Andhra Satavahanas

ORIGIN:
(a) Aitrareya Brahmana puts the Andhras beyond the pale of Aryanism. (b) Nasi !rasasti lays "laim to Gautami as a Brahmana.

(") !uranas "alled them their servi"es to Aryanism they #ere $ admitted to the Aryan fol after their servi"es to Arynanism $ there is a referen"e to them in the Aso a ins"riptions as #ell as by %e&asthenes. (d) Some "all them Brahmins $ some' mi(ed Brahmins of Na&a ori&in' and some' prote"tors of Brahmins' (e) numismati" eviden"e points to the ori&in in )estern *e""an and %adhya !radesh. +pi&raphi" and literary eviden"e points to their #estern ori&in $ the fi&ure of the founder of the dynasty is found in paition in #estern *e""an. (f) +pi&raphi" eviden"e refers to them as Satavahanas' not as Andhras. (&) !ossibly' Andhra is the ,ribal name: Satavahana' the dynasti" name' and Sata arni' the Surname.

SO-R.+S:
(a) !uranas $ mention /0 (b) Aitrareya Brahmana. (") 1iterary sour"es $$ Gunadhya2s 3Brihat atha4. And 1eelavati' #hi"h deals #ith the military e(ploits of 5ala. (d) Nasi ins"ription of Gautami Balasri. in&s'

(e) 5athi&umpha ins"ription of 6haravela for inferrin& the date of the first ruler. (f) San"hi ins"ription e(tent of the Satavahanas in&dom till %al#a.

.5ORONO1OG7:

(a) ,he founder #ar one Simu ha $ probably the first "entury B... $ supplanted the lin&erin& Sun&a and 6anva rulers $ rule of the dynasty #as for /00 years. Simu a #as su""eed by 6rishna or 6anha. (b) ,he ne(t no#n in& #as Sata arni $ the in&dom e(panded $ probably defeated by 6haravela $ performed Ashvamedha !ratishthana #as the "apital $ "onfusion after him. 6shaharatas or sa as o""upied parts of %aharashtra. (") 5ala is the 89th in the list of !uranas $ his boo is saptasata a $ deals #ith both erorti" and philosophi"al themes. Gundhaya2s Brihat atha deals #ith the rivalry bet#een !ri rit and Sans rit. (d) Be&innin& from :; A.*. to 9; A.*. there #as "onfusion $ sa a eruption. (e) ,he &reatest ruler #as Gautamiputra Sata arni. 5e #as the :/rd a""ordin& to !upranas $ around 9: A.*. the Nasi ins"ription of his mother tal s of his bein& the destroyer of Sa as' 7avanas and 6shaharata $ also says that he "rushed the pride of 6shatrias $ overran onan' Saurashtra' Bihar and %alva. A !hilanthropist' he maintained Arya *harma $ put an end to <arna $ San ara $ some re&ard him to be <i ramaditya. Built the "ity of Bena ata a and assumed the titles of Ra=a Ra=a and Svamin. (f) ,he ne(t no#n ruler #as !ulumayi II around >? A.*. $ first ruled Andhra "ountry $ <ai=yanti and Amaravati famous "ities $ Satavahanas a naval po#er $ probably overseas "olonisation $ lar&e number of ins"ription. (&) ,he ne(t no# ruler #as <asishtiputra Sata arni of sri !ulumayi $ married the dau&hter of Rudradaman' a Sa a ruler $$ ho#ever Rudradaman t#i"e defeated him. Also' Sri !ulumayi lost to .hastana' son of Bhosmoti a. (h) Ne(t no#n ruler #as 7a=na Sri Sata arni $ around 8?0 A.*. $ %alva' 6athia#ad and North 6on an $ ins"ription found in 6on an and 6rishna $ "oins found in Gu=arat and 6athia#ad $ defeated 6shatapas. (i) After the de"lined Salan eyanas ruled over the Satavahana territory.

I%!OR,AN.+:
(8) ,he <ery area over #hi"h they ruled #as important "onne"tin& lin "ulture to the south. (:) ,heir "oloni@in& a"tivities spread to South$+ast Asia $ influen"e of Amaravati s"ulptures on South$+ast Asian s"ulptures. bet#een northern and southern India $ Andhras #ere instrumental in spreadin& Aryan

(/) ,hey did maintain "onta"t bet#een India and the )estern #orld in matters of trade. (A) ,hey #ere instrumental in "urbin& the penetration of Sa as further into south. (;) Some of the later southern dynasti" li e I shva us' 6adambas' ,ari uta as and Abhiras "ontinued the Satavahana tradition and the !allavas and the .halu ya "laimed the tradition of Satavahanas.

SA,A<A5ANA A.5I+<+%+N,S
,he &overnment of the Satavahana in&dom #as or&ani@ed on the traditional lines. ,he in&dom #as divided into Banapadas' #hi"h #ere further sub$divided into aharas. +a"h ahara #as under an Amatya. ,he basi" unit of the ahara #as the &rama #ith the villa&e headman "alled &ami a. .entral "ontrol #as maintained over the provin"es. !rin"es #ere &enerally made vi"eroys. And the in&s did not assume hi&h$soundin& titles. ,hey #ere e(pe"ted to maintain dharma. ,a(ation #as not burdensome. ,he state derived its in"ome from "ro#n lands' "ourt fees' fines and ordinary ta(es on lands. ,he e(traordinary ta(es of the %auryan period #ere not imposed. In &eneral' .entral "ontrol #as not hi&h be"ause feudal traits emer&ed in the Satavahana period. ,he feudal "hiefs li e maharathas mahasenapatis and mahabho=as issued their o#n "oins. ,he area under the Satavahanas in &eneral #itnessed "onsiderable prosperity. ,here #as bris trade. Broa"h #as the most important port and it had a vast and ri"h hinterland. !ratishthana produ"ed "otton "loth. ,a&ara and -==ain produ"ed muslin. ,he "hief imports #ere #ines' "opper' tin' lead and &old and silver "oins. Another important port #as alyan mentioned in the !erilus. ,he other ports #ere Sopara' Goa and pi&eon islands. )ithin the in&dom there #ere important "ities li e ,a&ara' !rathishthana' Nasi ' Bunnar and *hanya ata a. 6oddura and .hinna&an=am #ere the important ports on the east. ,he &eneral life led by the people #as similar to the one portrayed in <atsayana2s 6ama$Sutra. +viden"e also sho#s that a &ood number of people emi&rated from the *e""an to "oloni@e the re&ions in South$+ast Asia

,he Satavahanas and Shiva #ere #orshiped. Saptasata a reveals the #orship of many 5indu deities. <aishnavasim and Shaivism &re# popular. Gautamiputra$ Sata arni "laimed himself to be the prote"tor of Brahmins. ,he Nasi prasasthi states that <arnashrama *harmas maintained. Buddhism too #as popular. Both the Sa as and Satavahanas en"oura&ed Buddhism. -shavadata mare several &rants to Buddhist mon s. Some of these &rants #ere rene#ed by Guatamiputra Sata arni. Buddhist monuments and stupas "ame into e(isten"e at Nasi ' <idisha' Bhattiprolu' Goli' Ghantasala and Amaravati. It #as at the last pla"e that most probably human fi&ures #ere "arved out for the first time. And the stupa at this pla"e had a marble railin& #ith relief s"ulptures. A vai=ayanti mer"hant #as responsible for enri"hin& 6arle and 6anheri Buddhist "aves. %er"hants from Nasi "ontributed to the "aves at <idisha and Bharhut. In brief "ave ar"hite"ture and buildin& of stupas #itnessed "ertain development under the auspi"es of the SatavahanasC and the donations of the mer"hants belon&in& to the &uilds prove the "ommer"ial prosperity of the area. +n"oura&ed by #ealth the in&Ds patroni@ed literature and ar"hite"ture. 5ala #as an authority on the !uranas. 5e #as the author of Sapta$Sata a. It is said that 5ala paid as mu"h as A0 million pie"es of &old for four avyas. 1eelavati deals #ith the military "ampai&ns of 5ala. ,he in&s en"oura&ed ar"hite"ture. ,he five &ate#ays at San"hi the ro" $"ut .haitya$halls of Bha=a' 6arle' Nasi and 6anheri and the stupas at Amaravati' Bhattiprolu' Goli and Ghantasala #ere built in this period. ,he "apitals of the pillars in 6arle "aves are elaborately s"ulptured. ,he dome and the base of the Amaravati stupa is elaborately s"ulptured. Bata a stories #ere in"ised on marble slabs. ,he upper part of the dome is a beautiful floral desi&n. It is &enerally said that its "onstru"tion be&an durin& the time of Gautamiputra Sata arni and #as "ompleted durin& the time of 7a=na Sri Sata arni. %ost probably t#o A=anta Eres"oes (>th and 80th) "ame into e(isten"e durin& this period. ,he Satavahanas #ere &reat e("avators of "ave temples and the ma&nifi"ent temples of +llora and A=anta #ere the "ontinuation of the Satavahana tradition to #hi"h all %iddle Indian dynasties in su""eedin& a&es "laimed histori" relationship. ,he basi" tradition in %iddle India is of the Satavahana +mpire. As in the north it is of the %auryan. Erom the point of vie# of histori" "ontinuity it is important to remember this primary fa"t as up to Fuite re"ent times the traditions flo#in& from the Satavahanas #ere livin& fa"tors in Indian history.

Satavahana Administration
,he Satavahana administration #as very simple and #as a""ordin& to the prin"iple laid do#n in *harmashastras. ,he in& laid no "laim of divine ri&ht. ,hey had only

the most modest title of Ra=an. ,hey had no absolute po#er. ,heir po#er #as "he" ed in pra"ti"e by "ustoms and shastras. ,he in& #as the "ommander of #ar and of thre# himself into the thi" est of the frays. A pe"uliar feature of the Satavahana administration #as the presen"e of feudatories of different &rade. ,he hi&hest "lass #as that of petty prin"es bearin& the in&ly title ra=a and stri in& "oins in their o#n names. Ne(t in ran #ere the %aharathi and %ahabho=a. Both titles from the be&innin& #ere hereditary and restri"ted to a fe# families in a fe# lo"alities. !robably %ahabho=a ran ed hi&her than that of %aharathi. ,he %ahabho=as #ere the feudatories of Satavahanas. ,hey #ere primarily lo"ated in #estern *e""an. ,hey #ere related by blood to the feudatory %aharathi. It is definitely no#n that the %aharathiDs #ere the feudatories of Satavahanas. ,hey also &ranted in their o#n name villa&es #ith physi"al immunities atta"hed to them. ,he %aharathis of the "hitaldru& en=oyed the additional privile&e of issuin& "oins in their o#n name. ,o#ards the "lose of the Satavahana period t#o more feudatories #ere "reated %ahasenapathi and then %ahataralavara. Barrin& distri"ts that #ere "ontrolled by feudatories' the empire #as divided into Banapadas and Aharas' the latter "orrespondin& to modern distri"ts. ,he division belo# that of Ahara #as Grama. Non$hereditary &overnors #ere sub=e"t to periodi"al transfers. ,here #ere other fun"tionaries li e &reat "hamberlain store$ eepers treasurers and *uta as #ho "arried royal orders. ,he &overnment lived from hand to mouth. ,he ta(es #ere neither heavy nor many. ,he sour"es of in"ome #ere pro"eeds from the royal domain' salt monopoly ordinary and e(traordinary ta(es both soldiers and offi"ials #ere paid in ind. ,he Satavahana administration #as very simple and #as a""ordin& to the prin"iple laid do#n in *harmashastras. ,he in& laid no "laim of divine ri&ht. ,hey had only the most modest title of ra=an. ,hey had no absolute po#er. ,heir po#er #as "he" ed in pra"ti"e by "ustoms and shastras. ,he in& #as the "ommander of #ar and of thre# himself into the thi" est of the frays.

Si&nifi"an"e of the Satavahanas

(8) It #as the emer&en"e of <a ata a po#er in the <indhya area some#here about the middle of the third "entury that brou&ht about the do#nfall of the Satavahanas. But an empire so firely established in its home domains does not brea do#n #ith the fall of a dynasty. ,he Rastra utas and the .halu yas in the Godavari valley and the !allavas in the South ori&inally the vi"eroys of the

Satavahanas' "laimed su""ession to the empire #ithin their o#n territorial limits as the <a ata as "laimed it to the north of the <indhyas. ,he Gan&as and the 6adambas #ere also the inheritors of the tradition and as the <i=ayana&ar emperors "laimed in time to be .halu ya .hudamanis' or the "rest =e#els of the .halu ya dynasty and as the &reat in&s of Gu=arat eFually "laimed su""ession from the .halu yas' the imperial tradition of the Satavahanas may be said to have been "arried for#ard at least to the be&innin& of the seventeenth "entury. (:) ,he rise of the Satavahanas si&nified that the e"onomi" revolution of the Gan&eti" re&ion #as repeated allover India. Added to this be"ause of the pe"uliar &eo&raphi"al terrain of the *e""an peninsula a number of small in&doms "ame into e(isten"e but not any bi& empire. (/) Sin"e the Satavahanas had "ontrolled part of the *e""an and part of northern India' they a"ted as the "ouriers of Aryanism to Southern India. (A) It is intri&uin& to note that the Satavahana ins"riptions #ere primarily in !ali but not in Sans rit indi"atin& it loo lon& time to establish Sans rit lan&ua&e as the lan&ua&e of the elite althou&h people professed Aryanism mu"h earlier. (;) ,he administrative stru"ture of the Satavahana is a revealin& one be"ause it #as not a hi&hly "entrali@ed administration and it "on"eded the emer&en"e of feudalism. Eeudal "hiefs li e %ahara this %ahasenapatis and %ahabho=as issued their o#n "oins. (?) ,he artisti" e("ellen"e that #as a"hieved under the ae&is of the Satavahanas had a tremendous si&nifi"an"e. Buddhist monuments "ame into e(isten"e at Nasi ' <idisha' Bhattiprolu' Goli' Ghantasala and Amaravati. %ost probably human fi&ure #as first "arved out at Amaravati and AmaravatiDs s"ulptures influen"ed South$east Asian s"ulptures. (9) -nder the ae&is of the Satavahanas trade #as &iven a boost. ,he important ports #ere 6oddura and .hinna&an=am on the +ast and 6alyan' Sopara' Goa and !i&eon islands on the )est "oast. And some of the important "ommer"ial "enters #ere ,a&ara' !ratishthana' Nasi ' Bunnar and *hanya ata a.

Sa a$Satavahana .onfli"t
8. ,here is "ontroversy about the name 2Sa as2. Some hold the vie# that they #ere probably. One bran"h of them #as no#n as shabaratas. Some say Nahapana #as a pahlava and Ghasmoti a the father of .hashtana #as S"ythian. It #as from the Gupta period that the name 2sa a2 "ame to be applied to this family of people.

:. ,he one reason that #as responsible for the south#ard thrust of the sa as #as the 6ushan pressure from the north. /. ,o be&in #ith they established themselves in #estern Ra=putana' Gu=arat and 6athia#ad. ,hen they too malva and even northern %aharashtra from the Satavahanas. At one time they even &ot southern %aharashtra as far as <i=ayanti from the Satavahanas. A. ,he earliest no#n in& of the 6shaharatas' a bran"h of the Sa as' #as Bhuma a. 5e ruled over Gu=arat' 6athia#ad and north 6on an. .oins belon&in& to him are found. ;. 5is su""essor #as Nahapana$title Ra=a$numerous "oins$advan"ed at the e(pense of Satavahanas$this advan"e be&an five years before the end of Nahapana2s rule. After Nahapana defeated the Satavahana he assumed the title of %aha 6shatrapa. A Baina #or mentions Broa"h as the "apital of Nahapana. ?. -shavadata #as the &eneral and son$in$la# of Nahapana and he su""eeded him as the Sa a ruler. 5e too #estern *e""an in"ludin& %alva. It is not no#n #hether !aithan' the "apital of Satavahanas #as lost or not. 5e defeated Satavahana rulers #ere Sundara Sata arni' .ha ora Sata arni and Siva sati. It is interestin& to note that -shavadata follo#in& !urani" 5induism &ave "o#s to Brahmins $ visited !ushiar $ &ave reli&ious benefa"tions $ also &ave villa&es to Buddhists $ Sa a "ountry #as divided into distri"ts. 9. It #as Gautamiputra Sata arni #ho revived the &lories of Satavahanas. 5e defeated the su""essor of Nahapana' -shavadata #as illed. Some say that he defeated Nahapana. Also a Baina #or spea s of Nahapana2s defeat and death at the hands of Satavahanas. ,he "oins of Nahapana #ere re$issued by Gautamiputra Sata arni. Some land &rants also "onfirm this vi"tory. It is said that the Satavahana in& made preparations for 8? years to defeat the Sa as. G. ,he "onfli"t #as re$opened durin& the days of !ulumayi II' the Gautamiputra Sata arni' as #ell as' Sri !ulumayi. in& after

>. After this Ghamoti a appeared on the sta&e #ho ruled over 6athi#ad. 5is su""essor' Ghashtana also infli"ted defeats on the Satavahanas. Rudraman too defeated the Satavahanas. ,he vi"tory of Rudraman and Ghastana around 8;0 A.*. ("onfirmed by Buna&arh ins"ription) made the Satavahanas lose all their northern "onFuests.

Si&nifi"an"e:$
(8) ,he "onfli"t bet#een the Sa as and Satavahanas #as inevitable as su"h "onfli"ts #ere natural in feudal times. !robably the Sa as #ere by for"e driven to e(pand south#ards be"ause of the establishment of 6ushan empire. ,he Sa a$ Satavahana "onfli"t #as be"ause of the basi" fa"tors #or in& in the politi"al dynami" of the day. (:) ,he Sa as issued "oins of &reat artisti" value. Gatamiputra Sata arni re$issued the "oins of Nahapana. In other #ords' the Sa as had a better artisti" sense. (/) +viden"e sho#s that the Sa as introdu"ed ne# ideas and institutions in south$ silver "oins' free use of Sans rit and <i&orous patrona&e of Buddhists and Brahmins. 6shaharatas used 6horeshthi $ alphabet of e(treme north$#est.