The Shunga dynasty :

• The Maurya empire declined after Emperor Ashoka's death. Brihadratha was the final Maurya emperor.
• The revolt was led by Pushyamitra Shunga, Commander of the Maurya army. He executed Brihadratha and established the Shunga dynasty's rule.

The Indo-Greek Kings :

• The Indo-Greek kings were Greek emperors who ruled in northwestern India.
• Menander, also known as 'Milinda' in Indian writings, was an Indo-Greek king.
• His dialogues with the Buddhist Bhikkhu Nagasena on Buddhist philosophy are collected in a book titled Milinda-Panha, which translates as "The Questions of Milinda."

Kushana Kings :

• The 'Kushana' tribals of Central Asia invaded India and established rule in northwestern India and Kashmir.
• The Kushana kings began the practise of minting gold coins with images of Buddha and other Indian deities imprinted on them.

Emperor Kanishka :

• Emperor Kanishka was a powerful Kushana emperor. From Kabul to Varanasi, he ruled. He called the Fourth Buddhist Council together. Kanishkapur, a new city in Kashmir, was founded by him.
• Ashvaghosh wrote 'Buddhacharita' and 'Vajrasuchi,' and the famous vaidya Charaka served in Kanishka's court.

Gupta dynasty :

• For nearly 300 years, the Gupta dynasty ruled India.
• Shrigupta established the Gupta dynasty.
• Chandragupta I laid the groundwork for the Gupta empire.

The Vardhan dynasty :

• With the decline of the Guptas in the sixth century AD, the Vardhans rose to power.
• Prabhakar Vardhan established the Vardhan dynasty.
• The most famous Vardhan King was Emperor Harsha Vardhan. His domain stretched from Nepal in the north to the Narmada River in the south, and from Assam in the east to Gujarat in the west.
• He had friendly relations with the Chinese emperor and King Bhaskarvarman of Kamrup, and he was a Buddhist. Harshavardhan's plays include Ratnavali, Naganand, and Priyadarshika.
• During his reign, trade flourished. He was a benevolent king who worked for the welfare of his subjects.
• During Harshavardhan's reign, the learned Chinese Bhikkhu Yuan Chwang visited India.
• 'Harsha Charitra,' a biography of Emperor Harsha Vardhan, was written by Banabhatta.

The powers in North-east India

• Pushyavarman founded the Kamrup state in the fourth century AD.
• Pragjyotishpur was the capital of Kamrup. The kingdom extended up to the Brahmaputra valley, Bhutan and parts of Bengal and Bihar.
• During the reign of King Bhaskarvarman, Yuan Chwang had visited Kamrup.