Background

Satavahana Empire is one of the largest and reasonably longest surviving empires of India that ruled after the end of Mauryan Empire. Based on several sources, its boundaries extended roughly from the current day Northern Tamil Nadu to portions of Southern Sindh in current day Pakistan. Some research puts entire Ceylon was also part of extended alliance kingdom of Satavahanas.

The capital city of this empire shifted few times and most popular capital city is Amaravati (Dharanikota/Danyakatakam) in Andhra Pradesh. Coincidentally after the split of larger Telugu state of Andhra Pradesh into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the new state of Andhra Pradesh has again adopted Amaravati as its capital. In commemoration of this event, MyIndMakers would like to bring to light this glorious empire that ruled vast portions of current day India for more than 400 years.  The linguistic, historical and cultural splendor of this empire is not much covered in Indian schools other than some passing reference.

History is always destroyed by the later invaders so that the indigenous revivalism becomes difficult. Unfortunately in India, any empire other than little bit of Mauryan or Gupta empires from pre Islamic time period does not find traction in school text books or regular narratives. The entire glories are either localized (very unfortunate) or made to be mysterious mythical folklore stories as opposed to official history.  In case of Satavahana empire, in spite of reach of entire Bharat for a substantial longest period, the colonizers and writer have relegated it to some glorious empire but one that owned by Andhras from dakshin.  The historians forget that evolution of multiple languages, cultural diversification happened much later than these empires. This kind of regionalization of great past in the mold of post-Islamic and colonial modern history blinds the unity and cultural commonality of India.

In a multi-part article about this empire, MyIndmakers will bring to its readers the historical, geographical and importantly cultural aspect of this glorious past of India’s history during the times of Satavahanas.

Introduction

The Sātavāhana Empire was an Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar (Pune) and Prathisthan (Paithan) in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward. Although there is some controversy about when the dynasty came to an end, the most liberal estimates suggest that it lasted about 450 years, until around 220 CE. The Satavahanas are credited for establishing peace in the country, resisting the onslaught of foreigners after the decline of Mauryan Empire. They are known for their patronage of Hinduism. The Sātavāhanas were early issuers of Indian state coinage struck with images of their rulers. They formed a cultural bridge and played a vital role in trade and the transfer of ideas and culture to and from the Indo-Gangetic Plain to the southern tip of India.

They had to compete with the Sungas and then the Kanvas of Magadha to establish their rule. Later, they played a crucial role to protect a huge part of India against foreign invaders like the Sakas, Yavanas and Pahlavas. In particular their struggles with the Western Kshatrapas went on for a long time. The great rulers of the Satavahana Dynasty Gautamiputra Satakarni and Sri Yajna Sātakarni were able to defeat the foreign invaders like the Western Kshatrapas and stop their expansion. In the 3rd century CE the empire was split into smaller states. According to ancient Sangam literature the Satavahana rulers were allied with the Tamil rulers of the Chera dynasty, Chola dynasty and Pandyan Dynasty to defeat the foreign invaders like the Scythians.

The Edicts of Ashoka mention the Sātavāhanas as feudatories of Emperor Ashoka. Shown above is a fragment of the 6th Pillar Edicts of Ashoka (238 BCE), in Brahmi, sandstone currently in British Museum.The Satavahanas declared independence sometime after the death of Ashoka (232 BCE), as the Maurya Empire began to weaken.It is believed that they were originally practicing Sanatana Dharma (as per Sthala Purana of Amaravati).[ Some rulers like Maharaja Satakarni are believed to have performed Vedic sacrifices as well.

Origins and identity of Satavahanas

The Pauranic genealogies refer to the kings of 'Andhra-Jati'. Some Puranas style them as Andhrabhrityas. The Nanaghat and Nasik cave inscriptions and coins discovered in the Deccan mention the names of several kings of 'Satavahana-Kula'. On the basis of certain names, and their order of succession common to various kings mentioned in the two sources, some scholars identified the Satavahanas of the epigraphical records and coins with the Andhras of the Puranas. However the Puranas never use the term 'Satavahana' and the inscriptions and coins do not refer to the Satavahanas as the Andhras.  According to R.G. Bhandarkar, The Andhrabhritya dynasty of the Puranas is the same as the Satavahana dynasty of the inscriptions'. The basis, he relied upon, is that the names occurring in the inscriptions and on the coins as well as the order (of their succession) sufficiently agree with those given in the Puranas under the Andhrabhritya dynasty. He explained the term 'Andhrabhritya' as meaning 'Andhras who were once servants or dependents.' Dr. K. Gopalachari asserted that the Satavahanas were Andhras by tribal connection. He suggested that either they were the scions of the royal family in the Andhradesa or Andhra fortune-hunters who accepted service in the western Deccan under the Mauryan suzerains, thereby getting the Puranic appellation 'Andhrabhritya' and that after Asoka's death their descendants might have struck a blow in their own interests in the land of their adoption.

Based on Dr. P.V. Parabrahma Sastri collected very recently over hundred early coins near the village Kotitingala on the eastern side of the hillock called Munulagutta on the right bank of the river Godavari in the Peddabankur taluk of the Karimnagar district of Telangana. These included seven coins belonging to the first Satavahana ruler Simuka. This discovery is of momentous importance for the history of the Satavahanas.  The legend on these coins strengthens the possibility that king Satavahana of Kondapur coins is none other than Simuka himself who is called Simuka Satavahana in a Nanaghat label inscription also. The Jain sources mention Satavahana as the first Andhra king. The Kathasarrtsagara contains a story about Satavahana. Therefore Satahana or Simuka Satavahana of the Kondapur and Kotilingala coins respectively is the same Satavahana who founded the imperial Andhra line and his successors called themselves Satavahanas.

With regard to the capitals of the Satavahana kings, later legend points to Srikakulam in the Krishna district of current day Andhra Pradesh. Amaravati/Dhanyakataka (Dharanikota in the Guntur district) seems to be the eastern capita and when current day Maharashtra became part of Satavahana empire and when the Satavahanas concentrated their more attention on western Deccan because of the Saka-pahlava menace, Paithan became the seat of their government in the west.

In the Pūrānas and on their coins the Brahmin dynasty is variously referred to as the Sātavāhanas or Sālavāhaṇa, Sātakarnīs.A reference to the Sātavāhanas by the Greek traveler Megasthenes indicates that they possessed 100,000 infantry, 1,000 elephants, and had more than 30 wellbuilt fortified towns:

There is a very large island in the Ganges which is inhabited by a single tribe called Modogalingae. Beyond are situated the Modubae, Molindae, the Uberae with a handsome town of the same name, the Galmodroësi, Preti, Calissae, Sasuri, Passalae, Colubae, Orxulae, Abali, Taluctae. The king of [S. 138] these keeps under arms 50,000 foot-soldiers, 4000 cavalry, and 400 elephants. Next come the Andarae, still more powerful race, which possesses numerous villages, and thirty towns defended by walls and towers, and which supplies its king with an army of 100,000 infantry, 2000 cavalry, and 1000 elephants. Gold is very abundant among the Dardae, and silver among the Setae. [S. 139] .—Plin. Hist. Nat. VI. 21. 8–23. 11., quoting Megasthenes

The Sātavāhanas ruled a large and powerful empire that withstood the onslaughts from Central Asia. Aside from their military power, their commercialism and naval activity is evidenced by establishment of Indian colonies in Southeast Asia.

Here in the king's domain among the Yavanas (Greeks), the Kambojas, the Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the Andhras and the Palidas, everywhere people are following Beloved-of-the-Gods' instructions in Dhamma. —Rock Edict Nb13 (S. Dhammika)

Geographical maps of Satavahanas:

There are no reliable and available periodical maps of Satavahanas for all the 400 years of rule. The Satavahana empire expanded and contracted over the period. It also became loose empire of decentralized satraps. However, the geography of Satavahanas based on time period, extended from southern Sindh to Deccan though inscriptions point to such a geographical area.

The map at the beginning of the piece shows a probable boundary in 78AD

Chronology of Satavahana Empire kings

In the next part(s) of this article, we will cover Political History of Satavahanas, Cultural, Religious and Administration of Satavahanas.

Part 2: https://www.myind.net/satavahana-empire-political-history-satavahanas

By Ramana Muppalla