Defence Architecture in Early North Karnataka c10.s1: The Sātavāhanas:
Defence Architecture in Early North Karnataka c10.s1
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The Sātavāhanas:
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"After the disintegration of the Mauryan empire, the Sātavāhanas rose to power in the Deccan and their rule extended" (Ibid, pp.46-47) in Dakshina-Patha comprising Karṇāṭaka, Mahārāṣṭra and Andhra Pradesh, almost all the table land below the Vindhyas. This period of Satavahanas witnessed the gradual growth of strogholds in and around their territories for the first time, (Desai, P.B. *et al*., 1970, PP. 48-49). Pliny mentions of a powerful king of Andhra country in Eastern Deccan possessing 30 walled cities with very big army. Vāsiṣṭhiputra Sri Pulumāvi son of Gautamiputra Śātakarṇi in
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the second century A.D. appears to be the ruler of western Deccan in the region around Pratiṣṭhānapura i.e. Paithan, (pp.48-49). Probably, this is the first attempt by the Śātavāhanas to build walled curtains around their capitals and important cities.
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The Śātavāhana history is scanty and factual historical records are very rare. Based on the small pieces of historical events we will have to create a linking chain of the whole dynasty. The rulers of Śātavāhanas were 31 as per one stock of records while the other mentions that they were 17 only. Simuka, Pulumāvi, Gautamiputra Śātakarṇi, and Hāla are important kings. These noted kings and their feudatories were very active in building up the Sātavāhana empire, including Ujjaini, Vidiśhā, Nāsik, Pratiṣṭhānapura, Bodhan, Kalyāṇa, Sōpāra, Junnar, Dhānyakaṭaka, Sannati, Banavāsi of (Chūṭus) Viṇhukaḍa Chuṭukulānanda Śātakarṇi in the III century A.D. (Ibid, p.55). In a few of these cities e.g. Ujjain which are spread within and without Karṇāṭaka, the fort walls of bricks of the standard size of 50 cms x 30 cms x 10 cms may be seen in their extant remains.
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At Vaḍagāon - Mādhavāpura - a suburb of Belgaum, a Śātavāhana site was discovered first by Panchamukhi, R.S., (1945-46, pp. 1-2) and subsequently excavated by the Karṇāṭaka University, Dharwad. During the seasons of 1972-78, 1978-79, the excavation has yielded an impressive part of a town with wide street and bylanes, well designed houses on either sides of granaries, ring-wells etc. of standard bricks of the usual size (Sundara,A., 1981, pp.87-98). But the site has not yielded any sort of fortificational wall. However, it may be inferred on the basis of the well planned township, now unearthed, that it must have had a protective wall alround its habitational site. This aspect of fort wall now is overlain by the modern structural development in the proximity of the site, perhaps.