The Shishunaga dynasty (
IAST: Śaiśunāga, literally "of Shishunaga") was the second ruling dynasty of
Magadha, an empire in
ancient India. According to the
HinduPuranas, this dynasty was the second ruling dynasty of Magadha, succeeding
Nagadashaka of the
Haryanka dynasty.
Shishunaga, the founder of the dynasty, was initially an amatya or "minister" of the last Haryanka dynasty ruler Nāgadāsaka and ascended to the throne after a popular rebellion in
c. 413 BCE.[3] The capital of this dynasty initially was
Vaishali; but later shifted to
Pataliputra, near the present day
Patna, during the reign of Kalashoka. According to tradition, Kalashoka was succeeded by his ten sons.[4] This dynasty was succeeded by the
Nanda dynasty in
c. 345 BCE.[5]
Shishunaga founded his dynasty in 413 BCE with its capital in Rajgir and later Pataliputra (both in what is now
Bihar). Buddhist sources indicate that he had a secondary capital at
Vaishali,[6] formerly the capital of
Vajji, until it was conquered by Magadha. The Shaishunaga dynasty ruled one of the largest empires in the
Indian subcontinent. Shishunaga ended the
Pradyota dynasty of Avanti, ending the centuries old rivalry between their kingdoms and annexing Avanti into Magadha.
According to the Puranas, Shishunaga was succeeded by his son Kakavarna and according to the
Sinhala chronicles by his son Kalashoka.[6] On the basis of the evidence of the Ashokavadana,
Hermann Jacobi,
Wilhelm Geiger and
Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar concluded that both are the same.[citation needed] During Shishunaga's reign, he was the governor of
Varanasi. The two most significant events of his reign are the
Second Buddhist council at
Vaishali in 383 BC and the final transfer of the capital to
Pataliputra.[6][7] According to the
Harshacharita, he was killed by a dagger thrust into his throat in the vicinity of his capital.[8] According to Buddhist tradition, he had nine or ten sons, who were ousted by
Ugrasena Nanda.[9]
Later rulers
According to Buddhist tradition,[which?] ten sons of Kalashoka ruled simultaneously. The Mahabodhivamsa states their names as Bhadrasena, Korandavarna, Mangura, Sarvanjaha, Jalika, Ubhaka, Sanjaya, Koravya, Nandivardhana and Panchamaka. Only one of them is mentioned in the Puranic lists, Nandivardhana.[4]
The Puranas list Nandivardhana as the ninth Shaishunaga king and his son
Mahanandin as the tenth and the last Shaishunaga king. Mahanandin was killed by
Mahapadma, his illegitimate son from a Shudra wife.[10]