This is not in keeping with the Dharmashastra which says that on marriage the bride takes the gotra of husband and loses the gotra of her father.

The donation lists in the inscriptions contain the names of traders and merchants who were obviously from the prosperous section of the society.

What, however, is interesting that they also mention gardeners, blacksmiths and fishermen who apparently pros­pered due to long-distance trade? It is noteworthy that the lists give their names and professions but not their castes.

In this regard the lists are similar to the donors list in the Buddhist inscriptions where also the professions and not the caste affiliations are stated. Another category of donors in the lists are Yavanas or foreigners.

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The term initially was used for the Greeks, but later on it’s was used indiscrimi­nately to mean any foreigner. Many foreigners adopted Prakrit names and made contributions to the Buddhist monasteries.

From these examples it would be seen that society in the Deccan, as it is known from the records of the period was not governed by the rules laid down in the Brahmanical texts.

New sub-castes, based on occupations like halikas (ploughmen) and golikas (shepherds) came into ex­istence. Foreigners like Shakas and Greeks were slowly assimilated into the society either as degraded kshatriyas or as Buddhists.

From their generous donations towards the cost or maintenance of projects for charitable purposes mentioned in the inscriptions, it is inferred that women occupied an important place in society and were independent holders of property.

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In the sculp­tures, women are depicted as participating in assem­blies, worshipping Buddhist emblems and assisting their husbands in looking after guests.

Both men and women are shown wearing more of ornaments and less of clothes. Even the humble people living in cottages had articles of ease and comfort like jugs, jars, tables, beds, chairs, stools and other attractive household goods.

Various classes of workers mentioned in the inscriptions include malakaras (florists), dhamnikas (corn-dealers), tilapishakas (oil-pressers), odhyantrikas (fabricators of hydraulic engines), kasakaras (braziers), vardhakis (carpenters), kolikas (weavers), manikaras (jewellers), mithikas (stone-polishers), selavadhakis (stone-masons), suvarnakaras (gold-smiths), lekhakas (writers), kamaras (iron-workers), tesakaras (polishers), lohavanijas (ironmongers), chammakaras (leather-workers), gandhikas (perfumiers) and avesanis (artisans).

Gautamiputra Satakarni claims to have reestablished the four fold varna system which had fallen into disorder. He boasts that he put an end to the intermixture between the people of different social orders.

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Such confusion was obviously caused by the Shaka infiltration and the superficial brahmanisation of the tribes living in the Deccan. The absorption of the Shakas in Hindu society as kshatriyas was facilitated by intermarriage between the Shakas and the Satavahanas.

Similarly the in­digenous people were more and more acculturated by the Buddhist monks who were induced by land grants to setde in the western Deccan. Traders al supported the Buddhist monks, for the earliest cava seem to have been located on the trade routes.

There were at least four classes in the social hierarchy. The top rung of society included mahabhoj maharathis and mahasenapatis.

Officials includi amatyas, mahamatras, bhandagarikas and non-offici including naigama (merchant), sarthavaha (head d traders) and sresthin (chief of trade guild) formed the second class.

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The third class included the vaidji (physician), lekhaka, suvarnaka, gandhika and halika. The fourth class of society included malakara, var dasaka (fisherman) lohavanija, etc.

In the Satavahana period division of the farmin and mercantile community into grihas (homesteads) or kutumbas or kulas (families) was prevalent. These units were headed by kulapatis or kutumbins or grihapatis.

References to guilds of hydraulic machine artisans, potters, weavers, corn dealers, bamboo workers and others reveal that srenis or craft guilds were a normal feature of the age. By and large these were self-governed.

These steins not only functioned as craft or trade guilds, but also acted as banks. Money deposited in the guilds earned interest. The guilds were trusted and were regarded as more permanent than an empire which could be destroyed at any time.

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As a measure of this trust, very often endowments were made to the srenis. It is on record that Usavadata, a high official, made two endow­ments for food and clothing instead of dipping into the treasury for such purposes.

The inscriptions state that the rate of interest on investments varied from 9 percent12 per cent per annum, considerably less than the 24 per cent (for Brahmans and still higher for others) given by Basham in his book, The Wonda that was India.

The material culture in the Satavahana kingdom was a combination of local elements and northern ingredients. There is not much change in the form of iron hoes from the megalithic to the Satavahana phase; they were now fully and properly socketed.

In Karimnagar district, a blacksmith’s shop has been discovered. Gold may have been used as bullion; the Satavahanas did not issue gold coins. They issued coins of lead, besides potin, copper and bronze money.

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The kingdom was famous for the production of rice and cotton. According to Pliny, the Andhra kingdom maintained an army of 100,000 infantry, 2000 cavalry and 1000 elephants. Through contacts with the north the people of the Deccan learnt the e of coins, burnt bricks, ring wells, etc.

In hddabankur (200 BC-AD 200) in Karimnagar district e find regular use of fire-baked bricks and use of art, perforated roof tiles; besides, 22 brick wells have in discovered.

Towns appeared in the region of aharashtra by the first century BC and them erged in the eastern Deccan a century later; creasing trade is indicated by numerous Roman d Satavahana coins.

Another outstanding feature of the Satavahanas as that the kings lived almost from hand to mouth, the taxes were not many and were moderate.

Court fees salt and land tax, income from royal domain rmed the bulk of the revenue earned. Presumably, e kings opted for a less ostentatious living so as enable the subjects to live well.

The Satavahanas began the practice of land ants to Brahmans and Buddhist monks. Earlier d grants to individuals were temporary but later d grants to religious beneficiaries were permanent ving the recipients besides the revenue, rights over ‘lagers as well. This brought about certain far- eaching changes:

1. The religious beneficiaries were placed in a werful position affecting the land system and onomy;

2. It created a new class of non-cultivating land wners. The beneficiaries were not cultivators them- lves, and engaged people to do the work, thereby parating the real tillers from the land and its roduce;

3. Such private ownership abolished earlier ollective rights over forests, pastures, reservoirs,

4. The villagers of the lands gifted lost their ‘ghts and became servile; and

5. It gave rise to feudalism