Satavahanas B.C. 221 to 220 AD

Mouryas were succeeded by the satavahanas in the Deccan and in central India after a gap of 100 years.

Andhras are not Satavahanas.

The Satavahanas are considered to be the same as the Andhras mentioned in the puranas. The puranas speak only of the Andhra rule and not of Satavahana ruled, and the name of Andhra does not figure in Satavahana inscriptions.

The Satavahanas, or Satakanis sanskritsed as Satavahanas, Salivahana and , seems to be a aboriginal clan, The name is a combination of two Indo – Austric mundra word ‘sada and kon. Sada means horse and kon means son. The compound then reads son of the horse. The horse occupying on some of their coins. This clan is supposed to have got formed during post Aryan days, because horse was an Aryan innovation.

There is controversy among historians about the home territory of the Satavahanas. Some of the them think that the original home of Satavahanas was Maharastra, the region where their capital Paithon, was located from there they extended their ruler eastwards and conquered Andhra territories.

The early inscription of Satavahanas were found in Andhra belong long to the reign of vasistiputra puloman (A.D 102 – 130) and his successors; and that the coins found in Andhra, said to have been struck by the early Satavahans. A close of the coins stent found at Kondapur in Medak district proves that the above arguments are baseless. Coins obtained from Kondapur excavation belongs to Satavahana, who was a predecessor or . The founder of the empire based on these dances, some locate Telangana as the starting place of Satavahanas. Thus it was opined that Satavahana established their hegemony first in Andhra and then spread their empire west wards north and south.

According to some puranas, the Andhra ruled altogether 300years. The earliest inscription of the Satavahanas relate to the first century B.C.,

Maharastra Origin:

The early Satavahana kings ruled not in Andhra but in North Maharastra where their earliest coins and inscriptions have been found, established power in upper Godavari valley, which currently produces rich and diverse crops in Maharastra. Gradually Satavahanas extended their power over Karnataka and Andhra. Shakas were their competitors, shaka rule in the upper Deccan and western India. At one stage Satavahanas were dispossessed of their domains by the shakas in Maharastra and western India.

Gowthami Putra Satakarni:

The fortunes of the family were restored by who ruled between 106A D to 130 A.D. who called himself as the only Brahmana. He defeated shakas and destroyed many Kshatriya rulers. He defeated the Nahapana, the Ksharata ruler. About 8000 silver coins of Nahapana, found near Nasik, bear the marks of having been re-struck by the Satavahana king. He also occupied Malwa and Kathiawar which were earlier controlled by the Sahaks. He is empire extended from Malwa in the north to Karnataka in the South, and also exercised authority over Andhra.

Successors of Gowtamputra Satakarni

The successors of Gowtamputra Satakarni ruled till 220 A.D. coins of his immediate successor vashistiputra pullamavi (130A.D. to / 54 A.D.) have been found in Andhra, and this shows that by the middle of second century A.D, Andhra had become a part of Satavahana kingdom. He set up his capital at paitham or prathishthan on the Godavari in Aurangabad district.

Sathavahana relation with Sakas

The shakas from pulumari’s time resumed their conflict with the satavahanas for the possession of konkan coast and Malwa. Radradaman 1 (A.D. 130 to 150), the shaka ruler of saurastra, defeated satavahanas twice, and entered peace relation through matrimonial alliance.

Yajnasri satakarni (A.D.165 to 194) was the last great kind of the satavahane dynasty and recovered north karnan and Malwa from shaka rulers. He was a pantron of trade and Navigation.

Yagnasri’s coins were found in Andhra and , Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. His zeal for navigation and overseas trade is demonstrated by the representation of a ship on his coins. The successors of Yajnasri stakarn could not retain the kingdom which was destroyed by A.D.220.

List of satavahana rulers with their reign period

Srimukha satakarni - (B.C. 221 to 190)

Krishna - 198 – 189 B.C.

Satakarni-I - I 180 – 170 B.C.

Satarni -II - II 152 – 96 B.C. Lambodara - 96 to 78 B.C

Apilaka - 78 to B.C.

Kuntala satakarni - 38 to 30 B.C.

Hala - (AD 19 to 24 AD)

After Hala 5kings ruled for 55 years but details about them are not known Goutamiputra satakarni – 78 A.D. to 102 A.D. according to R.S. Sarma (106 to 130 A.D.) He has a title (Tri samudra tpyapitika)

Pulamari - II (A.D. 130 to 154 A.D)

Yajna Sri Satakarni - 174 – 203 A.D.

He was the 26th king of the Dynast. The last of the greatest Satavahana kings great Buddhist mark, scholar Acharya Nagarjuna was patronized by him.

Social organization:

Satavahanas were originally a Deccan tribe. They however brahmanised. Their most famous king, Goutamiputra satakarni, described himself as a brahmana and claimed to have established the four fold varna system. He claimed that he had put an end to the inter mixture between people of different social. Such a inter mixture was caused by the shaka infiltration and by the brahminisation of tribes hiving in the Deccan.

Satavahanas were also, the first rulers to make land grants to Brahmanas but they also made grants to Buddhist monks. It may also be opained that satavahanas were probably a local tribe that was brahmanised.

The most interesting detail about satavahana relates to their family structure. In the Aryan society of the North India, father enjoyed greater importance than the mother, the satavahanas show the traces of matrilineal social structure. It was customary for their king to be named after his mother. Such names as Gouthamiputra and vishisthiputra indicate a greater deal of importance.

Administrative Structure

Satavahanas retained some administrative structure of Ashokan times. Their district was called ahara, and their officials were called as amatyas, and Mahamatras, as was the case in Mourya times.

Satavahana administration has certain feudal traits. The senapati was appointed provincial governor. The administration in rural areas was placed in the hands of a Ganimika, head of a military regiment causisting of 9 chariats, 9 elephants, 25 horses and 45 foot soldiers. The Satavahanas started the practice of granting tax free villages to brahmanas and Buddhist marks. The lambs granted to them were declared free from intrusion by royal policeman soldiers, and other royal officers. These areas therefore became small independent islands within the Satavahana kingdom.

The Satavahanas had three grades of feudatories. The highest being the king called Raja, and had the right to strike coins. The second grade was the Mahabhoja, the third grade is called senapti.

Satavahana rulers were Buddhism also be granting land to the monks. During Satavahana times Mahayana form of Buddhism commanded considerable following, especially amongst the artisan classes. Nagarjuna konda and Amaravathi become important seats of Buddhist culture under the Satavahanas.

Architecture

In the Satavahana times, many chaintyas (Sacred Shrines) and monasteries were cut out of solid rock in North Western deccan or Maharastra with great skill and patience. Two kinds of structures namely Chaityas a Buddhist temple and vihara a monastery were the common constructions Chaitya was a large hall with a number of central hall entered by a door way from a verndha in front.

Near the chaityas viharas were excavated for the residence of monks during the rainy season.

Rock cut architecture is found in Andhra in Krishna and Godavari region. This region is famous for Buddhists structures. The most famous of them are those of Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda.

The stupa was large round structure erected over some relic of Buddha.

The Amaravati stupa was began in around 200 B.C,. but was completely reconstructed in the second half of the 2nd century A.D. Its dome measured 53 macros the base and it seems to have 233 m in height Amaravathi stupa is full of sculptures that depicts various scenes from the life of Buddha. The scenes on the Amaravati Stupa also depict the political social, economic and cultural life of the Satavahana times.

The artistic talent of these craftsmen is unsurpassed. A famous crucible steel known by Telugu name woolts is manufactured during Satavahana times.

Trade and commerce Most striking feature of the period, economically was the long distance trade with the Roman Empire. Satavahanas state depended on this international trade. A vast seaborn trade between the west and the coastal Andhra is attested with the period A.D 68 to 104AD, from the death of Nero. The coins that belong to pre Nero times were found in areas which provided luxury goods during pre Nero times. Trade with Rome includes places of Andhra mostly cotton growing areas such as Vinukonda, Nagarjunakonda, Cuddapah, Nellore,. Vijayawada, Ghantasala,and Salihundam. The gold coins found in vinukonda belong to Roman Emperors. Marcus Aurelius and Carscalla At Nagarjjuna Konda.

Coins of Tiberius Jaustine were found at Nellore. In Telangana also Roman gold coins were found in Suryapeta, Nalagonda District.

Unrestrained indulgence in Indian luxuries by the romans shocked the sobre minded citizens like pliny. He wrote about 70AD that Indian goods were sold in roman market at 100 times their original price. He protested against this. It appears 100 million sesterces were withdrawn from the empire annually to purchase these products . out of this 5lakh went to India. Satavahana empire whose strength depended mostly on external trade declined with the fall of roman empire.

Religion: Satavahan rulers patronized Brahmanism which was triumphant. the kings also patronized Buddhism. Satvanaha villages were walled crops such as paddy sugarcane cotton oil seeds gingely were grown . craftsman such as weavers , potters blacksmith (Kammaras) gold smith (Suvarnakars) carpenters (Vadhika) were present