In the Puranic list of kings, the Satavahana dynasty is identical with the Andhras or Andhrabhrityas. Probably because at the time of the compilation of the Puranic lists they were ruling the Andhra region and taking into account their Andhra origin, they were called the Andhras.
Their other name Andhrabhrityas, meaning Andhra servants’ probably indicates that their ancestors were employed by the Mauryas, and they set up an independent state with the decline of the Mauryan Empire.
The Satavahanas’ earliest inscriptions belong to the first century bc, when they established themselves in parts of central India by defeating the Kanvas. This was the region near Paithan (Pratishthana) where they began and later expanded their empire.
They first annexed north and south Maharashtra, eastern and western Malwa and the area of the modern Madhya Pradesh. Their important allies were the Bhojas and the Rathikas.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
It is not possible to trace the exact origin of the Satavahana rule, but, according to the Puranas, the first king who began his rule in about 230 BC was called Simuka. This is confirmed by the Nasik inscription of the second king Kanha (Krishna).
Jain accounts mention the dethroning and killing of Simuka after a reign of 23 years because he had grown very wicked. His brother, Kanha, ascended the throne, ruled from 207 bc to 189 bc, and extended the kingdom westwards as far as Nasik.
Shri Satakarni I, the third king, conquered western Malwa. In 166 bc, Satakarni II came to the throne. He defeated the Shungas and took over Malwa. In later years, there was warfare between the Satavahanas and the Shakas.
Hala, the seventeenth Satavahana king who reigned from 20 to 24 ad was followed by four successors who had very short reigns, amounting to less than a dozen years. The Shakas probably dominated the Satavahanas from ad 40-80.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The Satavahana glory was revived under Gautamiputra Satakarni who ruled from 80 to 140 ad. He defeated the Sheika king Nahapana and annexed the Narmada valley, Saurashtra, northern Maharashtra, the Konkan, Malwa and western Rajputana.
The second century ad inscription from Nasik, relating to the mother of Gautamiputra Satakarni, gives information about the extent of the Satavahana kingdom. The mention of both the Western and Eastern Ghats as forming parts of Gautamiputra’s empire indicates that the Satavahana dominions covered the entire Deccan.
The inscription further says that the kingdom was divided into districts or aharas. The five aharas mentioned were Soparaka-aAara on the west coast; Govardhana-aAaru with its centre around Nasik; Mamala-aWa comprising the hilly portions of the Pune and Satara districts; Satavahani-aAara covering the Bellary district of Karnataka; and Kapurachara-ahara, perhaps in Gujarat.
Gautamiputra Satakarni was succeeded by his son Pulumayi II, whose reign lasted for at least twenty-four years.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The major concentration of the settlements was around Nasik, Junnar, within 30 km of Karle, and further south in the upper Krishna basin around Kolhapur.
These rich and fertile areas served as the hinterland for the west coast ports, handling the trade to Mediterranean areas. A route connected Ujjayini to Maheswar on the Narmada and then went to Paithan. Bhokardan on this route was a major