpg
| s2 = Satavahana dynasty
| s3 =
| s4 =
| image_map = India in 50 bc.jpg
| image_map_caption = Kanvayana shown with other petty kingdoms of that time, along with the large kingdoms of the [[Satavahana dynasty|Satavahanas]] and [[Indo-Scythians]].
| religion = [[Hinduism]]
| common_languages = [[Sanskrit]]
| today =
}}
{{History of Bihar}}
{{Part of History of India}}
The '''Kanva dynasty''' or '''Kanvavamsha''' was a [[Brahmin]] ruling dynasty of [[Magadha]], established after [[Vasudeva Kanva]] overthrew the preceding [[Shunga dynasty]] and ruled from 73 BCE to 28 BCE.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=I6jzBgAAQBAJ&dq INDIAN HISTORY by Dr. Sanjeevkumar Tandle, Page 150]</ref>{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|2006|p=333}}

Although the [[Puranas|Puranic literature]] indicates that the Kanvas ruled from the former capital of the Shungas in [[Pataliputra]], [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]] in [[East India|Eastern India]], their coins are primarily found in and around the region of [[Vidisha]] in [[Central India]],<ref>Bhandare, Shailendra. "Numismatics and History: The Maurya-Gupta Interlude in the Gangetic Plain." in [https://books.google.com/books?id=efaOR_-YsIcC ''Between the Empires: Society in India, 300 to 400,''] ed. Patrick Olivelle (2006), pp.91–92</ref> which had also been the capital of later Shunga rulers.<ref>Bhandare (2006), pp.71, 79</ref>

The Kanva dynasty was established by Vasudeva Kanva in 73 BCE. Vasudeva was initially a minister of the Shunga Emperor [[Devabhuti]], who then assassinated the former emperor and usurped the throne.<ref>{{cite book|title=History of Ancient India: Earliest Times to 1000 A. D.|author=Radhey Shyam Chaurasia|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist, 2002 - India - 308 pages|page=132}}</ref> 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 [[Satavahana]]s in 28 BCE.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=rOVpOG6MPMcC&dq History of Ancient India By Rama Shankar Tripathi, Page 189]</ref>{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|2006|p=333}}

==Origin==
The Kanva kings were [[Brahmin]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rao |first1=B. V. |title=World history from early times to A D 2000 |date=1 January 2012 |publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd |isbn=978-81-207-3188-2 |page=97 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wPB7XoSiboUC&pg=PA97 |quote=Vasudeva Kanva, a Brahmin minister of the last Sunga ruler Devabhuti..}}</ref> They were descendants of the [[Rishi|sage]] Saubhari. [[Vasudeva Kanva]] killed [[Devabhuti]] of the [[Shunga Empire|Shunga dynasty]] and established the rule of the Kanva dynasty.{{sfn|Thapar|2013|p=296}}

==Rulers==
The first ruler of the Kanva dynasty was Vasudeva after whose [[Gotra]] the dynasty was named.<ref>{{cite book |title=Archaeology of Pataliputra and Nalanda |first=Brajmohan |last=Kumar |publisher=Ramanand Vidya Bhawan, 1987 - India - 236 pages |page=26 }}</ref> 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 [[Kosambi|Kaushambi]] in the [[Vatsa]] realm.<ref>Bajpai (2004), p.38 with footnote 4, and p.173</ref> 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.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_SbiUXtBzAsC&dq optional Indian history ancient India by Pratiyogita Darpan Editorial Team, Page 121 (The Kanvas)]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=R63ACQAAQBAJ&dq World Monarchies and Dynasties By John Middleton, Routledge Publishers, Page 486 (Kanva Dynasty)]</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+List of Kanava dynasty rulers
! Emperor
!Reign
!Duration (years)
|-
| [[Vasudeva Kanva]]
| 73–64 BCE
|9
|-
| Bhumimitra
| 64–50 BCE
|14
|-
| Narayana
| 50–38 BCE
|12
|-
| Susarman
|38–28 BCE
|10
|}

==Succession==
{{Main|Satavahana occupation of Malwa}}
After the defeat at the hands of [[Satavahanas]] and the fall of the Kanva dynasty, the Magadha empire came to an end. The defeat of the Kanva dynasty by the Satavahana dynasty was a localised event in Central India<ref>Bhandare (2006), pp.91–92</ref><ref name="Bajpai2004">{{cite book|author=K. D. Bajpai|title=Indian Numismatic Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=chGrJUMarHoC&pg=PA39|date=October 2004|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-035-8|pages=38–39}}</ref> and numismatic and epigraphic evidence suggests that Magadha later came under the hegemony of the [[Mitra dynasty (Kosambi)|Mitra dynasty]] of [[Kosambi|Kaushambi]] from the 1st century BCE until the 2nd century CE.<ref name="Bajpai2004"/>

The [[Puranas]] suggest that the last king of the Kanva dynasty was killed by Balipuccha, who founded the [[Andhra dynasty]],{{sfn|Thapar|2013|p=296}} but there is a lack of numismatical and archaeological evidence to support this.

==See also==
* [[History of India]]
* [[Shunga dynasty]]
* [[History of Hinduism]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{citation |last=Raychaudhuri |first=Hemchandra |author-link=Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri |title=Political History of Ancient India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h1KObc_qaXYC |year=2006 |publisher=[[Cosmo Publications]] |isbn=81-307-0291-6 }}
* {{citation |last=Thapar |first=Romila |author-link=Romila Thapar |title=The Past Before Us|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aei9AAAAQBAJ |year=2013 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |isbn=978-0-674-72651-2 }}
{{Middle kingdoms of India}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Shunga dynasty]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Magadha dynasties|years=}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Satavahana]]}}
{{end}}
[[Category:Kanva dynasty| ]]
[[Category:Brahmin communities]]
[[Category:Dynasties of Magadha]]
[[Category:Kingdoms of Bihar]]
[[Category:Ancient Bengal]]
[[Category:1st century BC in India]]

Kanva dynasty - Revision history

AdrianneKinne08 at 23:43, 20 March 2026