South india - shatavahanas, kadambas and gangas - class-VIII

The Satavahana dynasty faced significant pressure and decline due to ongoing conflicts with the Sakas (Western Kshatrapas) and other regional powers.

The Aitareya Brahmana is one of the earliest texts that mentions the Andhras, who are associated with the Satavahanas.

Tagara was a major inland trade center and a prominent city in the Satavahana kingdom, facilitating trade between the Deccan and other regions.

The Western Satraps were eventually conquered by the Sassanian rulers of Persia during the 4th century AD.

The Nashik prashasti inscription states that Gautamiputra uprooted the Kshaharata (or Khagarata) family, to which Nahapana belonged. 

Puhar (also known as Kaveripattinam) was a major port of the Chola dynasty, not the Satavahanas, who primarily used ports on the western coast like Kalyan and Sopara.

The Satvahana Empire or Andhra Empire was a royal Indian dynasty based on 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. The Satavahanas were also the first rulers to make land grants to Brahmanas, although we find more instances of such grants being made to Buddhist monks. The Satavahanas adopted the policy of promoting immunities to Brahmanas and monks, mainly to promote agriculture.

Satavahana dynasty belonged to the Andhra jati and was the first Deccanese dynasty to build an empire in daksinapatha—i.e., the southern region. Their  rule began in the first century BCE and lasted until the second century CE. Simuka was the first king and ruled for about 23 yrs. Yagnasri Satakarni was the last important ruler of the dynasty after which the dynasty was soon extinguished following the rise of its feudatories.

Satavahana dynasty belonged to the Andhra jati and was the first Deccan region dynasty to build an empire in daksinapatha—i.e., the southern region. Their  rule began in the first century BCE and lasted until the second century CE. SImuka Satavahana was the founder of the dynasty with the capital at Srikakulam.

Satavahanas ruled over the Andhradesa including Deccan for about 400 years from the 2nd century B.C. to beyond the 2nd century A.D. The founder of the Satavahana dynasty was Simuka. The Kingdom was divided into the Janpadas and subdivided into Aharas. The ruler of each Ahara was an Amatya. The office of the Amatya appears for the first time in the Satavahana inscriptions.

• Satvahan Kings who were controlled by Emperor Ashok ruled Kondapur region between 3rd BCE to 3rd CE (Andhra Pradesh).
• Megasthenes was a Greek Ambassador who in his book “Indica” said that Satvahan(Andhras) had a might army and 30 forts.

The Satavahanas are well-regarded for their economic prosperity and the development of extensive trade networks, both inland and with foreign entities like the Roman Empire.

The Satavahanas established the first major empire in the Deccan region, south of the Vindhya mountains, following the decline of the Mauryas.

Gautamiputra Satakarni and his successor Vashishtiputra Pulumayi II are credited with expanding the Satavahana influence significantly, including towards the eastern coast.

Naganib (also known as Naganika) was a Satavahana queen, making her an Andhra queen as the Satavahanas are considered an Andhra dynasty. She was not a Gupta, Saka, or Pallava queen - these were different dynasties. Naganika is known from inscriptions at Nanaghat and was likely the wife of Satakarni I.

Srikakulam is historically identified as one of the early capitals of the Andhra (Satavahana) rulers.

Ptolemy (2nd century CE) mentioned Pratishthana (modern Paithan) as the capital of Pulumavi. 

Simuka is widely recognized as the founder of the Satavahana dynasty.

The Satavahanas were known for their patronage of Brahmanism, performing Vedic sacrifices and supporting the priestly class.

He expanded his kingdom to include not only Konkan, Birar, Saurashta and Malawa, but also many new areas. He had titles such as ‘Trisamudratoyapitavahana’ and ‘Shatavahana Kulayashapratishtapanakara’. 

Educational institutions during the Satavahana period were called ghatikas. Many scholars of Vedas and other scriptures were encouraged to teach the people. Satavahana dynasty belonged to the Andhra jati and was the first Deccanese dynasty to build an empire in daksinapatha—i.e., the southern region. Their  rule began in the first century BCE and lasted until the second century CE.

According to Burgess, there might have been an interval of as much as a century between the reigns of these two kings. 

The Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman, also known as the Girnar Rock inscription of Rudradaman, is a Sanskrit prose inscribed on a rock by the Indian Satraps ruler Rudradaman I. It is located near Girnar hill near Junagadh, Gujarat, India.

Gautami Balasri was the mother of Gautamiputra Satkarni. He was a ruler of the Satavahana Empire who ruled in the second cent. BCE. Satavahana dynasty belonged to the Andhra jati and was the first Deccanese dynasty to build an empire in daksinapatha—i.e., the southern region. Their rule began in the first century BCE and lasted until the second century CE.

The Satavahana dynasty emerged in the Deccan region, which is geographically situated to the south of the Vindhya mountain range.

The Vakatakas rose to power in the Deccan following the decline of the Satavahana dynasty in the 3rd century AD. They became the dominant political force in the region during the post-Satavahana period.

Simuka is historically recognized as the founder of the Satavahana dynasty, having overthrown the Kanva dynasty to establish his rule.

The Kadambas laid the foundation for architecture in Karnataka. They built many temples and basadis in Banavasi. During this period, educational centres like agraharas, brahmapuris and ghatikas were established. The main agraharas of that time were found in Talagunda and Balligave. The agraharas were like residential schools.

The Kadambas of Hangal was a South Indian dynasty during the Late Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Karnataka. It was founded by Mayurasharma in 345 AD. Banavasi was the capital of the dynasty. They established themselves there in A.D. 345 and ruled for two centuries.

 Kannada was the language of the people.
The ancient Halmidi inscription shows the characteristics of the Kannada
language which was in use in the 5th century. This has been the first
inscription available in Kannada.

The Chaityalaya at Karle was constructed by Bhootapala, a merchant from Banavasi, as recorded in the inscriptions at the site.

The Kadamba made special contributions to Karnataka and Indian culture. There was political unity for around three hundred years under the Kadamba rule. Royal priests, ministers, and military generals played a significant role in the administration. For administrative ease, provincial officers had been appointed to look after the provinces.
Land revenue was the main source of income in the kingdom. The occupations such as carpentry, goldsmithy, blacksmithy, weaving, oil-extraction, pottery were the main ones in the society. There was greater encouragement for agriculture and trade. Most of the people followed varnashrama. Greater importance was given to patriarchy and undivided family.

Kadamba dynasty was the first dynasty to be established in Karnataka. Their capital was Banavasi which is in today's North Canara district. Mayurasharma was the founder and a great king of this dynasty. When Mayura Sharma was insulted by the Pallava king, Shivaskanda Varma, he adopted the kshatriya way of life and became Mayuravarma. He defeated the Pallavas in a war and established the Kadamba empire. He is the pride of all Kannadigas.

Banavasi, the ancient capital of the Kadambas, is located in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka.

• Bahubali, a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of Rishabhanatha (the first tirthankara of Jainism) and the younger brother of Bharata Chakravartin.
• A 39-foot high statue of Bahubali with a 13-foot  pedestal that weighs about 175 tons is installed at Dharmasthala in Karnataka.
• The monolithic statue of Bahubali which is carved from a single block of granite is located at Shravanabelagola, located 158km from Bangalore.
• Karkala is known for its 42 ft (13 m) monolithic statue of Gomateshwara Bahubali, which is believed to have been built around 1432 and is the second-tallest statue in the state.

The Tyagada Brahmadeva Pillar, a decorated free standing pillar was constructed by the Western Gangas. The pillar dates to around 983 C.E. and exists in Shravanbelgola, a centre of Jain culture in Karnataka. The Western Gangas ruled in Mysore state from about 250 to about 1004 CE. Most of the Western Gangas were Jainas and patronized it but some also supported Hinduism.

The Eastern Ganga Dynasty are the rulers of Orissa from the 11th to the 15th centuries. The Eastern Gangas reigned from Kalinga and their rule consisted of the whole of the modern-day Indian state of Odisha. Currency of Eastern Gangas were called Fanamas.

The Kannada poet Durvinita, a ruler of the Western Ganga dynasty, is famously credited with translating Gunadya's Brihatkatha from Prakrit into Sanskrit.

The Pataleshwara temple in Talakad and the Kapileshwara temple in Manne are architectural examples attributed to the Western Ganga dynasty.

 Durvinita was a famous king of this dynasty. He was a brave warrior and scholar. He ruled for a long period and gained control of Punnata in order to strengthen his Kingdom. The Nallala copper inscription reveal that he constructed many lakes for the purposes of irrigation. He was a lover of Literature and wrote creative works in Sanskrit and Kannada. He even translated the Prakrit work ‘Vaddakatha’ of Gunadya into Sanskrit.