Satavahana Dynasty: History, Rulers, Administration, Society, Art & Architecture- UPSC Notes

Age of Satvahanas

• Satvahanas succeeded the Mauryan Empire in Deccan and Central India. They are considered to be identical to Andhras mentioned in Puranas. However, the word ‘Andhra’ does not appear in the Satvahana inscriptions.
• The term “Satvahana” is a Prakrit word, which means “Driven by seven”, which implies Sun God’s chariot that seven horses drive according to Hindu mythology.

Political History of Satvahanas

• Simuka (100-70 BCE) was the first king of the Satvahana dynasty.
• The Puranas and Geography of Ptolemy indicate that the Satavahana capital was located at Pratisthana (Paithan in central Deccan).
• They set up their power in Upper Godavari valley in Maharashtra; gradually, they extended their control over Karnataka and Andhra. Shakas were the greatest competitors who ruled the Upper Deccan and western India.
• SriSatkarni I was the first powerful ruler of the dynasty.
  • He has been lauded as the Lord of the Deccan (Dakshinapathapati) in Queen Naganika’s inscription at Naneghat(Maharashtra).
  • The Hathigumpha inscription of the Kalinga king Kharavela mentions a king named “Satakani” or “Satakamini”, who had to defend his territory against a Kharavela’s threat to a city.
• Sarkari II (50BCE-25BCE) captured Malwa from Shungas and took control of Sanchi. The Torana gateways at Sanchi were decorated by Satakarni II, which we know from an inscription at Sanchi Stupa.
  • He also faced a new threat from Shakas in the west.
• Satkarni II was followed by weak rulers who lost some of their territories to Shakas in the north and west.
  • It seems his empire extended from Malwa in the north to Karnataka in the south, according to the Nashik Prashasti.

• Satvahana Conflict with Shakas over Malwa and Konkan:
  • Satkarni II initially captured Malwa from Shungas. However, the later rulers lost it to Shakas. Gautamiputra satkarni eventually defeated the Shakas recovering all the territories back.
  • Vashisthiputra Pulumavi (130-154 AD) married Shaka ruler Rudradaman I’s daughter.
  • The Shakas resumed their conflict with Satavahans to control the Konkan coast and Malwa. Rudradaman I (130-150 AD), the Shaka ruler of Kathiawar, defeated the Satvahanas twice but did not destroy them because of matrimonial relations.
  • Yajna Sri Satkarni (165-194 AD), one of the later kings, recovered north Konkan and Malwa from Shakas.
• The end of the Satavahana rule in Deccan is likely to have occurred in 225 CE. This power vacuum paved the way for the rise of the Vakatakas in the Deccan, Kadambas in Mysore, Abhiras in Maharashtra and Ikshvakus in Andhra.

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