| Gautamiputra Satakarni | |
|---|---|
| Khatiya-dapa-mana-madana Rajaraja[citation needed] Maharaja | |
 Coinage of Gautamiputra Satakarni withBrahmi script legend "King Lord Satakarni, son of Gotami", starting at 12 o'clock. The decorative designs are the "Three-arched hill" and the "Ujain symbol".[1] These coins were overstruck on silver coins ofNahapana.[2][1] | |
| Satavahana king | |
| Reign | c. 86 – c. 110 |
| Predecessor | Sivasvati |
| Successor | Vasisthiputra Sri Pulamavi |
| Spouse | Vasisthi |
| Military career | |
| Conflicts | |
| Issue | Vasisthiputra Sri Pulamavi,Vashishtiputra Satakarni |
| Dynasty | Satavahana |
| Mother | Gautami Balashri |
| Satavahana kings 100 BCE–2nd c. CE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gautamiputra Satakarni (Brahmi: 𑀕𑁄𑀢𑀫𑀺𑀧𑀼𑀢 𑀲𑀸𑀢𑀓𑀡𑀺,Gotamiputa Sātakaṇi,IAST:Gautamīputra Śātakarṇi) was a ruler of theSatavahana Empire in present-dayDeccan region of India. He was mentioned as the important and greatest ruler of Satavahana Dynasty. He ruled in the 1st or 2nd century CE, although his exact period is uncertain. His reign is dated variously: 86-110 CE,[3] c. 103-127 CE,[4] 106-130 CE,[5] or more recently and specifically ca. 60-85 CE.[6][7]
The information available about Gautamiputra Satakarni comes from his coins, the Satavahana inscriptions, and the royal genealogies in the variousPuranas. The best known of these is theNashikprashasti (eulogy) inscription of his mother Gautami Balashri, which credits him with extensive military conquests. Historical evidence suggests that Gautamiputra revived the Satavahana power after a decline caused bySaka invasions.[8]
Except theBrahmanda Purana, all thePuranas that contain the genealogy of Satavahana kings mention Gautamiputra. According toBhagavata,Matsya andVishnu Puranas, his predecessor was Shivasvati (IAST: Śivasvāti). However, Shivasvati remains historically unattested: no coins or inscriptions issued by him have been discovered.[9] TheVayu Purana names the predecessor of Gautamiputra as Shivasvami (IAST: Śivasvāmi). TheBrahmanada Purana does not mention the name "Gautamiputra" at all; instead it names a king called "Yantramati", who ruled for 34 years, and was preceded by Svātisena.[10][11]
The mother of Gautamiputra Satakarni was Gautami Balashri (IAST: Gautami Bālaśri), as attested byNasik prashasti, an inscription found atCave No.3 of thePandavleni Caves inNashik. The inscription is dated to the 19th regnal year of his sonVasishthiputra Pulumavi (or Pulumayi).[12][13] It records the grant of a village to the Buddhist monks of the Bhadrayaniya sect.[14]
"Gautamiputra" literally means "son of Gautami", while Satakarni is a title common to several Satavahana kings. Such matronymics also appear in the names of other Satavahana kings, including Vasishthiputra Pulumavi ("Pulumavi, son of Vasishthi"). These do not indicate amatriarchy or amatrilineal descent system.[13] The real explanation for matronymics seems to be that since the rulers married a number of wives from different royal families, a prince was best identified with reference to his mother.[15]
Historical evidence suggests that theWestern Kshatrapas (known to the Satavahanas asShakas) expanded their empire at the expense of Satavahanas in the years preceding the reign of Gautamiputra Satakarni. Based on the Nashik inscription of his mother, it appears that Gautamiputra revived the Satavahana power. The inscription states that he defeated theShakas (Western Kshatrapas), thePahlavas (Indo-Parthians), and theYavanas (Indo-Greeks).[13] It also states that he emerged victorious in several fights against a confederacy of enemies.[16]
TheNashikprashasti inscription of Gautamiputra's mother, located in theNasik Caves, calls him the "king of kings", and states that his orders were obeyed by thecircle of all kings.[17][18] It indicates that his rule extended fromMalwa andSaurashtra in the north toKrishna River in the south; and fromKonkan in the west toVidarbha (Berar) in the east.[13] It states that he ruled the following regions:[18][19]
The identity of "Kukura" is uncertain. R G Bhandarkar identified it with a part ofRajputana, whileAlexander Cunningham identified it withGurjara.[20] Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya identified it with an area inMadhya Pradesh, possibly near the western part of theVindhyas.[19]
The inscription also calls Gautamiputra the lord of following mountains:[18][21]
Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya identifies Mahendra, Sreshtha-giri and Chakora with portions ofEastern Ghats. He, therefore, believes that Gautamiputra's empire included theTelangana andCoastal Andhra regions. M. Rama Rao also supports this theory on the basis of coins discovered in the eastern Deccan region. Although coins can travel via trade, Chattopadhyaya believes that the Nashik inscription corroborates this theory.[22] However, there are no other records of Satavahana presence in the eastern Deccan region before the period of his son Vashishtiputra Pulumavi.[23]
| The "Nashik prashasti", inscription of Queen Gotami Balasiri Nasik Cave No.3, inscription No.2 (reign ofSri Pulumavi) | |
— Nasik Caves inscription of Queen Gotami Balasiri,Cave No.3[25] | |
An inscription atKarle records the grant of Karajika village (identified with a village inPune district) by Gautamiputra, confirming that the Pune region was under his control.[13]
TheNashik prashasti inscription further states that the horses of Gautamiputra drank waters of the "three oceans"[13] (theArabian Sea, theBay of Bengal and theIndian Ocean).[26] This implies that Gautamiputra subdued theCholas and thePandyas in southern India. However, there is no historical evidence of this. One view is that this is just a conventional literary device: Gautamiputra's empire was not as extensive as the inscription claims.[23] Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya speculates that Gautamiputra might have raided some territories in the South.[27]
According to American academicCarla M. Sinopoli, it is not clear if Gautamiputra actually had effective control over all the territories claimed as a part of his empire in the inscription. In any case, his military successes were short-lived.[28]
Caves excavated by Gautamiputra Satakarni as well as the Western Kshatrapa kingNahapana are located at Nashik. TheNashik prashasti inscription states that Gautamiputra uprooted theKshaharata (or Khagarata) family, to which Nahapana belonged. The Nashik inscription dated to the 18th year of Gautamiputra's reign states that he reaffirmed a grant of land to Buddhist monks living at the Triraśmi peak. This land was earlier in the possession of Nahapana's son-in-lawRishabhadatta (also known as Ushavadata), who had donated it to the monks.[16]
A hoard of Nahapana's coins, discovered at Jogalthambi in Nashik district, includes coins re-struck by Gautamiputra.[13] These coins feature an archedchaitya (Buddhist shrine) and the "Ujjain symbol" (a cross with four circles at the end).[29]
Most historians now agree that Gautamiputra and Nahapana were contemporaries, and that Gautamiputra defeated Nahapana.[30][16]M. K. Dhavalikar dates this event to c. 124 CE, which according to him, was the 18th regnal year of Gautamiputra.[30] R.C.C. Fynes dates the event to sometime after 71 CE,[31] in the same line, Shailendra Bhandare places the victory of Gautamiputra and the end of Nahapana's reign to the start of Saka era, 78 CE, in the year of Castana's accession,[32] and considers Gautamiputra's whole reign to ca. 60-85 CE.[33]
| Coinage of Gautamiputra Satakarni | |
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According to theMatsya Purana and theVayu Purana, Gautamiputra ruled for 21 years.[34] However, an inscription dated to his 24th regnal year has been found at the Nashik cave. The inscription mentions his mother asjiva-suta ("having a living son").D. C. Sircar interpreted this to mean that the king was ill, and the termjiva-suta was intended to assure the people that the king was alive, while his mother ran the administration.[35] Shailendra Nath Sen also speculated that the king might have been assisted by his mother in administration because of his illness or military preoccupation.[36]V. V. Mirashi dismissed Sircar's theory as "ridiculous", arguing thatjiva-suta is an expression used in several ancient sources and simply emphasizes the good fortune of a woman.[35] Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya also criticizes Sircar's interpretation, pointing out that the first line in the inscription refers to the king's order. He adds thatjiva-suta is simply an "affectionate expression of a mother", and should not be over-analyzed.[37]
D. R. Bhandarkar andR. G. Bhandarkar believed that Gautamiputra and his sonVasishthiputra Pulumavi ruled jointly during the last years of his reign.[38] This theory is based on their interpretations of the various Satavahana inscriptions. InNashik prashasti, Gautami Balashri calls herself the mother of the great king as well as the grandmother of the great king, indicating that both were kings at that time. There are also indications that Gautamiputra was alive, when this inscription was issued in the 19th regnal year of his son. Despite this, the inscription describes the achievements of Gautamiputra Satakarni, but remains silent about the exploits of his son. Based on these arguments, Bhandarkar speculated that Gautamiputra ruled eastern Deccan, while Vasishthiputra ruled western Deccan.[39] This theory has been dismissed by several other scholars, includingK. A. Nilakanta Sastri andH. C. Raychaudhuri. G.J. Dubreuil theorizes that the excavation of the cave (where this inscription was found) began during the reign of Gautamiputra. However, the work was finished only after his death, and the inscription was placed on his behalf by his mother, during the reign of his son.[40] Bhandarkar's theory is further weakened by the fact that there is clear historical evidence of Gautamiputra's rule over western Deccan. Moreover, no inscriptions issued jointly by the father-son duo are available.[41]
It is possible that by the end of his reign, Gautamiputra lost some of his territory to theKardamakas, a Western Kshatrapa dynasty that succeeded Nahapana's Kshaharata dynasty.[13] TheJunagadh inscription of the Kardamaka rulerRudradaman I states that he defeated Satakarni, the lord ofDakshinapatha (Deccan), twice. It also states that he spared the life of the defeated ruler because of close relations.[4][42] "Satakarni" is a title common to several Satavahana kings. According toD. R. Bhandarkar andDineshchandra Sircar, the ruler defeated by Rudradaman was Gautamiputra Satakarni. However,E. J. Rapson believed that the defeated ruler was his son and successor Vasishthiputra Pulumavi.[43] Shailendra Nath Sen andCharles Higham believe that the defeated ruler was Vashishtiputra's successorShivaskanda or Shiva Sri Pulumayi (or Pulumavi).[4][44]
The location of Gautamiputra's capital is uncertain.[45] In the Nashik inscription dated to his 18th regnal year, he is described as the "Lord of Benakataka".[19] Carla M. Sinopoli identifies Benakataka as a place in the Nashik region.[46] V. V. Mirashi identified it withPauniBhandara district.[47]
The inscriptions of Gautamiputra Satakarni indicate that his empire was divided into units known asāhāras. Eachāharā was governed by anamātya oramaca.[45] Three types of settlements are named in the inscriptions:nagara (city),nigama (town) andgama (village).[28]
TheNashik prashasti inscription calls himekabrahmana. One interpretation of this word is "a peerlessBrahmin"[13] or "a staunchBrahmin",[45] since the same inscription also states that he destroyed the haughtiness of otherKshatriyas.[13] However, this term has also been interpreted differently as "the only protector of the Brahmins"[36] or "a proud champion ofBrahmanism".[48] Nevertheless, the king also patronized Buddhist monks.[45] According to one of his Nashik inscriptions, the monks were exempted from taxes and granted immunity from any interference by the royal officers.[46]
TheNashik prashasti also states that the king's joys and sorrows were the same as those of his citizens. It claims that he did not like to destroy life, even that of the enemies who offended him. The edict compares him to legendary heroes such asRama,Keshava,Arjuna,Bhimasena,Nabhaga,Nahusha,Janamejaya,Sagara,Yayati andAmbarisha.[18]
He exchanged land grant of Kakhadi with one hundrednivartanas of land in Govardhana to the ascetics.[49]
Gautamiputra Satakarni, aTelugu language film directed byKrish and featuringNandamuri Balakrishna in the titular role, was released on 12 January 2017.[50]
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)| Preceded by | Satavahana Ruler 2nd century CE | Succeeded by |
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