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Home , Asmaka, Kanva dynasty, Kharavela, Satakarni, Satavahana dynasty

April-May - 2014 Review

Satavahana Kings : Ruling in Odisha

Akhil Kumar Sahoo

According to Bana’s story, foundation of Kassapa Buddha, was murdered when he was dynasty was laid by king Vasudeva. But the theory returning home with money collected for building which propounded that the were driven a for Kassapa Buddha. It is probable out by the Andhakas may be a misplaced point that the last king of the Susarma in history. Rather, they adopted the name of (28 BC) might have been killed by the Andhakas in a different time unknown to history; Andhakavana brigands while he was passing when out of their seven settlements named after through this forest track. And they might have as Kanas, or Konas, or Angles, some of them captured in this way the throne of giving were destroyed by severe floods either of the rise to the dynasty of the Andhakas. And we have Sarayu river, or of the Mahi, or Dhanua river, villages in the Balipatna Block of Puri district, and as their kingdom was found to have been also close to Nimapara in the name of Andhaka, established on the banks of these two rivers, thus, Andhakavindha, and Sarata to carry this point forcing them to change the name of their dynasty forward. after a heavy loss due to severe flood. Ramagrama Skanda Purana which is considered as a Tower from where relics of the Buddha was local Purana in Odisha, gives an account on washed away by a similar flood was a fact Andhaka daityas operating near Kasi, and the recorded in history. And the Andhaka kings were place under consideration is not far away from found to have raised their capital around the same the capital of Andhaka kings. Bahagabat place as the Ramagrama Tower. Mahapurana, in another account gives the lineage But there is another point which cannot of the Andhaka kings as kings of Ajodhya, i.e. in be rejected on Kanvas being displaced or Kosala. Perhaps, it is a story written much latter removed by the Andhakas also. There was a than the Skanda. But both the point to forest track in Kosala three leagues to the east of the same place in history. Sarala Dasa has written Sravasti which was called Andhakavindha, or about one “Andhaka Sarovara”, perhaps, it Andhakavana. The brigands were killing the would be in Kosala. persons passing through this forest track. Once, , the third king of Andhaka King Paseandi of Kosala was saved from being dynasty in the second century BC, was called the murdered by the brigands while passing through king of the west in the Hathigumpha inscriptions this forest track by the early warnings of the of . He was dethroned by Kharavela monks. Here Sarata, one pious follower of the as king of the dynasty. Kharavela also

41 Odisha Review April - May - 2014 chased away the Bhojas and the Rashtrikas from “one eye”, and also “ perforated”. He is also their respective territories. called Aryadeva. From the names of so many When the Andhaka dynasty was villages having “kona” or “Kana”, attached to them, it seems, perhaps, Deva Bodhisattva was expanding its territorial ambition under its powerful king , in the last part of the third century staying in this wonderful place where village Chitra and Sagada are situated. It was also the BC, the king changed the name of the dynasty to place of Lumbini garden where the Buddha was Satavahana, the reason being unknown to born. And Ajodhya of the is also history. identified with the same place, as A-yu-to or Their capital was at Dhanakakata, as present Atekuda is found nearby. (Beal, i.p.189 noted by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang in the &190n). th 7 century AD. Their ruling in eastern The most wonderful confirmation of the region has been confirmed by their . By the place as the seat of government of the Satavahana second century AD, the dynasty of the kings is derived from the second capital of Kshaharatas of the east uprooted the Andhras , founded by Rukmi, the brother of from the south. Goutamiputra’s rise during AD Rukmini, who was the consort of Sri Krishna. 90-120 seems to have destroyed the rising power There we find Rukmini as the presiding deity of of the , Yavanas and the Pallavas, and the the Sri Mukha village near village Lambilo. This Kshaharatas. By the third century AD, and after Rukmini deity refers to the Rukmini Tirtha of the Vasisthiputra, the rule of this dynasty came to an Skanda where people worship the deity as abrupt end, who was identified as Satakrni, whom directed by the scriptures to beget a son, perhaps, Rudradamana twice routed but could not destroy. like the Buddha. Prachi Mahatmya, which is The Andhaka dominion was divided between its considered as an important local Purana in two branches into Satavhana and Chutu under Odisha, mentions about certain places like “Sri unknown circumstances. About the middle of the Sthalas”, though in a veiled manner. This “Sri third century AD, their territory was shared by Sthalas”, which is the other name for “Sri the Abhiras, Pallavas and Kadambas. Kshetras ", is not a single place, but it indicates a Nimapara is situated on the highway from number of places where the name of the place to Konarka in an east –south-east starts with “Sri”, and these places are linked to direction, and is about twenty miles from the our in a broad way. This Sri capital city. Near Nimapara, and before it, are Mukaha village near Nimapara is one of such villages in the name of Ekama-kona; Oli-kona; villages. Others are : Sri Koili, Sri Kanthapura, Pora-kona; Kusi-kona; and Konapura. And all Sri Bantapura, Sri Chandanapura, and Sri the villages seem to have encircled the Sana Sri Karapura etc. Mukaha village where the deity Rukmini is The word Petenika or Pitinika mentioned worshipped. The villages are tagged with the name in RE V & XIII, should not according to Dr. D R “kona”, or Angle, either at the end or at the Bhandarkar, and some other writers, be read as beginning of their names. Deva Bodhisattva who a separate name but an adjective qualifying was a disciple of , flourished in the same Rishtika (RE V) and Bhoja (RE XIII). Their time. He is also called “Kana” deva, because attention was on certain passages in the Anguttara he gave one of his eyes to Maheswara, or because Nikaya (RC Chaudhury, ftn.3.p.311) where the he bore out the eye of Mahesvara. “Kana” means term Pettanika occurs in the sense of one who

42 April-May - 2014 Odisha Review enjoys property given by his father (RC It tells that the river Sarayu divided Ajodhya into Chaudhury, ftn.4.p.311). And Bhojakatakapura two parts, the region to east of it is called is found mentioned in Asoka’s RE as a place on “North”, and to west of it is called “South”. On the bank of the river Narbada (not Narmada of this basis, pilgrims’ account needs a recast. the South). Pitinikas are identified with the Paithanakas or natives of Bhojas. They are the According to Sten Konow, the Sai-wang ancestors of the Satavahana ruler of Paithap (R people were known as “Saka-murunda” (or C Chaudhury, Pol. Hist. of Anc. , p.311). Sakaraukoi of Strabo). Murunda being the same And Bhojas are mentioned in Aitareya Brahman as Chinese “wang”, i.e. king, master, or lord. The as rulers of south (ftn.1). village U-wang near Sri Mukha village towards its west is significantly point to this point in history. The word “Petenika” is easily identified And Tu-hu-lo village which is not far away from with ‘Patanaikia’, a place that is situated on the this, strongly supports the fact of subjugation of highway from Bhubaneswar to Puri. The village Tahia by the “wang” people staying nearby. Saka Patnaikia is identified with the kingdom where people again were connected with the Sagadiane once the Bhojas were ruling, and the title region, and the village Sagada is very close to “Pattanaik” relates to the people historically belonging to this Bhoja country. This wonderful this. Of course, this sagada means “swarga”, and relationship again confirms the existence of the it is connected with the birth of the Buddha. ruling in this part of Odisha Village Nagavasta, Oda Khanda, alone. Near Patnaikia village, and on the side of Lambilo, Tala-Andhia, U-hang, Sagada, the Puri Highway itself, stands the village Chitra and Naharakiri, and another deity Patacara, which represents the Pratisthanapur, Satabhauni are in a circular position around the or Paithap of the Bhoja country. Sri Mukha village. There are two villages in the Paithanakas as natives of the Bhojas, and name of Sri Mukha : namely, Sana Sri Mukha, ancestors of the Satavahanas, were ruling in and the Bada Sri Mukha. We have also a village Paithap, and according to texts, their other in the name of Satukalia whose history will no name in history was Pratisthanapura, or the doubt help us better in our later discussions. Paithana of the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea All these villages immensely provide the (p.195). It was the birthplace of Salivahana required facts which are necessary to build up who founded the Saka era in 78 AD. It was also the history of the Satavahan Kings ruling in Odisha, called Potali in the Buddhist literature which was not in Andhra. Sri Mukha was the first king of the a great emporium of commerce. It was capital of the ancient (Nanolala, p.159). dynasty, and Nagajurna Bodhisattva was living in a monastery built by the king Sri Mukha himself The history of the First says that which the Chinese pilgrims visited in 5th and 7th “formerly when Hiung-na conquers the Ta-yue- century AD. It is needless to say that this particular tchi, the latter emigrated to the west, and Kapotia or the “pigeon” monastery finds a subjugated the Tahia, where upon Sai-wang mention in Skanda Purana also. And the went to the south, and ruled over “Ki-pin”.(RC Satabhauni deity near Naharkiri village near Chaudhury, ftn.4.p.431). The definition of Nimapara is a corrupt form of Satavahan, and “South” has always taken different historians in Naharkiri village carries, similarly, the corrupt different directions of their personalised opinion. form of the name of kings who were The definition offered by the Buddhist sources neighbours to the Satavahana kings and were ruling should be considered as the most “correct one”. the same land previously under the kings of the

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Kanvas, or the Andhakas, or the Satavahanas in lo, or Andhra (AGI,p.444,ftn,1), the modern 1st and 2nd century BC, one after the other. Telingana”, Cunningham writes in his AGI. Rivers Dhanua, Mugei, and Kushabhadra Restoration of An-to-lo as Andhra has become are flowing near these villages enclosing them in the classical mistake here that decidedly took form of a ring. Other villages which are of most every place of pilgrim’s visit after Calingae , or important to ancient history exist all around to open Kulinga, to Andhra. a new chapter of history throwing Cunningham’s An-to-lo can never be Andhra. It is incorrect restorations, and identification of places Antara, or Antaravitthi of Pali texts, or visited by the 7th century Chinese pilgrim, Hiuen Antaravedi of the . It is one of the most Tsang. important places in the time of the Buddha, and General Cunningham places nine many incidents took place here. Its meaning kingdoms in Southern India. On Southern India, according to Pali sources is the boundary line he says , “ According to Hwen Thsang’s account, between two kingdoms. The place also formed “Southern India” comprised whole of the the boundary line between the Sakyas and the peninsula to the south of the Tapti and Mahanadi Koliyans. And their water dispute when took the river, from Nasik on the west, to Ganjam on the shape of a war, the Buddha alighted there to settle east. It was divided into nine separate kingdoms, the case. But the Buddha failed for which reason exclusive of Ceylon, which was not considered he showed them his “Viswarupa”, or “ his vast as belonging to India. The whole of these universal self” in order to bring his clan men to kingdoms were visited by the pilgrim in AD 639 believe his spiritual self. Therefore, the place and 640. He entered Kalinga from the north- assumed importance in Buddhist literature. east, and turning to the north-west , he visited Antarvedi was one of the Bhuktis of the inland kingdoms of Kosala and Andhra. Then Vardhana in his government in seventh century resuming his southern route, he passed through AD. The position of this place will be clear when Dhanakakata, Jorya, and Dravida, to other places after this are identified with supportive Malakuta. At Kanchi, the capital of Dravida, historical facts attached to Antarvedi (near he heard the assassination of King of Ceylon, so Banamalipur, and also close to Nimapara) he gave up his intention of visiting that country. But this Antara is not the Antaravedi of Then turning to the north, he reached Konkana Harsha Vardhana, but Andhia of the Satavahana and , the last of the nine kingdoms kings. It is Gada (or fort) Andhia near Nimapara of Southern India (AGI,p,434). that is more importantly indicative of this place. We have seen in ‘Ancient Geography of This is a very interesting village that points to India’ by Cunningham, that Odra is Odisha with Andarae of Pliny which “possessed numerous its capital at Ganjam, and it was shown as a part villages and thirty towns defended by walls and of Eastern India ; now he takes on Kalinga, and towers”. (RC Chaudhury,p.312). Its (Andraes) mentions it as a “Southern State of India”. But capital, according to the pilgrim, was Ping-ki-lo, nowhere he shows how these two : Kalinga and or Vingkhila, as restored by Julien. The way Mr Odra, or Odisha, became identifiable and Cunningham altered the name of the capital from distinguishable from each other in history , and Vinghila to Elgandel because, as he says, “I am, when. therefore willing to adopt Elgandel as the “From Kosala, Hwen Thsang proceeded probable representative of the capital of Andhra to the south for 900 li, or 150 miles, to An-to- in the seventh century of the Christian era”, (AGI,

44 April-May - 2014 Odisha Review p.445), displays his whimsicality and roughness the only correct method which could have been of handling the ancient . tried when identification and restoration of the But Watter’s account on pilgrim’s visit places visited by Chinese Pilgrims was taken up narrates a different story of restoration. It says : by scholars from here and abroad. The pilgrim “The direction from Kosala to Andhra is given as visited places, linked with the life of the Buddha, south-east from the south of the district of the and its importance in history of . The capital, the distance being the same. Julien’s pilgrims from China never visited kingdoms, or restoration is Andhra, but pilgrim’s transcription palaces as noted by Mr Cunningham. That is the is nearer to Andar ( the Andara of Pliny). His reason why Cunningham each time corrected the name for capital, Ping-ki-lo, is restored doubtfully distances, and bearings while he persuaded his as Vingila, but it may be for a word like Vinjir or work that defaced the ancient Indian history Vingir. (Watters’ Yuan –chwang, ii, p.210). This completely. All the nine kingdoms, namely : gives two options for us : One is Vingarpur(in Kalinga, Kosala, Andhra, Donakakkota, Balipatna block; and the other Valanga, or Choliya, Dravida, Malakuta, or Madura, present Balanga near Nimapara under Pipili Konkana, and Maharashtra, which he has Block. Chinese syllable P at times is pronounced shown in his ‘Ancient Geography of India’, as as B. constituting “”, are only nine places having importance in history of Buddhism. And The Kattha Vatthu commentary often all these places, or “city –kingdoms”, are mentions the Andhaka as men of the Andhra identifiable in the region where Andhia, in school, but it gives no information as to the exact Nimapara of Puri district, is now well located. position of the district (ftn.6,p.210; Rhys Davids, And there is a royal house at the centre of this in Schools of Buddh. Belief.; JRAS,1892.pp.9 little town with the royal title “Singh Deo”. foll). The Buddhist philosopher to whom the pilgrim refers here is no other than Maha References : Dinnaga or Dinna(Chen—na) who according 1. ‘The Camb, Shorter Hist. of India’ to Tibetan sources was born in Simha-vaktra, a 2. ‘Dictionary of Pali Proper Names’ : by GP suburb of Kanchi in the South. He lived for Malalasekera. 3. R C Chaudhury, ‘Pol. Hist. of Anc. India’. sometime in a cave on Bhorasaila in Odivisa, 4. ‘Ancient Geography of India’ : By General sojourned in Nalanda where he disputed several Cunningham defenders of various schools, and afterwards 5. ‘Si-yu-ki’ : By Samuel Beal returned to Odiivisa (Watters’ Yuan –chwang, ii, 6. Watter’s ‘Travels of Yuan–Chuang’. p.212). He is no other than Dighnaga of Odisha. 7. Nandolal, ‘The Geog Dic. Anc. & Med. India’. These two places are also identifiably placed near 8. ‘Anc.Hist.of Deccan’, by Dr D.R. Bhabdarakar. Nimapara. 9. ‘Prachi Mahatmya’, by Prof KC Behera, Prof. Dhal, Reference to Vayu Purana, as well as to & Dr R C Panda. other Puranas, and Pliny’s accounts, and 10. ‘Skanda Purana’, by R. Gagrgabatu (in Odia). Ptolemy’s Geography, will show that the kingdoms 11. McCrandles’s ‘Periplus of the Erythrean Sea’. in "India proper” were all walled cities surrounded by terrible water pits. And any measurement of distances from one kingdom to Akhil Kumar Sahoo, Head of Dept. of Buddhist the other will be a disastrous attempt. But Studies; G/E-3; VSS Nagar; Bhubaneswar-7. E-mail : regarding bearings of one place from the other is [email protected].

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