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The Sātavāhanas were a dynasty which ruled in Southern and Central India starting from around 230BCE. Although
there is some controversy about when the dynasty came to an end, the most liberal estimates are of about 450 years.
Long before that their kingdom had disintegrated into successor states.
Origin
In the Pūrānas and their coins the dynasty is variously referred to the Andhras, Andhrabhrityas, Satakarnis and Satavahanas. They have been variously interpreted as originating from present day Maharashtra or Andhra Pradesh. They started out as feudatories to the Mauryan Empire , and declared independence soon after
the death of Ashoka (232 BCE).
Early rulers
After becoming independent around 230 BCE, Simuka, the founder of the dynasty, conquered Maharashtra, Malwa and part of Madhya Pradesh. He was succeeded by his brother Kanha (or Krishna)(r. 207BCE- 189 BCE), who further extended his kingdom to the west and the south.
His successor Sātakarnī I defeated the Sunga dynasty of North India, and performed several Vedic sacrifices at huge cost, including the Horse Sacrifice.
By this time the dynasty was well established with its capital at Pratishthānapura (Paithan) in Maharashtra, and its power spread into all of South India. The Pūrānas list 30 rulers of this line. Many are known from their coins and inscriptions as well.
Of the Sātavāhana kings Hāla (r. 20-24 CE) is famous for compiling the collection of Prakrit poems known as the Gāhā Sattasai ( Gāthā Saptashatī), although from linguistic evidence it seems that the work now extant must have been re-edited in the succeeding century or two.
Conflict with the Shakas, Yavanas and Pahalavas
This period saw the incursion of the Sakas of Central Asia into India, where they formed the dynasty of the Western Kshatrapas. The four immediate successors of Hāla had short reigns totalling about a dozen years. The kingdom lost some of its territory, including Malwa to the Western Kshatrapas.
Gautamiputra Sātakarni (r. 106 - 130 CE) defeated the Western Kshatrapas ruler Nahapana, restoring the prestige of his
dynasty by reconquering large part of the former dominions of the Sātavāhanas. He was an ardent supporter of the Brahminical religion.
However, Gautamiputra Sātakarni's successor, Vashishtiputra Pulumāyi (r. 130-158 CE) was defeated by the Saka ruler Rudradaman (who was also his father-in-law).
It was not before the reign of Sri Yajna Sātakarni (CE 170-199), that there was any change of fortune for the Sātavāhanas. He struggled hard against the Shakas and recovered some of the territory lost to them. Sri Yajna Sātakarni called himself "Destroyer of Shakas (Western Kshatrapas), Yavanas (Indo-Greeks) and Pahalavas (Indo-Parthians)" in his inscriptions.
Decline
The Sātavāhanas fell prey to the rising ambitions of their feudatories. Several dynasties divided the
lands of the kingdom among themselves. Among them were:
- Abhiras in the northwestern part of the kingdom. They were ultimately to succeed the ātavāhanas in
their capital Pratishthanapura.
- Chutus in South Maharashtra and Karnataka.
- Ikshvākus (or Srīparvatiyas) in the Krishna-Guntur region.
On the boundaries of the old Satavahna Kingdom arose a number of new states, which seized their territory. The most
important were the Pallavas of Kancipuram , of whom the first ruler was Simhavarman I( r. 275-300 CE).
MIDDLE KINGDOMS OF INDIA
WesternSatrap.JPG
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| Timeline: | Northern empires | Southern Kingdoms | Foreign kingdoms
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6th century BCE
5th century BCE
4th century BCE
3rd century BCE
2nd century BCE
1st century BCE
1st century CE
2nd century CE
3rd century CE
4th century CE
5th century CE
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(Persian rule)
(Greek conquests)
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See also
References
- K.A. Nilakanta Sastri , A History of South India. (Madras, 1976).
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