Satavahana Dynasty - Ancient India

The Satavahanas, also known in the Puranas as the Andhras, were an ancient
South Asian dynasty based in Deccan. Most modern scholars believe that the
Satavahana rule began in the late second century BCE and lasted until the early
third century CE, though some scholars assign the beginning of their rule to as early
as the third century BCE based on the Puranas but without archaeological
evidence. The Satavahana kingdom included modern-day Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, and Maharashtra. At various times, they ruled over parts of modern
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka. At various times, the dynasty's capital
cities included Pratishthana (Paithan) and Amaravati (Dharanikota). In this article,
we will discuss the Satavahana Dynasty which will be helpful for UPSC exam
preparation.

1. Origin of Satavahana Dynasty

2. Rulers of Satavahana Dynasty
3. Gautamiputra Satakarni(106 – 130 AD )
4. Vashishthiputra Pulumayi (c. 130 – 154 CE)
5. Yajna Sri Satakarni (c. 165 – 194 CE)
6. Satavahanas Administration
7. Satavahanas Economy
8. Satavahanas Religion
9. Satavahanas Language
10. Satavahanas Architecture
11. Satavahanas Decline
12. Conclusion
 Region of Satavahana Dynasty

Origin
Origin of Satavahana Dynasty
• The dynasty's origins are unknown, but their first king, according to the
Puranas, overthrew the Kanva dynasty.
• The Satavahanas established peace in the Deccan region and resisted foreign
invaders in the post-Maurya era. Their conflicts with the Saka Western
Satraps, in particular, lasted a long time.
• Gautamiputra Satakarni and his successor Vasisthiputra Pulamavi led the
dynasty to its pinnacle. By the early third century CE, the kingdom had
disintegrated into smaller states.
• Simuka is mentioned as the first king in a list of royals discovered at
Naneghat in a Satavahanas inscription, and he is referred to as such.
According to numerous Puranas, the dynasty's first monarch reigned for 23
years.
 According to the Puranas, the first Andhra ruler ended the reign of
Satakarni I (70- 60 BC)
the Kanva monarchs. Simuka
Gautamiputra Satakarni(106 –
Hala
130 AD )
Vashishti Putra Pulumavi (c. 130 – 154 CE) satavahanas art and architecture
Rulers
Rulers of Satavahana Dynasty
Simuka

• Simuka founded the Satavahana Dynasty and is credited with destroying the
Shunga Power. He accomplished this with the help of the Rathikas and
Bhojakas.
• He reigned for approximately 23 years before being beheaded by his brother
Kanha, who succeeded him.
• Kanha was the Satavahana Dynasty's second ruler. He expanded the empire
southward. Satkarni-I, Simuka's son, succeeded him.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Simuka-Rulers of Satavahana
Dynasty.

Satakarni I (70-60 BC)

• Satakarni-I, also known as Sri Satkarni, was a great ruler among the Early
Satavahanas and the son of Simuka.
• His queen's name was Naganika, and he was known as the Lord of
Dakshinpatha. Kanha expanded his empire to the south, to the Malwa and
Narmada valleys.
• He performed the Ashvamedha and Rajsuya Yajnas.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Satakarni I (70-60 BC)-Rulers of
Satavahana Dynasty.

Hala

• Hala, the 17th King of the Satavahana line, was another great Satavahana
king. He had compiled the "Gatha saptasati" or Gaha Sattasai, which was
primarily a love text.
• He is also mentioned in the Lilavati text. These rulers were only minor rulers
who were subject to Kanvas' suzerainty.
• The Satavahanas' expansion was checked shortly after Satakarni II.
 • The Shakas drove them south, and the western Deccan was taken over by
Shaka King Nahapana.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Hala-Rulers of Satavahana Dynasty.

Gautamiputra Satakarni
Gautamiputra Satakarni(106 – 130 AD )
• Gautamiputra Satkarni, known as the Destroyer of Shaka, Pahalava, and
Yavana Power, resurrected Satavahana's lost power. Gautamiputra Satkarni
is known to have recovered the Satvahans completely and sharply. His
mother Gautami mentioned his accomplishments in the Nasik Inscription.
• His empire spanned Eastern and Western Malwa, the Narmada Valley,
Vidarbha, Western Rajputana, Saurastra, and even Kalinga.
• Gautamiputra is described in Nasik Prasasti as the ruler of the Aparanta,
Anupa, Saurashtra, Kukura,Akara, and Avanti. In the south, his reign
extended all the way to Kanchi. He took the titles of Raja-raja and Maharaja.
• The Puranic inscription names other Satavahanas after Gautamiputra
Satkarni, including Pulumayi, Sri Satkarni, Shiva Sri, Shivaskanda Satkarni,
Madhariptra Sakasena, and Sri Yajna Satkarni.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Gautamiputra Satakarni (106-
130AD)-Rulers of Satavahana Dynasty.

Vashishthiputra Pulumayi
Vashishthiputra Pulumayi (c. 130 – 154 CE)
• Vasishthiputra Pulumavi, the successor of Gautamiputra Satakarni, expanded
the Satavahana Empire's borders. His coins can be found all over south India.
• Yagnashri Satakarni was another famous ruler who issued coins with a ship
motif, indicating the importance of overseas trade during his reign.
• Vashishti Putra Pulumayi's inscriptions and coins have been discovered in
Andhra Pradesh.
• According to the inscriptions in Junagadh, he married Rudradaman I's
daughter.
• Because of eastern engagements, the Shaka-Kshatrapas were able to
reclaim a few territories and lands.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Vashishthiputra Pulumayi (130-154
CE)-Rulers of Satavahana Dynasty.

Yajna Sri Satakarni

Yajna Sri Satakarni (c. 165 – 194 CE)
• Yajna Sri Satakarni, also known as Gautamiputra Yajna Sri, was a Satavahana
dynasty Indian ruler. He was Vashishtiputra Satakarni's brother.
• He is regarded as the Satavahana dynasty's final great king. He reclaimed
some of the territory lost to the Shakas (Western Satraps) during the reign of
Vashishtiputra Satakarni.
• He defeated the Western Satraps and took back their southern territories in
western and central India.
• After Yajna Sri Satakarni, the Satavahana began to decline, while the
Western Satraps prospered for another two centuries.

Administration
Satavahanas Administration
• The Satavahana Dynasty's government was based on the Dharmashastras.
The Satavahana empire's districts were referred to as ahara, and its rulers
were known as mahamatras and amatyas.
• The province governor was named as Senapathi. The military unit had 45
cavalry, 9 elephants, 9 chariots, and 25 horses. Gaulmika, who oversaw the
rural districts, was the regiment's commander.
• The use of words like kataka and skandhavaras indicates that the
Satavahana monarchy had a military bent. Three levels of feudatories existed
in the kingdom.
• The King established the first grade, while Mahabhoja established the
second. Senapati created the third grade.
• The towns and farms that were given to the Brahmanas and Buddhist monks
were exempt from taxes and later developed into separate islands within the
monarchy. Varna system enforcement helped to stabilise the social order.

Economy
Satavahanas Economy
• The Satavahanas contributed to and benefited from economic growth
through agricultural intensification, increased production of other
commodities, and trade within and beyond the Indian subcontinent.
• Several large settlements arose in the fertile areas, particularly along the
major rivers, during the Satavahana period. As a result of forest clearance
and the construction of irrigation reservoirs, the amount of land under
agricultural use has also increased significantly.
 • The exploitation of mineral resource sites may have increased during the
Satavahana period, resulting in the formation of new settlements in these
areas. Such locations aided commerce and crafts (such as ceramic ware).
• Archaeological discoveries at sites such as Kotalingala, as well as epigraphic
references to artisans and guilds, show that craft production increased during
the Satavahana period.
• The Satavahanas dominated the expanding Indian trade with the Roman
Empire because they controlled the Indian sea coast. The Periplus of the
Erythraean Sea mentions two important Satavahana trade centres:
Pratishthana and Tagara.
• Kondapur, Banavasi, and Madhavpur were also significant urban centres.
Nanaghat was the location of an important pass that connected the
Satavahana capital Pratishthana to the sea.

Religion
Satavahanas Religion
• The Satavahanas were Hindus who claimed Brahmanical status, but they
also made generous donations to Buddhist monasteries. In general, lay
people in the Satavahana period did not support a single religious group.
• The Naneghat inscription of Nayanika, written on the walls of a Buddhist
monastic cave, mentions that her husband Satakarni I performed several
Vedic sacrifices, including ashvamedha (horse sacrifice), rajasuya (royal
consecration), and agnyadheya (fire ceremony).
• The inscription also records large fees paid to Brahmin priests and attendees
for these sacrifices.
• In the Nashik inscription of Gautami Balashri, her son Gautamiputra Satakarni
is called "ekabamhana," which some interpret as "unrivalled Brahmana,"
indicating a Brahmin origin.

Language
Satavahanas Language
• The majority of Satavahana inscriptions and coin legends are written in a
Middle Indo-Aryan language. Some modern scholars refer to this language
as "Prakrit," but this terminology is only correct if the term "Prakrit" is defined
broadly to include any Middle Indo-Aryan language that is "not exactly
Sanskrit."
• The inscriptions' language is actually closer to Sanskrit than to the literary
Prakrit used in the Gaha Sattasai anthology, which is attributed to
Satavahana king Hala.
 • Apart from Sanskrit and Prakrit, there is another language known as 'Desi,'
which may refer to the native language or the language of the common man.
• Later Satavahana kings such as Gauthamiputra Satakarni, Vastistiputra
Pulamovi, and Yajna Satakarni had names in both Prakrit and Desi, a native
language.
• The Satvahanas used Sanskrit in political inscriptions on occasion. A
fragmentary inscription discovered near Gautamiputra Satakarni's Nashik
prashasti uses Sanskrit verses in vasanta-tilaka metre to describe a deceased
king (probably Gautamiputra).
• A Sanskrit inscription discovered at Sannati most likely refers to
Gautamiputra Shri Satakarni, one of whose coins also bears a Sanskrit
legend.
• The Satavahanas also issued bilingual coins with Middle Indo-Aryan on one
side and Tamil on the other.

Architecture
Satavahanas Architecture
• The sculptures of the Amaravati Stupa represent the Satavahana periods'
architectural development. They constructed Buddhist stupas in Amravati
(95 feet high).
• They also built many stupas in Goli, Jaggiahpeta, Gantasala, Amravati
Bhattiprolu, and Shri Parvatam.
• Satavahana patronised Caves IX and X, which contain Ajanta paintings, and
the painting throughout the caves appears to have begun with them.
• The earlier bricks and woodwork on Ashokan Stupas were replaced with
stonework.
• The stupas are the most well-known of these monuments, with the Amravati
Stupa and the Nagarjunakonda Stupa being the most well-known.
• Karle Chaitya's sculpture is another example of Satavahana architecture's
magnificence. The hall is over 124 feet long, 46 feet wide, and 46 feet tall. It
was also associated with the construction of the garbhagriha,
pradakshinapatha, and mandapa.
• Along with the doorway, the elegant chaitya window encasing the
woodwork of sculptures has survived to this day. Kanehri's sculpture is also
modelled after the style in which other Satavahana sculptures have been
carved.
 Karle Chaitya

Satavahana architecture in Nashik's Pandavleni Caves, Cave No. 3

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Satavahanas Art and Architecture.

Decline
Decline of Satavahanas
• Pulamavi IV is regarded as the final king of the Satavahana line.
• He reigned until the year 225 AD. Following his death, the empire was
divided into five smaller kingdoms.
 • The entire kingdom was split into five lesser dynasties once the Satavahana
Dynasty fell.
• The Ikshvakus replaced the Satavahanas in the eastern region at the
beginning of the third century A.D.
• The west was ruled by the Abhiras, the south-west by the Chutus, the
south-east by the Pallavas, and the northern provinces by a collateral branch
of the Satavahanas.

Conclusion
Conclusion
Regardless of the extent of their conquests in the Deccan in the 4th-3rd centuries
B.C., the proper historical period in this region began during the capital of
Satavahanas. Despite the lack of convincing evidence of centralised governance
during this time period, a widespread coinage system was established across the
empire. When the Indo-Roman trade reached its peak during this period, the
Satavahanas dynasty reflected itself in the generous sponsorship of Buddhist and
Brahmanical organisations, as evidenced by period inscriptions.