Agnimitra

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.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 The Mālavikāgnimitra, (Act V, Verse 20) informs us that he was the Goptri (viceroy) at Vidisha during his father's reign.{{cite book |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |first=Sailendra Nath |last=Sen |publisher=New Age International, 1999 |year=1999 |isbn=978-8-12241-198-0 |page=170 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA170}}

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

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).

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{{see also|Vidarbha kingdom (Mauryan era)}}

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 {{transl|hi|sachiva}} (secretary)https://www.shabdkosh.com/dictionary/english-sanskrit/secretary/secretary-meaning-in-sanskrit 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.[http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/kalidas.html Kalidas, Encyclopedia Americana]

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).

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{{succession box

| title = King of Shunga dynasty

| years = 149–141 BCE

| before = Pushyamitra

| after = Vasujyeshtha

}}

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• Indigenous States of Northern India (Circa 200 BC to 320 AD) by Bela Lahiri, University of Calcutta,1974.

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080304125042/http://www.starnarcosis.net/obsidian/india.html#Magadha List of rulers of Magadha] on Bruce Gordon's *"[https://web.archive.org/web/20071114075322/http://starnarcosis.net/obsidian/regindex.html Regnal Chronologies]".

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Category:Shunga dynasty

Category:Emperors of Magadha

Category:2nd-century BC Indian monarchs

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