Gautamiputra Satakarni ruled the Satavahana Empire in India's present-day Deccan region. He was referred to as the Satavahana Dynasty's most important and powerful ruler. He reigned in the first or second centuries CE, though the exact date is unknown. His reign is variously dated as 86-110 CE, c. 103-127 CE, 106-130 CE, or, more recently, ca. 60-85 CE. Gautamiputra Satakarni's coins, Satavahana inscriptions, and royal genealogies in the various Puranas provide information about him. The best-known of these is his mother Gautami Balashri's Nashik prashasti (eulogy) inscription, which credits him with extensive military conquests.

According to historical evidence, Gautamiputra resurrected Satavahana power after it had declined due to Saka invasions. In this article we will discuss Gautamiputra Satakarni (106-130 AD) which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Coinage of Gautamiputra Satakarni with Brahmi Legend

Gautamiputra Satakarni - History

• With the exception of the Brahmanda Purana, all Puranas containing the genealogy of Satavahana kings mention Gautamiputra.
• Shivasvati was his predecessor, according to the Bhagavata, Matsya, and Vishnu Puranas. However, Shivasvati is historically unknown: no coins or inscriptions bearing his name have been discovered.
• Shivasvami is named as Gautamiputra's forefather in the Vayu Purana. The name "Gautamiputra" is not mentioned at all in the Brahmanada Purana; instead, it refers to a king named "Yantramati," who ruled for 34 years and was preceded by Svatisena.
• Gautami Balashri was Gautamiputra Satakarni's mother, according to Nasik prashasti, an inscription discovered in Cave No.3 of the Pandavleni Caves in Nashik. The inscription dates from his son Vasishthiputra Pulumavi's 19th regnal year. It documents the donation of a village to Buddhist monks of the Bhadrayaniya sect.
• Satakarni is a title shared by several Satavahana kings. "Gautamiputra" literally means "son of Gautami." Such matronymics can also be found in the names of other Satavahana kings, such as Vasishthiputra Pulumavi ("Pulumavi, son of Vasishthi"). These do not indicate a matriarchy or a system of matrilineal descent.
• The real reason for matronymics appears to be that because rulers married a variety of wives from various royal families, a prince was best identified by reference to his mother.

Gautamiputra Satakarni - Features

• Gautamiputra Satakani is regarded as the greatest Satavahana dynasty king.
• It is thought that the Satavahanas were once deprived of their dominions in the upper Deccan and western India. Gautamiputra Satkarni restored the Satavahanas' fortunes.
• He claimed to be the only Brahmana who had defeated the Shakas and killed many Kshatriya rulers.
• He is thought to have destroyed the Kshaharata lineage of his adversary Nahapana. More than 800 Nahapana silver coins (found near Nasik) bear the marks of being restruck by the Satavahana king. Nahapana was a powerful Western Satraps king.
• His kingdom stretched from Krishna in the south to Malwa and Saurashtra in the north, as well as from Berar in the east to the Konkan in the west.
• In a Nasik inscription of his mother Gautami Balashri, he is described as the destroyer of the Shakas, Pahlavas, and Yavanas (Greeks), uprooter of the Kshaharatas, and restorer of the Satavahanas' glory. He is also known as Ekabrahmana (an unrivalled Brahmana) and Khatiya-dapa-manamada (destroyer of the pride of Kshatriyas).
• He was bestowed with the titles Rajaraja and Maharaja. He gave land to Buddhist monks. The Karle inscription mentions the grant of Karajika village in Maharashtra, near Pune.
• As mentioned in Rudradaman I's Junagadh inscription, he probably lost some of the conquered Kshaharata territories to the Kardamaka line of the Shaka Kshatrapas of western India in the later part of his reign.
• Gautamiputra(son of Gautami) was named after his mother, Gautami Balasri . His son Vasisthiputra Pulumayi succeeded him.

Rise of Satavahana Power

• The Satavahana power rose to prominence in the South during the first half of the second century A.D. This time, the man of destiny was a king named Gautamiputra Satakarni.
• His achievements as a conqueror and as an able administrator elevated the Satavahana Dynasty's prestige to new heights, and he came to be regarded as its greatest monarch.
• Gautamiputra first expanded his army and made it a formidable fighting force. Following that, he led expeditions against the foreign Saka rulers, driving them out of Maharashtra.
• After liberating that region, he fought against the Yavanas and Palhavas and conquered their western territories.
• Gautamiputra Satakarni, like Emperor Kharavela of Kalinga, recorded his victories over others in his inscriptions.
• According to his inscriptions, Gautamiputra Satakarni's empire included Asmaka in the Godavari basin, Suratha or modern Kathiawad, Aparanta or northern Konkan, Anupa's land on the Narmada, Vidarbha or modern Berar, Akara or Eastern Malwa, and Avanti or Western Malwa.
• It is thus estimated that Gautamiputra's territory stretched from Kathiawad in the north to the Krishna River in the south, and from Konkan in the west to Berar in the east.
• Though Gautamiputra established his power over a vast territory, it proved difficult for him to consolidate his rule over the lands to the north of the Vindhyas. Foreign invasions made it impossible to hold the conquered areas beyond the Vindhya Mountains for long.
• A foreign race known as the Scythians conquered Malwa during Gautamiputra's lifetime.
• Other conquered regions on the northern side of the Vindhya ranges also became independent of Satavahana power.

Gautamiputra Satakarni - Patron of Brahmanism

• Gautamiputra Satakarni was a supporter of Brahmanism. True to Brahmanical orthodoxy, he prohibited intercaste marriage among the established 'Four Varnas.'
• On the other hand, he was a kind king who cared about his subjects' well-being. He took several steps to help his country's peasant population and improve agricultural conditions.
• He was also a humanitarian ruler who helped the poor and the needy.
• During his liberal monarchy, the subjects lived in peace and prosperity.

Gautamiputra Satakarni - Military Conquests

• According to historical evidence, the Western Kshatrapas (known as Shakas by the Satavahanas) expanded their empire at the expense of the Satavahanas in the years preceding Gautamiputra Satakarni's reign.
• According to his mother's Nashik inscription, Gautamiputra resurrected the Satavahana power.
• According to the inscription, he defeated the Shakas (Western Kshatrapas), the Pahlavas (Indo-Parthians), and the Yavanas (Indo-Greeks).
• It also claims that he triumphed in several fights against a group of enemies.

Gautamiputra Satakarni - Administration

• The location of Gautamiputra's capital is uncertain. In the Nashik inscription of his 18th regnal year he is described as "Lord of Benakataka".
• Gautamiputra Satakarni's inscriptions indicate that his empire was divided into entities called aharas. Each āharā was governed by an amatya or amaca.
• Three types of settlements are mentioned in the inscriptions: Nagara (city), Nigama (town) and Gama (village).
• Nashik prashasti's inscription calls him ekabrahmana.However, this term has also been interpreted differently as "the sole protector of Brahmins" or "a proud defender of Brahmanism".
• However, the king also patronized Buddhist monks.
• According to one of his inscriptions in Nashik, the monks were exempt from taxes and had immunity from any interference from royal officials.
• Nashik prashasti also states that the joys and sorrows of the king were the same as those of his citizens. He claims he didn't like destroying life, not even that of enemies who insulted him.
• The edict compares him to legendary heroes like Rama, Keshava, Arjuna, Bhimasena, Nabhaga, Nahusha, Janamejaya, Sagara, Yayati and Ambarisha.

Gautamiputra Satakarni and Nahapana

• Gautamiputra Satakarni was the most powerful Satavahana king. He defeated the Shaka ruler Nahapana and reissued Nahapana's coins bearing his own royal insignia.
• The caves excavated by Gautamiputra Satakarni and the western king Kshatrapa Nahapana are located in Nashik.
• The Nashik prashasti inscription states that Gautamiputra uprooted the Kshaharata (or Khagarata) family, to which Nahapana belonged.
• Nashik's inscription dated to the 18th year of Gautamiputra's reign states that he confirmed a land concession to Buddhist monks who lived on Triraśmi Peak.This land was formerly owned by Nahapana's son-in-law, Rishabhadatta (aka Ushavadata), who had given it to the monks.
• A Nahapana coin hoard, discovered at Jogalthambi in the Nashik district, contains coins re-minted by Gautamiputra. These coins have a curved chaitya (Buddhist shrine) and the "Ujjain symbol" (a cross with four circles at the end).
• Most historians now agree that Gautamiputra and Nahapana were contemporaries and that Gautamiputra defeated Nahapana.
• The victory of Gautamiputra and the end of the kingdom of Nahapana at the beginning of the Saka era, 78 AD, in the year of the accession of Castana, and considers the entire kingdom of Gautamiputra around 60-85 AD.

Coin of Nahapana restruck by Gautamiputra Satakarni

A coin from Nashik

Conclusion

In his inscriptions, Gautamiputra was described as the destroyer of the Sakas, Pahlavas, and Yavanas. He was also referred to as "Lord of the Western Vindhyas." He referred to himself as the 'Raja-Raja,' or the King of Kings, and as the 'Maharaja.' This King died in 104 A.D. after a long reign.