Shishunaga dynasty
Also called: Shishunaga · Topic: Janapadas, Mahajanapadas and the Second Urbanisation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Shishunaga dynasty ruled Magadha after the Haryanka dynasty, the family of Bimbisara and Ajatashatru. The Nanda dynasty came after it. It is named after its founder, Shishunaga. He destroyed the power of Avanti, a rival kingdom in present-day Madhya Pradesh whose capital was Ujjayini. With Avanti gone, Magadha became much stronger. For a time the capital moved from Pataliputra to Vaishali.
Example
Kalashoka, Shishunaga's son, called the Second Buddhist Council at Vaishali in c. the fourth century BCE. A council was a large meeting of monks held to settle disputes about the Buddha's teachings.
Don't confuse with
- Shishupalgarh: an ancient fortified city near present-day Bhubaneswar, capital of the Kalinga region. It is a place, not a ruling family of Magadha.
Related concepts
- Rise of Magadha
- Magadha
- Haryanka dynasty
- Bimbisara
- Ajatashatru
- Udayin
- Rajagaha
- Cyclopean wall of Rajgir
- Pataliputra
- Mahapadma Nanda