Andhra Satavahanas

ORIGIN :
(a) Aitrareya Brahmana puts the Adhras beyond the pale of Aryanism. (b) Nasik Prasasti lays claim to Gautmi as a brahamana. (c) Puranas called them their services to Aryanism they were - admitted to the Aryan folk after their services to Arynanism - there is a reference to them in the Asoka inscriptions as well as by e!asthenes. (d) "ome call them Brahmins - some# mi$ed Brahmins of Na!a ori!in# a%nd some# protectors of Brahmins# (e) Numismatic evidence points to the ori!in in &estern 'eccan and adhya Pradesh. (pi!raphic and literary evidence points to their western ori!in - the fi!ure of the founder of the dynasty is found in paition in western 'eccan. (f) (pi!raphic evidence refers to them as "atavahanas# not as Andhras. (!) Possibly# Andhra is the )ribal name * "atavahana# the dynastic name# and satakarni# the "urname.

SOURCES :
(a) Puranas - mention +, kin!s#. (b) Aitrareya Brahmina. (c) -iterary sources -- Gunadhya.s Brihatkatha. And -eelavati# which deals with the military e$ploits of /ala. (d) Nasik inscription of Gautami Balsari. (e) /athi!umpha inscription of 0haravela for inferrin! the date of the first ruler. (f) "anchi inscription e$tent of the "atavahanas kin!dom till alwa.

CHORONOLOGY:
(a) )he founder war one "imukha - probably the first century B.1. - supplanted the lin!erin! "un!a and 0anva rulers - rule of the dynasty was for +,, years. "imuka was succeed by 0rishna or 0anha. (b) )he ne$t known kin! was "atakarni - the kin!dom e$panded - probably defeated by 0haravela performed Ashvamedha Pratishthana was the capital - confusion after him. 0shaharatas or sakas occupied parts of aharashtra. (c) /ala is the 23th in the list of Puranas - his book is saptasataka - deals with both erortic and philosophical themes. Gundhaya.s Brihatkatha deals with the rivalry between Prikrit and "anskrit. (d) Be!innin! from 45 A.'. to 35 A.'. there was confusion - saka eruption.

(e) )he !reatest ruler was Gautamiputra "atakarni. /e was the 4+rd accordin! to Pupranas - around 34 A.'. the Nasik inscription of his mother talks of his bein! the destroyer of "akas# 6avanas and 0shaharata - also says that he crushed the pride of 0shatrias - overran konan# "aurashtra# Bihar and alva. A Philanthropist# he maintained Arya 'harma - put an end to 7arna - "ankara - some re!ard him to be 7ikramaditya. Built the city of Benakataka and assumed the titles of 8a9a 8a9a and "vamin. (f) )he ne$t known ruler was Pulumayi :: around ;< A.'. - first ruled Andhra country - 7ai9yanti and Amaravati famous cities - "atavahanas a naval power - probably overseas colonisation - lar!e number of inscription. (!) )he ne$t know ruler was 7asishtiputra Batakarni of sri Pulumayi - married the dau!hter of 8udradaman# a "aka ruler -- however 8udradaman twice defeated him. Also# "ri Pulumayi lost to 1hastana# son of Bhosmotika. (h) Ne$t known ruler was 6a9na "ri "atakarni - around 2<, A.'. - alva# 0athiawad and North 0onkan inscription found in 0onkan and 0rishna - coints found in Gu9arat and 0athiawad - defeated 0shatapas. (i) After the declined "alankeyanas ruled over the "atavahana territory.

IMPORTANCE :
(2) )he 7ery area over which they ruled was important connectin! link between link between northern and southern :ndia - Andhras were instrumental in spreadin! Aryan culture to the south. (4) )heir coloni=in! activities spread to "outh-(ast Asia - influence of Amaravati sculptures on "outh-(ast Asian sculptures. (+) )hey did maintain contact between :ndia and the &estern world in matters of trade. (>) )hey were instrumental in curbin! the penetration of "akas further into south. (5) "ome of the later southern dynastic like :kshvakus# 0adambas# )arikutakas and Abhiras continued the "atavahan tradition and the Pallsvas and the 1halukya claimed the tradition of "atavahanas.

SATAVAHANA ACHIEVEMENTS
)he !overnment if the "atavahana kin!dom was or!ani=ed on the traditional lines. )he kin!dom was divided into ?anapadas# which were further sub-divided into aharas. (ach ahara was under an Amataya. )he basic unit of the ahara was the !rama with the villa!e headman called !amika. 1entral control was maintained over the provices. Princes were !enerally made viceroys. And the kin!s did not assume hi!hsoundin! titles. )hey were e$pected to maintain dharma. )a$ation was not burden some. )he state derived its income from crown lands# court fees# fines and ordinary ta$es on lands. )he e$traordinary ta$es of the auryan period were not imposed. :n !eneral# 1entral control was not hi!h because feudal traits emer!ed in the "atavahana period. )he feudal chiefs like maharathas mahasenapatis and mahabho9as issued their own coins.

)he area under the satavahanas in !eneral witnessed considerable prosperity. )here was brisk trade. Broach was the most important port and it had a vast and rich hinterland. Pratishthana produced cotton cloth. )a!ara and @99ain produced muslin. )he chief imports were wines# copper# tin# lead and !old and silver coins. Another important port was kalyan mentioned in the Perilus. )he other ports were "opara# Goa and pi!eon islands. &ithin the kin!dom there were important cities like )a!ara# Prathishthana# Nasik# ?unnar and 'hanyakataka. 0oddura and 1hinna!an9am were the important ports on the east. )he !eneral life led by the people was similar to the one portrayed in 7atsayana.s 0ama-"utra. (vidence also shows that a !ood number of people emi!rated from the 'eccan to coloni=e the re!ions in "outh-(ast Asia )he "atavahanas and "hiva were worshiped. "aptasataka reveals the worship of many /indu deities. 7aishnavasim and "havism !rew popular. Gautamiputra-"atakarni claimed himself to be the protector of brahmins. )he Naisk prasasthi states that 7arnashrama 'harmawas maintained. Buddhism too was popular. Both the sakas and "atavahanas encoura!ed Buddhism. @shavadata mare several !rants to Buddhist monks. "ome of these !rants were renewed by Guatamiputra "atakarni. Buddhist momuments and stupas came into e$istence at Nasik# 7idisa# Bhattiprolu# Goli# Ghantasala and Amaravati. :t was at the last plece that most probably human fi!ures were carved out for the first time. And the stupa at this place had a marble railin! with relief sculptures. A vai9ayanti merchant was responsible for enrichin! 0arle and 0anheri Buddhist caves. erchants from Nasik contributed to the caves at 7idisa and Bharhut. :n brief cave architecture and buildin! of stupas witnessed certain development under the auspices of the satavahanasA and the donations or the merchants belon!in! to the !uilds prove the commercial prosperity of the area. (mcoura!ed by wealth the kin!s patroni=ed literature and architecture. /ala was an authority on the Puranas. /e was the author of "apta-"ataka. :t is said that /ala paid as much as >, million pieces of !old for four kavyas. -eelavati deals with the military campai!ns of /ala. )he kin!s encoura!ed architecture. )he five !ateways at "anchi the rock-cut 1haity-halls of Bha9a# 0arle# Nasik and 0anheri and the stupas at Amaravati# Bhattiprolu# Goli and Ghantasala were built in this period. )he capitals of the pillars in 0arle caves are elaborately sculptured. )he dome and the base of the Amaravati stupa is elaborately sculptured. ?ataka stories were incised on marble slabs. )he upper part of the dome is a beautiful floral desi!n. :t is !enerally said that its construction be!an durin! the tBime of Gautamiputra "atakarni and was completed durin! the time of 6a9na "ri "atakarni. ost probably two A9anta Crescoes (;th and 2,th) came into e$istence durin! this period. )he satavahanas were!reat e$cavators of cave temples and the ma!nificent temples of (llora and A9anta were the continuation of the "atavahana tradition to which all iddle :ndian dynasties in succeedin! a!es claimed historic relationship. )he basic tradition in iddle :ndia is of the "atavahana empire. As in the north it is of the auryan. Crom the point of view of historic continuity it is important to remember this primary fact as up to %uite recent times the traditions flowin! from the satavahanas were livin! factors in :ndian history.

Satavahana Administration
)he "atavahana administration was very simple and was accordin! to the principle laid down in 'harmashastras. )he kin! laid no claim of divine ri!ht. )hey had only the most modest title of ra9an. )hey had no absolute power. )heir power was checked in practice by customs and shastras. )he kin! was the commander of war and of threw himself into the thickest of the frays.

A peculiar feature of the "atavahana administration was the presence of feudatories of different !rade. )he hi!hest class was that of petty princes bearin! the kin!ly title ra9a and strikin! coins in their own names. Ne$t in rank was the maharathi and mahabho9a. Both titles from the be!innin! were hereditary and restricted to a few families in a few localities. Probably mahabho9a ranked hi!her than that of maharathi. )he mahabho9as were the feudatories of "atavahanas. )hey were primarily located in western 'eccan. )hey were related by blood to the feudatory maharathi. :t is definitely known that the maharathis were the feudatories of "atavahanas. )hey also !ranted in their own name villa!es with physical immunities attached to them. )he maharathis of the chitaldru! en9oyed the additional privile!e of issuin! coins in their own name. )owards the close of the "atavahana period two more feudatories were created mahataralavara. ahasenapathi and them

Barrin! districts that were controlled by feudatories# the empire was divided into 9anapadas and aharas# the latter correspondin! to modern districts. )he division below that of ahara was !rama. Non-hereditary !overnors were sub9ect to periodical transfers. )here were other functionaries like !reat chamberlain store-keepers treasurers and dutakas who carried royal orders. )he !overnment lived from hand to mouth. )he ta$es were neither heavy nor many. )he sources of income were proceeds from the royal domain# salt monopoly ordinary and e$traordinary ta$es both soldiers and officials were paid in kind. )he "atavahana administration was very simple and was accordin! to the principle laid down in 'harmashastras. )he kin! laid no claim of divine ri!ht. )hey had only the most modest title of ra9an. )hey had no absolute power. )heir power was checked in practice by customs and shastras. )he kin! was the commander of war and of threw himself into the thickest of the frays. A peculiar feature of the "atavahana administration was the presence of feudatories of different !rade. )he hi!hest class was that of petty princes bearin! the kin!ly title ra9a and strikin! coins in their own names. Ne$t in rank was the maharathi and mahabho9a. Both titles from the be!innin! were hereditary and restricted to a few families in a few localities. Probably mahabho9a ranked hi!her than that of maharathi. )he mahabho9as were the feudatories of "atavahanas. )hey were primarily located in western 'eccan. )hey were related by blood to the feudatory maharathi. :t is definitely known that the maharathis were the feudatories of "atavahanas. )hey also !ranted in their own name villa!es with physical immunities attached to them. )he maharathis of the chitaldru! en9oyed the additional privile!e of issuin! coins in their own name. )owards the close of the "atavahana period two more feudatories were created mahataralavara. ahasenapathi and them

Barrin! districts that were controlled by feudatories# the empire was divided into 9anapadas and aharas# the latter correspondin! to modern districts. )he division below that of ahara was !rama. Non-hereditary !overnors were sub9ect to periodical transfers. )here were other functionaries like !reat chamberlain store-keepers treasurers and dutakas who carried royal orders. )he !overnment lived from hand to mouth. )he ta$es were neither heavy nor many. )he sources of income were proceeds from the royal domain# salt monopoly ordinary and e$traordinary ta$es both soldiers and officials were paid in kind.

Signi i!an!" O Th" Satavahanas

(2) :t was the emer!ence of 7akataka power in the 7indhya area some where about the middle of the third century that brou!ht about the downfall of the "atavahanas. But an empire so firely established in its home domains does not break down with the fall of a dynasty. )he 8astrakutas and the 1halukyas in the Godavari valley and the Pallavas in the south ori!inally the viceroys of the "atavahanas# claimed successtion to the empire with in their own territorial limits as the 7akatakas claimed it to the north of the 7indhyas. )he Gan!as and the 0adambas were also the inheritors of the tradition and as the 7i9ayana!ar emperors claimed in time to be 1halukya 1hudamanis# or the crest 9ewels of the 1halukya dynasty and as the !reat kin!s of Gu9arat e%ually claimed succession from the 1halukyas# the imperial tradition of the "atavahanas may be said to have been carried forward at least to the be!innin! of the seventeenth century. (4) )he rise of the "atavahanas si!nified that the economic revolution of the Gan!etic re!ion was repeated allover :ndia. Added to this because of the peculiar !eo!raphical terrain of the 'eccan peninsula a number of small kin!doms came into e$istence but not any bi! empire. (+) "ince the "atavahanas had controlled part of the 'eccan and part of northern :ndia# they acted as the couriers of Aryanism to southern :ndia. (>) :t is intri!uin! to note that the "atavahana inscriptions were primarily in pali but not in "anskrit indicatin! it look lon! time to establish "anskrit lan!ua!e as the lan!ua!e of the elite althou!h people professed Aryanism much earlier. (5) )he administrative structure of the "atavahana is a revealin! one because it was not a hi!hly centrali=ed administration and it conceded the emer!ence of feudalism. Ceudal chiefs like ahara this mahasenapatis and mahabho9as issued their own coins. (<) )he artistic e$cellence that was achieved under the ae!is of the "atavahanas had a tremendous si!nificance. Buddhist mouments came into e$istence at Nasik# 7idisha# Bhattiprolu# Goli# Ghantasala and amaravati. ost probably human fi!ure was first carved out at Amaravati and Amaravati.s sculptures influenced "outh-east Asian sculptures. (3) @nder the ae!is of the "atavahanas trade was !iven a boost. )he important pores were 0oddura and 1hinna!an9am on the east and 0alyan# "opara# Goa and Pi!eon islands on the &est coast. And some of the important commercial centers were )a!ara# Pratishthana# Nasik# ?unnar and 'hanyakataka.

Sa#a$satavahana Con %i!t

2. )here is controversy about the name ."akas.. "ome hold the view that they were probably. Dne branch of them was known as kshabaratas. "ome say Nahapana was a pahlava and Ghasmotika the father of 1hashtana was "cythian. :t was from the Gupta period that the name .saka. came to be applied to this family of people. 4. )he one reason that was responsible for the southward thrust of the sakas was the 0ushan pressure from the north. +. )o be!in with they established themselves in western 8a9putana# Gu9arat and 0athiawad. )hen they took malva and even northern aharashtra from the "atavahanas. At one time they even !ot southern aharashtra as far as 7i9ayanti from the "atavahanas.

>. )he earliest known kin! of the 0shaharatas# a branch of the "akas# was Bhumaka. /e ruled over Gu9arat# 0athiawad and north 0onkancoins belon!in! to him are found. 5. /is successor was Nahapana-title 8a9a-numerous coins-advanced at the e$pense of "atavahanas-this advance be!an five years before the end of Nahapana.s rule. After Nahapana defeated the "atavahana he assumed the title of aha 0shatrapa. A ?aina work mentions Broach as the capital of Nahapana. <. @shavadata was the !eneral and son-in-law of Nahapana and he succeeded him as the "aka ruler. /e took western deccan includin! alva. :t is not known whether Paithan# the capital of "atavahanas was lost or not. /e defeated "atavahana rulers were "undara "atakarni# 1hakora "atakarni and "iva sati. :t is interestin! to note that @shavadata followin! Puranic /induism !ve cows to brahmins - visited Pushiar - !ave reli!ious benefactions - also !ave vialla!es to Buddhists - "aka country was divided into districts. 3. :t was Gautamiputra "atakarni who revived the !lories of "atavahanas. /e defeated the successor of Nahapana# @shavadata was killed. "ome say that he defeated Nahapana. Also a ?aina work speaks of Nahapana.s defeat and death at the hands of "atavahanas. )he coins of Nahapana were re-issued by Gautamiputra "atakarni. "ome land !rants also confirm this victory. :t is said that the "atavahana kin! made preparations for 2< years to defeat the "akas. B. )he coflict was re-opened durin! the days of Pulumayi ::# the kin! after Gautamiputra "atakarni# as well as# "ri Pulumayi. ;. After this Ghamotika appeared on the sta!e who ruled over 0athiwad. /is successor# Ghashtana also infliceted defeats on the "atavahanas. 8udraman too defeated the "atavahanas. )he victory of 8udraman and Ghastana around 25, A.'. (cofirmed by ?una!arh inscription) mad the Patavahanas lose all their northern con%uests.

Signi i!an!":$
(2) )he conflict between the "akas and "atavahanas was inevitable as such conflicts were natural in feudal times. Probably the "akas were perforce dieven to e$pand southward because of the establishment of 0ushan empire. )he "aka-"atavahana conflict was because of the basic factors workin! in the political dynamic of the day. (4) )he "akas issued coins of !reat artistic value. Gatuamiputra "atakarni re-issued the coins of Nahapana. :n other words# the "akas had a better artistic sense. (+) (vidence shows that the "akas introduced new ideas and institutions in south-silver coins# free use of "anskrit and 7i!orour patrona!e of Buddhists and brahmins. 0shaharatas used 0horeshthi - alphabet of e$treme north-west.