Information about the Satavahanas comes from the
Puranas, some Buddhist and Jain texts, the dynasty's inscriptions and coins, and foreign (Greek and Roman) accounts that focus on trade. The information provided by these sources is not sufficient to reconstruct the dynasty's history with absolute certainty. As a result, there are multiple theories about the Satavahana chronology.
Foundation Simuka is mentioned as the first king in a list of royals in a Satavahana inscription at
Naneghat. The various
Puranas state that the first king of the dynasty ruled for 23 years, and mention his name variously as Sishuka, Sindhuka, Chhismaka, Shipraka, etc. These are believed to be corrupted spellings of Simuka, resulting from copying and re-copying of manuscripts. Simuka cannot be dated with certainty based on available evidence. Based on the following theories, the beginning of the Satavahana rule is dated variously from 271 BCE to 30 BCE. According to the Puranas, the first Andhra king overthrew the
Kanva rule. He is named as Balipuccha in some texts. D. C. Sircar dated this event to c. 30 BCE, a theory supported by many other scholars. The
Matsya Purana mentions that the Andhra dynasty ruled for around 450 years. As the Satavahana rule ended in the early 3rd century, the beginning of their rule can be dated to the 3rd century BCE. The
Indica of
Megasthenes (350 – 290 BCE) mentions a powerful tribe named "Andarae", whose king maintained an army of 100,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry and 1,000 elephants. If Andarae is identified with the Andhras, this can be considered additional evidence of Satavahana rule starting in the 3rd century BCE. The
Brahmanda Purana states that "the four Kanvas will rule the earth for 45 years;
then (it) will
again go to the Andhras". Based on this statement, the proponents of this theory argue that the Satavahana rule began immediately after the
Maurya rule, followed by a Kanva
interregnum, and then, a revival of the Satavahana rule. According to one version of the theory Simuka succeeded the Mauryans. A variation of the theory is that Simuka was the person who restored the Satavahana rule by overthrowing the Kanvas; the compiler of the Puranas confused him with the founder of the dynasty. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana ruler began in the 1st century BCE and lasted until the 2nd century CE. This theory is based on Puranic records as well as archaeological and numismatic evidence. The theory that dates their rule to an earlier period is now largely discredited because the various Puranas contradict each other, and are not fully supported by epigraphic or numismatic evidence. The oldest Satavahana inscription is the one found on a slab of the upper drum (medhi) of the
Kanaganahalli Great Stupa mentioning year 16 of Vasisthiputra Sri Chimuka Satavahana's reign, which can be dated from ca. 110 BCE. On another stone slab at Kanaganahalli, the king is possibly shown together with a
Nagaraja, and the inscription reads:
Early expansion Simuka was succeeded by his brother
Kanha (also known as Krishna), who extended the kingdom up to Nashik in the west. His successor
Satakarni I conquered western
Malwa,
Anupa (
Narmada valley) and
Vidarbha, taking advantage of the turmoil caused by
Greek invasions of northern India. He performed
Vedic sacrifices including
Ashvamedha and
Rajasuya. Instead of the Buddhists, he patronised Brahmins and donated a substantial amount of wealth to them. The
Hathigumpha inscription of the
Kalinga king
Kharavela mentions a king named "Satakani" or "Satakamini", who some identify with Satakarni I. The inscription describes dispatching of an army and Kharavela's threat to a city. Since the inscription is only partially legible, different scholars interpret the events described in the inscription differently. According to R. D. Banerji and Sailendra Nath Sen, Kharavela sent out an army against Satakarni. According to Bhagwal Lal, Satakarni wanted to avoid an invasion of his kingdom by Kharavela. So, he sent horses, elephants, chariots and men to Kharavela as a tribute. According to Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya, Kharavela's army diverted its course after failing to advance against Satakarni. According to Alain Daniélou, Kharavela was friendly with Satakarni, and only crossed his kingdom without any clashes. Satakarni's successor
Satakarni II ruled for 56 years, during which he captured eastern
Malwa from the
Shungas. This allowed him access to the Buddhist site of
Sanchi, in which he is credited with the building of the decorated gateways around the original
Mauryan Empire and
Sunga stupas. Satakarni II is known from a dedicatory inscription at
Sanchi. He was succeeded by Lambodara. The coins of Lambodara's son and successor Apilaka have been found in eastern Madhya Pradesh. However, Andrew Ollett argues that there is only one Satakarni, as the alleged first Satakarni is assigned ten years, and the second, fifty years by other scholars, but the only dated inscription of this king is Candankheda seal from his reign's year 30, around 60 BCE, and he ruled ca. 88–42 BCE.
Art of Sanchi The Satavahanas contributed greatly to the embellishment of the Buddhist stupa of
Sanchi. It was heavily repaired under King Satakarni II. The gateways and the balustrade were built after 70 BCE, and appear to have been commissioned by the Satavahanas. An inscription on the Southern Gateway records that it was the work of Satakarni II's royal architect Ananda. An inscription records the gift of one of the top
architraves of the Southern Gateway by the artisans of the Satavahana Emperor
Satakarni:
First Western Satraps invasion under Nahapana Little is known about Apilaka's successors, except cryptic references to one Kuntala Satakarni. The next well-known ruler of the dynasty was
Hāla, who composed
Gaha Sattasai in Maharashtri Prakrit. Like Hala, his four successors also ruled for very short periods (a total of 12 years), indicating troubled times for the Satavahanas. Epigraphic and numismatic evidence suggests that the Satavahanas earlier controlled the northern
Deccan Plateau, the northern
Konkan coastal plains, and the mountain passes connecting these two regions. During 15–40 CE, their northern neighbours – the
Western Kshatrapas – extended their influence into these regions. The Western Kshatrapa ruler
Nahapana is known to have ruled the former Satavahana territory, as attested by the inscriptions of his governor and son-in-law,
Rishabhadatta.
First revival restruck by the
Satavahana king
Gautamiputra Satakarni. Nahapana's profile and coin legend are still clearly visible. -
Yavana-
Palhava" (
Brahmi script: '''''' mentioned in the
Nasik cave 3 inscription of Queen Gotami Balasiri (end of line 5 of the inscription). The Satavahana power was revived by
Gautamiputra Satakarni, who is considered the greatest of the Satavahana rulers. Charles Higham dates his reign . S. Nagaraju dates it 106–130 CE, the new consensus is shared by Shailendra Bhandare, Akira Shimada, and Oskar von Hinuber, who regard
Gautamiputra Satakarni's reign was ca. 60–85 CE, as it is evident from history that "Gautamiputra Saatakarni" in the year 78 CE defeated Vikramaditya of Ujjain, which in turn was celebrated and named "Yug Aadi" means Beginning of New Era (New Year for Andhra, Karnataka, Maharashtra (Gudi padwa), Telangana states). Ever since these states people followed Saatavaahana calendar. Andrew Ollett considers it as 60–84 CE. The king defeated by him appears to have been the Western Kshatrapa ruler
Nahapana, as suggested by Nahapana's coins overstuck with names and titles of Gautamiputra. The
Nashik prashasti inscription of Gautamiputra's mother Gautami Balashri, dated to the 20th year after his death, records his achievements. The most liberal interpretation of the inscription suggests that his kingdom extended from the present-day Rajasthan in the north to Krishna river in the south, and from Saurashtra in the west to Kalinga in the east. He assumed the titles
Raja-Raja (King of Kings) and
Maharaja (Great King), and was described as the Lord of
Vindhya. During the last years of his reign, his administration was apparently handled by his mother, which could have been a result of an illness or military preoccupation. According to the Nasik inscription made by his mother Gautami Balashri, he was the one ... Gautamiputra was succeeded by his son
Vasisthiputra Sri Pulamavi (or Pulumayi). According to Sailendra Nath Sen, Pulumavi ruled from 96 to 119 CE. According to Charles Higham, he ascended the throne around 110 CE, according to Shailendra Bhandare, Akira Shimada, and Oskar von Hinuber
Vasisthiputra Sri Pulamavi ruled ca. 85–125 CE, and Andrew Ollett considers it to be ca. 84–119 CE. Pulumavi features in a large number of Satavahana inscriptions and his coins have been found distributed over a wide area. This indicates that he maintained Gautamiputra's territory, and ruled a prosperous kingdom. He is believed to have added the Bellary region to Satakarni's kingdom. His coins featuring ships with double mast have been found on the
Coromandel Coast, indicating involvement in maritime trade and naval power. The old
stupa at Amaravati was perhaps renovated during his reign. though recent scholarship tends to spread the dates of this wider.
Second Western Satraps invasion under Rudradaman I . Pulumavi's successor was his brother
Vashishtiputra Satakarni. According to S. N. Sen he ruled during 120–149 CE; according to Charles Higham, his regnal years spanned 138–145 CE. He entered into a marriage alliance with the Western Satraps, marrying the daughter of
Rudradaman I. The
Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman I states that he defeated Satakarni, the lord of Dakshinapatha (Deccan), twice. It also states that he spared the life of the defeated ruler because of close relations: According to
D. R. Bhandarkar and
Dineshchandra Sircar, the ruler defeated by Rudradaman was Gautamiputra Satakarni. However,
E. J. Rapson believed that the defeated ruler was his son
Vasishthiputra Pulumavi. Shailendra Nath Sen and
Charles Higham believe that the defeated ruler was Vashishtiputra's successor Shivaskanda or Shiva Sri Pulumayi (or Pulumavi). As a result of his victories, Rudradaman regained all the former territories previously held by Nahapana, except for the extreme south territories of
Pune and
Nasik. Satavahana dominions were limited to their original base in the
Deccan and eastern central India around
Amaravati.
Second revival ,
British Museum.
Sri Yajna Sātakarni, the last person belonging to the main Satavahana dynastic line, briefly revived the Satavahana rule. According to S. N. Sen, he ruled during 170–199 CE. Charles Higham dates the end of his reign to 181 CE. His coins feature images of ships, which suggest naval and marine trade success. Wide distribution of his coins, and inscriptions at Nashik, Kanheri and Guntur indicate that his rule extended over both eastern and western parts of Deccan. He recovered much of the territory lost the Western Kshatrapas, and issued silver coinage, imitating them. During the last years of his reign, the
Abhiras captured the northern parts of the kingdom, around Nashik region.
Decline After Yajna Satakarni, the dynasty was soon extinguished following the rise of its feudatories, perhaps on account of a decline in central power. On the other hand, the Western Satraps would continue to prosper for the next two centuries, until their extinction by the
Gupta Empire. Yajna Sri was succeeded by Madhariputra Swami Isvarasena. The next king Vijaya ruled for 6 years. His son Vasishthiputra Sri Chadha Satakarni ruled for 10 years. Pulumavi IV, the last king of the main line, ruled until . During his reign, several Buddhist monuments were constructed at sites including
Nagarjunakonda and
Amaravati. Madhya Pradesh was also part of his kingdom. After the death of Pulumavi IV, the Satavahana empire fragmented into five smaller kingdoms: • Northern part, ruled by a collateral branch of the Satavahanas (which ended in early 4th century) • Western part around
Nashik, ruled by the
Abhira dynasty • Eastern part (
Krishna-
Guntur region), ruled by the
Andhra Ikshvakus • South-western parts (northern Karanataka), ruled by the
Chutus of
Banavasi • South-eastern part, ruled by the
Pallavas == Territorial extent ==