Satavahanas – Political History

At a Glance

• Also called Andhras in the Puranas
• Early base North Maharashtra, upper Godavari
• Greatest king Gautamiputra Satakarni
• Capital Paithan (Pratishthana)
• End By about AD 220
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Ancient History: Post-Mauryan Period and Early South India

Where Does It Fit?

This is the sixth topic of the category on the post-Mauryan period. The previous topic covered Mahayana Buddhism and the schools of art, and this one covers the Deccan dynasty. The next topic covers Satavahana society, administration and architecture. Previous topic: Kanishka Gandhara Graeco-Roman style Buddha Mathura Indigenous, red sandstone South Nagarjunakonda and Amaravati…">Mahayana Buddhism and the Gandhara and Mathura Schools of Art.

Who Were the Satavahanas and How Did They Rise?

In short: a Deccan dynasty rose after the Mauryas and became the leading power of the south.

The most important native successors of the Mauryas in the north were the Shungas, followed by the Kanvas. In the Deccan and central India the Satavahanas succeeded the Mauryas after a gap of about 100 years. The Satavahanas are considered the same as the Andhras mentioned in the Puranas. The Puranas speak only of Andhra rule, and the name Andhra does not figure in Satavahana inscriptions. Pre-Satavahana settlements are indicated by red ware, black-and-red ware and russet-coated painted ware at many sites in the Deccan, mostly linked to the iron-using megalith builders, who were stimulated to new activity by contact with northern material culture. The use of the iron ploughshare, paddy transplantation, urban growth and writing created conditions for state formation. The earliest inscriptions of the Satavahanas relate to the first century BC, when they defeated the Kanvas and established power in parts of central India. The early Satavahana kings ruled not in Andhra but in north Maharashtra, where their earliest coins and inscriptions have been found, in the upper Godavari valley. The Naneghat inscription names Simuka as the first king, though the dynasty’s start date is much debated. The Shungas and Kanvas are in Shungas and Kanvas – Post-Mauryan Rule in the Ganga Valley.

How Did Gautamiputra Satakarni Restore the Kingdom?

The Satavahanas gradually extended their power over Karnataka and Andhra. Their greatest competitors were the Shakas, who had power in the upper Deccan and western India, and at one stage the Satavahanas were dispossessed of Maharashtra and western India. Their fortunes were restored by Gautamiputra Satakarni (AD 106 to 130), who called himself the only brahmana. He defeated the Shakas, destroyed many kshatriya rulers, and claimed to have ended the Kshaharata lineage of his rival Nahapana. This claim is true, because over 8000 silver coins of Nahapana found near Nasik bear marks of having been re-struck by the Satavahana king. He also occupied Malwa and Kathiawar, which the Shakas had held. His empire seems to have stretched from Malwa in the north to Karnataka in the south, and he possibly had general authority over Andhra. His mother Gautami Balashri issued the Nasik inscription after his death, which describes his victories. The dates vary by up to several decades among scholars, and some link him to AD 78.

How Did the Struggle with the Shakas and the Decline Unfold?

Gautamiputra’s successors ruled till AD 220. Coins and inscriptions of his immediate successor Vashishthiputra Pulumayi (AD 130 to 154) found in Andhra show that by the middle of the second century Andhra was part of the kingdom, and he set up his capital at Paithan or Pratishthana on the Godavari in Aurangabad district. The Shakas resumed the struggle for the Konkan coast and Malwa. Rudradaman I (AD 130 to 150), the Shaka ruler of Saurashtra, defeated the Satavahanas twice but did not destroy them because of close matrimonial relations. His Junagadh inscription does not name the king he defeated, and scholars disagree who it was. Yajna Sri Satakarni (AD 165 to 194) was the last great king of the dynasty and recovered north Konkan and Malwa from the Shakas. He patronised trade and navigation, and his coins appear in Andhra, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, with a ship shown on them. His successors could not hold the kingdom, which was destroyed by about AD 220. The Ikshvakus succeeded in the eastern Deccan in the early third century, as did other regional dynasties.

As an analytical point, the Satavahana story is one of recovery and defence: the dynasty’s identity as a rival to the Shakas gave it a role in Deccan history, and its marriage ties with Rudradaman show the pattern of alliance. The social and administrative aspects are in Satavahana Society, Administration, Religion and Architecture, and the rivals in Shakas and Parthians.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Dynastic questions Rulers and dates
• Rivalry With Shakas
• Deccan state formation Link with Mauryan legacy

What Came Next?

The next topic describes Satavahana society, administration, religion and architecture. Next topic: Satavahana Society, Administration, Religion and Architecture.

Key People and Terms

• Andhras Puranic name for the Satavahanas
• Nahapana Kshaharata Shaka ruler
• Pratishthana Paithan, Satavahana capital
• Nasik prashasti Record by Gautami Balashri
• Restruck coins Coins stamped again by a new ruler
• Kshaharata Shaka lineage of Nahapana

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions ask for the rulers and their achievements. These points add depth.

• Rise Post-Mauryan Deccan
• Peak Gautamiputra
• Decline After Yajna Sri