12 Questions
Where was one of the earliest known Satavahana inscriptions found?
Cave No. 19 of the Pandavleni Caves in Nashik district
Where was a coin of the Satavahana prince Saktikumara reported as a stratified find?
Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh
Where have the majority of the Satavahana inscriptions been found?
Western Deccan
Which location does not have any mention of the Satavahanas before the 4th century CE based on epigraphic evidence?
Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh
Which of the following locations is considered by some historians as the initial area where the Satavahanas came to power?
Pratishthana (modern Paithan, Maharashtra)
Who issued an inscription found at Cave No. 19 of the Pandavleni Caves in Nashik district?
Kanha
Who initially identified Chimuka with the dynasty's founder Simuka based on the coins found at Kotilingala?
P.V.P. Sastry
Which scholars theorized that Kotlingala was the original home of the Satavahanas based on the discoveries of coins attributed to Simuka's successors Kanha and Satakarni I?
Ajay Mitra Shastri and R.G. Bhandarkar
Which region is believed to be the origin of the Satavahana dynasty by some scholars due to the use of names 'Andhra' and 'Andhra-Jatiya' in the Puranas?
Eastern Deccan region
Who contested the identification of Chimuka of Kotilingala with the dynasty's founder Simuka?
P.L. Gupta and R.G. Bhandarkar
What did Ajay Mitra Shastri state about the finding of coins at Kotilingala?
'A clear pointer to the region where we have to locate the original center of the Satavahana political authority'
Why is it uncertain if the coins found at Kotlingala were minted there?
'The coin samples from Kotlingala are small'
Study Notes
Origin of Satavahanas
- The names "Andhra" and "Andhra-Jatiya" in the Puranas led scholars to believe the dynasty originated in the eastern Deccan region (present-day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana).
- Coins bearing the legend "Rano Siri Chimuka Satavahanasa" were found at Kotilingala in Telangana, leading some historians to theorize that Kotilingala was the original home of the Satavahanas.
Kotilingala Discovery
- Coins attributed to Simuka's successors Kanha and Satakarni I were also discovered at Kotilingala.
- However, the coin samples from Kotilingala are small, and it is uncertain if these coins were minted there or reached there from somewhere else.
Alternate Theories
- Some scholars believe the Satavahanas originated in western Deccan (present-day Maharashtra) due to the discovery of early inscriptions in the region.
- Four extant inscriptions from the early Satavahana period (c. 1st century BCE) were found in and around western Deccan.
Western Deccan Inscriptions
- One of the earliest known Satavahana inscriptions was found at Cave No.19 of the Pandavleni Caves in Nashik district, issued during the reign of Kanha (100-70 BCE).
- An inscription found at Naneghat was issued by Nayanika (or Naganika), the widow of Satakarni I.
- Another inscription found at Naneghat has been dated to the same period on a paleographic basis.
- A slightly later inscription dated to the reign of Satakarni II has been found at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh.
Findings in Maharashtra
- A seal and coins attributed to Kanha have been discovered at Nevasa.
- Coins attributed to Satakarni I have also been discovered at Nashik, Nevasa, and Pauni in Maharashtra.
Caution
- Carla Sinopoli cautions that the inference about the western Deccan origin of the Satavahanas is "tentative at best" given the small sample of early inscriptions.
Learn about the origins of the Satavahana dynasty, believed to have originated in the eastern Deccan region. Explore details about their coins found at Kotilingala in Telangana and the initial identification of the founder Simuka with Chimuka.
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