Pushyamitra Shunga

Pushyamitra Shunga (IAST: Puṣyamitra Śuṅga; reigned c. 185 – c. 149 BCE), also known as Pushpamitra Shunga (IAST: Puṣpamitra Śuṅga) was the founder and the first ruler of the Shunga Empire which he established to succeed the Maurya Empire.

Pushyamitra's association with the Brahmanical tradition is displayed by his performance of the Vedic Ashvamedha sacrifice as recorded in the Dhanadeva Ayodhya inscription.

Though Buddhist texts claim that Pushyamitra persecuted Buddhists, past and contemporary scholars have rejected these claims.