Who are the satvahanas? Where is their original residence? Who is the founder of this dynasty? Discuss the stars as emperor conquerors and rulers.
Who are the satvahanas? Where is their original residence? Who is the founder of this dynasty? Discuss the stars as emperor conquerors and rulers.
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| Satavahana empire |
Answer: After the fall of the Mauryan Empire, the political unity of India was destroyed. Several regional states emerged in different parts of India. This is all regional the most notable of the states was the Satavahana kingdom of the Deccan.
In the Puranas, the Satavahanas are called Andhra descendants and Andhra servants. The place between Gaedavari and Krishna rivers is the original habitat of Andhra. This place is known as Andhra region. According to Dr. Bhandarkar and Nilakantha Shastri, in the beginning the Satavahanas lived in Andhra. Dr. H. C. Roy Chowdhury said the Satavahanas left their home state of Maharashtra and moved to Andhra during the shock attack. Dr. Gaepal Acharya is a supporter of this view. According to him, Satkarni is the title of the kings of the Satavahana dynasty. The Satavahana kings in the nation are Brahmins. Dr. D. C, according to Sarkar, the word Satkarni in Dravidian or Austronesian means "Horse Son".
There is also considerable disagreement about the reign of the Satavahanas. Different Puranas mention different years and dates of their reign. According to a myth, the founder of this dynasty, the last king of the Simuk Kamba dynasty, assassinated Sushvarman and established the Satavahana dynasty in the Deccan. This opinion is more acceptable. Thus, this dynasty originated in the first century BC.
original residence :
Although the Satavahanas were of Andhra origin, their original abode was not Andhra. This is because the original inscriptions of the Satavahana kings are found in Andhra Pradesh, i.e. in the eastern Deccan instead of Nasik, Nanaghat, i.e. in the western Deccan, Maharashtra. The capital of the Satavahana kings was the institutional city situated on the banks of the river Gadabari. (Currently Paithan of Aurangabad district). The third king of this dynasty gained the respect and prestige of the Satavahana kingdom during the first Satkarni, but during his later weak kings, a branch of the foreign Shak nation occupied parts of the Satavahana empire.
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Gautamiputra Satkarni
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The best king is Gautamiputra
Satkarni :
The twenty-third emperor of the Satavahana dynasty Gautamiputra Satkarni restored the power of the Satavahana dynasty and during his time the power and prestige of the Satavahana empire reached its peak. For this reason he was called the best emperor of the Satavahana dynasty. The identity of Gautamiputra Satkarni is found from various elements. Namely, inscriptions found at Nanaghat, Kanheri, Carle, etc., Nasik Prashasti, description of Hiuen Tsang, Puranas, Ptolemy's Bhugael, Sapara, coins found at Jogalathambi etc.
State expansion:
Gautamiputra Satkarni restored the lost glory of those seven vehicles of the kingdom. He ascended the throne in about 106 AD and ruled till 130 AD. In addition to restoring the extinct status of the Satavahanas, he conquered many kingdoms and increased the size of the Satavahana empire. Ascending the throne, he defeated the shock rulers of Malab and Kathiabar and restored the lost territory of the Satavahana kingdom in the Deccan. He then annexed many parts of Gujarat and Rajputana.
Conflict with the Shakas:
After defeating the Shakas, Gautamiputra Satkarni again made the Satavahanas the main force of the Deccan. Shakers named Khasharat Nahpan, the ruler of one of the branches, was defeated by Gautamiputra, but the muddy branch of the Shaks defeated him. The founder of this branch was a contemporary of Chastan Gautami Putra. Probably Gautamiputra was defeated by Rudraman, the grandson of Chastan. This incident is mentioned in Ptolemy's text and in the Junagadh inscription. The Junagadh inscription of 150 AD mentions several places belonging to Rudraman. Namely - Akar, Surastra, Abanti, Aparanta etc. These names are presumed to be found in Nasik Prasasti. These places were snatched from Rudraman Satavahana ruler Gautamiputra.
Establishing a marital relationship: Gautamiputra married Rudradaman's daughter to his son Vashishtiputra Pulumayi for the security of the Satavahana kingdom from the aggressive activities of the Shakas. This marital alliance carries the identity of Gautamiputra's diplomacy. However, this alliance could not save the Satavahanas for long. The Junagadh inscription states that Rudradaman twice defeated Satkarni, the ruler of the Deccan. Although his kingdom did not consume. In Nasik praise, Gautamiputra was called "Shok - Yavan - Pallab - Nisudan". That is, they have been called destroyers. An inscription by his mother Gautami Balashree gives a detailed account of his conquest of the kingdom. In this inscription, Gautamiputra Satkarni is described as a Gaera Brahmin and an evictor of the Sakas, Javanese (Greeks) and Pahlavis. He is also said to be the ruler of North Konkan, Saurashtra, Abanti, etc., but it is doubtful whether the interior was part of his kingdom.
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| Coins of Gautamiputra Satkarni |
Social Reforms:
Gautamiputra Satkarni also gained a good reputation as a social reformer. He was trying to protect the interests of all castes and stopped mixing the four castes in the society. According to the description of Nasik Prasasti, he established the superiority of the Brahmins by crushing the Kshatriyas.
Principle of Rule:
Although he was a fan of Varnashrama religion, he was liberal towards Buddhism. He was a public welfare ruler. He reduced the burden on the poor by reorganizing the revenue system for the welfare of the people. In imitation of the Mauryan system, he divided the whole kingdom into several ahars. Each ahar or district was under a nobleman. One of the main features of the Satavahana regime was its military feudal tendency. Rural rule was over a military employee named Golamka. Besides, military barracks were set up all over the Satavahana kingdom so that even the slightest disobedience could not be tolerated. One of the examples of the feudal tendency observed in the state rule during the Satavahana period is the existence of these three classes of feudal lords - Samantaraja, Mahabhaja and Senapati. All these feudal lords under the Satavahana kings are local The feudal nature of the system of governance became clear as a result of the distribution of land to the Brahmins and Buddhist monks by the Satavahana kings.
Achievements of the Satavahana kings: The reign of the Satavahanas for three hundred years is an important chapter in the history of India. Because ঃ
(1) State unity and continuity of Indian culture:
State unity was first established in the Deccan during the reign of this dynasty. It was the Satavahanas who protected the continuity of Indian civilization and culture from the onslaught of foreign racism.
(2) Spread of Aryan Civilization:
The spread of the new Aryan Civilization in South India is one of the features of the Satavahana era. Spreading over a vast area of central India, the Satavahanas made a wonderful combination between the Aryan civilization of northern India and the Dravidian civilization of southern India.
(3) Contribution of literature and art:
The contribution of Satavahanas is not less in the field of literature and art. Their capital institution was one of the oldest centers of Indian culture of that era. The stupas and chaityas built at Amravati and Nagarjunakonda are the best examples of South Indian art. The religious principles of the Satavahanas were liberal.
(4) Economic Prosperity:
The economic prosperity of the Satavahana Empire was well known. At the heart of this prosperity was the mass production of manufactured goods on the one hand and the expansion of trade on the other. During the Satavahanas an unprecedented development took place in the city life. The emergence of a prosperous merchant city transformed the city-economy.
Fall of the Satavahana Empire:
Notable among the heirs of Gautamiputra Satkarni are Vashishtiputra Pulumayi and later King Yajnashree Satkarni. Who was the last powerful king of the Satavahana dynasty. But soon after the death of Yajnasree Satkarni, the decline of the Satavahana empire began. The Satavahana empire was divided among the various princes of this dynasty. Yajnasri Satkarni's four or five successors ruled till the middle of the third century AD.
As the central power weakened, the feudal states became independent. The Avirs established an independent state in Maharashtra and occupied Ikshakura’s Andhra Pradesh. Eventually the Satavahana empire came to an end as a result of the constant attacks of the Pahlavas and the Bhakatakas.
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Reference -
1)A history of south India - Dr. Nilkanth Sastri.
2)Ancient India- R. C. Majumder.
3)Political history of ancient India- H. C. Ray Choudhury.
4)Indian history - Rumila Thapar.
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