kingdom · South Asia

Kanva dynasty

73 BCE – 28 BCE (approx.) · capital Pataliputra

A short-lived Brahmin dynasty of four kings that ruled Magadha after the Shungas, in the twilight of Pataliputra's ancient power.

Origins

Around 73 BCE Vasudeva Kanva, a Brahmin minister of the last Shunga king, Devabhuti, had his master killed and took the throne. The Kanvas inherited a shrunken kingdom in Magadha and the middle Ganges plain, ruled from Pataliputra.

Rule and society

The dynasty is known almost entirely from the Puranas, which list four kings, Vasudeva, Bhumimitra, Narayana and Susharman, ruling for a total of 45 years. Coins bearing the name Bhumimitra may belong to the second king. Nothing reliable is known of their government.

Decline and legacy

According to the Puranas, Susharman was killed around 28 BCE by a king of the Andhras, usually taken to be a ruler of the Satavahana dynasty. Magadha then broke into small local principalities until the Gupta Empire revived it in the 4th century.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Shunga Empire 185 BCE – 73 BCEKanva dynasty

Connections (1)

Kanva dynasty was conquered by Satavahana dynasty28 BCE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kanva dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kanva-dynasty
MLA: “Kanva dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kanva-dynasty. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Kanva dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kanva-dynasty.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kanva dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kanva-dynasty (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻