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Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c24: IX. Dynasties Contemporary with the Kuṣaṇas

Indische Paläographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c24

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Contents

IX. Dynasties Contemporary with the Kuṣaṇas

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**§ 77.** Now that we have traced the coinages of the Kuṣaṇas down to a period where the inroads of the Hūṇas (Ephthalites or White Huns) make a conspicuous land-mark in the history of India, it will be a convenient opportunity to return and describe the coinages of other powers contemporary with the Kuṣaṇas.

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**§ 78.** Kṣaharātas. --- This is probably the name of some Śaka family or tribe. The evidence is as follows:---(1) on the Taxila copper-plate grant of the 78^th year of the Great King Moga (v. sup. § 29), Patika is described as the son of Liaka Kusuluka, satrap of the Chahara[ta] and Cukhṣa (tribes);

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Bh.JRAS. 1894, p. 551, the tribal names corrected in accordance with Dowson's original reading (JRAS. 1863, p. 221) since verified by Bühler. For C.'s interpretation of these two words, v. sup. § 56.

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(2) the Lion Capital, in which mention is made of the Great Satrap Kusulaa, is dedicated 'for the worship of the whole of Sakasthāna' (Bh. ed Bühler, JRAS. 1894, p. 540);

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(3) Nahapāna is described as a *Kṣaharāta* (Brāhmī) = *Chaharata* (Kharoṣṭhī) on his coins (Bh.JRAS. 1890, p. 642, Pl. I), and known as a Śaka from the inscrr. of his son-in-law Uṣavadāta (C.CAI. p. 105; ASWI. IV, p. 101);

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(4) Nahapāna's conqueror, the Āndhra Satakarṇi, boasts of having defeated the Śakas and of having entirely uprooted the Khakharāta family (Old., ZfN. 1881, p. 320 = Ind. Ant. 1881, p. 226; ASWI. IV, p. 108).

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**§ 79.** Nahapāna. --- There is no sufficient ground for the identification either of Liaka Kusuluka with the Kuṣaṇa Kozola Kadaphes (Gard. p. xlix), or of Kṣaharāta with the Kharamoṣta of the coins (C.NChr. 1890, p. 171) or the Kharaosta of the Lion Capital (Bh.JRAS. 1890, p. 641; 1894, p. 549). There are, therefore, no coins, known at present which can, with any certainty, be attributed to this family except those of *Nahapāna* (**Plate III, 1**), the satrap who ruled over the southernmost conquests of the Śakas including "a portion of the Deccan or Marāṭha country, the northern Konkan, some portion of Gujarāt proper, and Surāṣṭra or Kāṭhiāwāḍ and Kacch." (Bh.JRAS. 1890, p. 642). Some of these territories were conquered from the Andhras (v. inf. § 86), and it has been conjectured by Bh. that the initial year of the Śaka era marks the date of this Śaka victory.

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L. c. For other views as to the origin of this era, v. §§ 72. 80; C.CMI. p. 3, refers the dates of Nahapāna's inscrr. to the era of the Mālavas, or Vikramāditya saṃvat, B.C. 57.

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In turn, however, Nahapāna was certainly defeated by the Andhras, and another family of satraps, probably at first acknowledging the supremacy of the Andhra king, takes the place of the Kṣaharātas.

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Oldenberg, ZfN. 1881, p. 322 = Ind. Ant. 1881, p. 225; Bühler, Ind. Ant. 1883, p. 272; Bhandarkar, Hist. Dek. p. 25.

§ 80. Kṣatrapas of Surāṣṭra

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— The first member of this family, whom C. regards as the founder of the Śaka era (CMI. p. 3) was *Caṣṭana* (**Plate III, 2**), who was, probably, for some time contemporary with Nahapāna, and, perhaps, had like him a Śaka origin.

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Bh.JRAS. 1890, p. 644, wrongly reading *Cutsa* instead of *Cukhsa* on the Taxila copper-plate (v. sup. § 33) sees in this tribal name the origin of the name Caṣṭana.

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His territory would seem to have been originally in W.Rajputana, and subsequently to have included Mālwa (capital Ujjain).

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Bh.JRAS. 1890, p. 644; Bhand., Hist. Dek. p. 28.

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After Nahapāna, the territory of these satraps probably embraced the districts originally governed by Nahapāna and Caṣṭana separately. The suzerainty of the Andhras was, apparently, alternately successfully disputed and reasserted during the reigns of the first two satraps, Caṣṭana and Jayadāman. The distinction between the titles mahākṣatrapa and kṣatrapa on these earliest coins may be thus explained --- Caṣṭana originally a simple kṣatrapa becomes a mahākṣatrapa, while his successor bears only the inferior title (Bh.JRAS. 1890, p. 645). The independence of this dynasty seems to have been permanently established by the third satrap, *Rudradāman*, who boasts, in his Junāgaḍh inscr., of having twice conquered the Sātakarṇi king of the Deccan, and of having won for himself the title of mahākṣatrapa (*svayamabhigata-mahākṣatrapanāmnāḥ*). After the time of Rudradāman, as is proved by the coin-dates, the reigning sovereign is regularly styled mahākṣatrapa; and the the heir apparent, who governed some portion of the kingdom as viceroy, is styled kṣatrapa.

§ 81. Coins of the W. Kṣatrapas

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— The silver coins both of Nahapāna and of Caṣṭana and his successors are copied from the hemidrachms of the Greek princes of the Panjāb — more particularly, perhaps, from those of Apollodotus Philopator (C.CMI. p. 3) and seem to follow the same weight-standard (the Persian, v. sup. § 8: hemi-drachm 43.2 grains or 2,8 grms.). Traces of this origin are to be seen in the fragmentary inscr. in Greek characters, which still continued to be repeated as a sort of ornament on the *obv.* of the satrap coins after its significance was lost.

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For attempts to explain these Greek letters as significant v. Th.JRAS. 1850, p. 52; Bh., id. 1890, pp. 643. 648; PE. II, p. 88.

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The coins of Caṣṭana, like those of Nahapāna, bear inscrr. in Nāgarī and Kharoṣṭhī characters: on all subsequent coins Nāgarī inscrr. only are found. The coinage throughout this period is chiefly of silver, but specimens in billon and copper are also known (e. g. C.CMI. Pl. I, 7--12).

§ 82. Inscrr. on Kṣatr. Coins

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— The long *rev.* inscrr. regularly give the names and titles both of the reigning satrap and of his father. The data thus afforded, when taken in conjunction with the dates on the *obv.* (v. inf. § 83), make it possible to reconstruct the outlines of this dynasty with an unusual degree of precision (v. Genealogical Table in C.CMI. p. 5). An interloper, named Īśvaradatta, who takes the title *mahākṣatrapa* and strikes coins dated in the first and second years of his own reign, is probably to be placed between the fourteenth and fifteenth members of the dynasty, Vijayasena and Dāmajadaśrī III (v. inf. § 84).

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There is a coin of an otherwise unknown Kṣatrapa, Satyadāman son of Dāmajadaśrī I, in the collection of Col. J. BIDDULPH. This coin is remarkable as having its inscr. in pure Sanskrit. For a coin of Arjuna, who may possibly also be a member of this dynasty, v. SMITH, JBA. 1897, p. 9, Pl. I, 15.

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§ 83. Dates on Kṣatr. Coins. — The inscriptional dates begin with the year 72 of Rudradāman's Junāgaḍh inscr. (v. sup. § 80). The coin-dates (**Plate III**, 3; Dāmasena, date 153) begin with the year 100, in the reign of the 5^th satrap, Jīvadāman, and continue regularly to the end of the dynasty. The last known dates are those of Rudrasiṁha, 310, and of his sister's son Siṁhasena, 304 (BH.JRAS. 1890, p. 662; C.CMI. p. 4). In determining the era to which these dates should be referred, it should be borne in mind that they probably do not mark the extreme limits of the dynasty. In the period of confusion, when the kingdom of the satraps was falling to pieces before the attacks of the Guptas, it is at least possible that no coins may have been struck. The earliest coins of the Guptas struck in this part of India have, unfortunately, no dates which have as yet been read with certainty (SMITH, JRAS. 1889, p. 123); but it is certain that the Gupta conquest took place in the latter part of the reign of Candragupta Vikramāditya (c. A.D. 380—414, SMITH, JRAS. 1893, p. 82). If, therefore, the coin-dates of these satraps be referred to the Śaka era, 78 A.D., the latest known date 310 = A.D. 388, would fall well within the reign of Candragupta; and there would seem to be no sufficient reason for the alternative which has been suggested by OLDENBERG (ZfN. 1881, p. 318 = Ind. Ant. 1881, p. 224), viz. that these dates should be referred to an independent satrapal era beginning c. 100 A.D.

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Cp. also Ar. Ant. p. 405; STEVENSON, JBRA. II, p. 377; NEWTON, id. 1861, p. 15; VII, p. 1; IX, p. 1; TH.JRAS. 1850, p. 1; FLEET, Ind. Ant. 1885, p. 325; PE. I, pp. 334. 425; II, pp. 69. 84. For the numerals, cp. also PE. II, p. 80; BHAU DĀJĪ, JBRA. VIII, p. 225.

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§ 84. Ābhīras. — These Ābhīra kings are known from inscrr. at Nasik, and also from the Pauranic lists (BHAND., Hist. Dek. p. 45; Tr. I. Or. Cong. 1874, p. 341; BÜHLER, ASWI. IV, 103 f.). They are known to have been connected with the Kṣatrapas of Surāṣṭra and Malwa sometimes as commanders of their armies (BH.JRAS. 1890, p. 657); and it has been suggested that they were the governors of the Sahyādris and Konkan during the same period (BH., Bomb. Gaz. XVI, p. 624). It has been conjectured that the interruption in the line of Mahākṣatrapas between Vijayasena, year 171, and Dāmajadaśrī, year 176 (v. sup. § 82), may have been caused by an insurrection of the Ābhīra king against his feudal lord. The contemporary Kṣatrapa, Viradāman reigns uninterruptedly through this interval, but the position of Mahākṣatrapa seems to have been usurped by Īśvaradatta who strikes coins apparently imitated from those both of Vijayasena and Viradāman dated in the first and second years of his reign. This conjecture is supported by arguments derived from (1) the formation of the name, and (2) the method of dating in regnal years.

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BH.JRAS. 1890, p. 656. BH. points out that if the last year of Vijayasena, 171, be the first year of Īśvaradatta, this = 248 A.D. may possibly mark the beginning of the Traikūṭaka (or of the Chedi) era; v. also C.CMI. p. 4. He also suggests that Māḍharīputa, who is usually regarded as an Andhra may be an Ābhīra. The use of metronymics is common to Andhras and Ābhīras (Bomb. Gaz. XVI, p. 623, note 2).

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§ 85. The Andhras. — The Andhras (Andhrabhṛtyas or Sātavāhanas), though classed by the Purāṇas among the rulers of Magadha, are, in historical times, a Southern Indian power, the capital of which was Dhānyakaṭaka Dharanikot or Amarāvatī on the Kistna in the Gantur Dist. of Madras (C., Geog. p. 540). But as, during the period for which the evidence of coins is available, their history is closely connected with that of the Kṣaharātas and the Kṣatrapas of Surāṣṭra and Malwa, and as the style of some of the coins themselves bears witness to this fact, it will be most convenient to discuss them here.

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§ 86. E. and W. Andhras. — At some time previous to this period the Andhra kingdom had been extended westwards across the peninsula from sea to sea, and northwards beyond the Narbadda. The provinces to the north of this river seem to have been conquered by Nahapāna (BH.JRAS. 1890, p. 642), reconquered by Gotamīputra Sātakarṇi I (prob. beg. of 2^nd cent. A.D.), and included in the satrapy of Caṣṭana. Of this western and northern portion of the Andhra kingdom, the capital was Paithan, the ancient Pratiṣṭhāna, on the Godavari in the Aurangabad Dist. of the Nizam's Dominions. It has been supposed (BHAND., Hist. Dek. p. 33) that at this second capital the heir apparent to the throne ruled as viceroy, bearing the same relation to the Andhra sovereign at Dhānyakaṭaka as the *kṣatrapa* bore to the *mahākṣatrapa* in the kingdom of Surāṣṭra and Malwa after the time of Rudradāman. This point is not determined by the coin-legends; but it is noteworthy that the two chief classes of Andhra coins correspond to these two divisions of the kingdom. The same names are found on the coins of both classes; but the Western coins, found chiefly in the state of Kolhapur, are distinguished from the Eastern, found chiefly in the deltas of the Godavari and Kistna, not only by their types (C.CAI. p. 107), but also by the fact that their inscrr. include certain names or titles not found on the others.

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*Viḷivāyakura<a* on coins of Gotamīputa (**Plate III, 4**) and Vāsiṭhīputa, and *Sevalakurasa* (BHAND., Hist. Dek. p. 20) or *Sivāla°* (C.) on coins of Mādharīputa. BHAND. (l. c.) interprets these as names of viceroys of the Kolhapur dist. He supposes the former to be mentioned by Ptolemy VII, 1, 83: Ἱππόκουρα (=? Karhād or Kolhapur, p. 44) Βασίλειον Βαλεοκούρου.

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§ 87. Types of E. and W. Andhra coins. — From a consideration of the types represented on the coins of these two classes, the following suggestions may be made: — (1) the 'caitya' symbol which is characteristic of the coins of Caṣṭana and all his successors is no doubt derived from the Andhras; (2) the use of the symbol found on most of the coins of Ujjain seems to be an additional piece of evidence of the fact that, before the Saka conquest under Nahapāna, Malwa was included in the Andhra dominions; (3) the style and types of other coins seem to connect them with coins ascribed to the Pallavas (v. inf. § 128).

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All the Andhra coins hitherto mentioned are of lead or of a peculiar alloy of copper; in fabric they differ greatly from the northern coinages; and nothing certain can be said about their weight-standard; but compare E.CSI. p. 23, note 2.

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There is, however, a third class, a specimen of which was discovered in the tope at Supāra, which is of silver, precisely similar in fabric and style to the earliest coins of the Kṣatrapas of Surāṣṭra and Malwa, and probably struck according to the same weight-standard (**Plate III, 5**). Of this coinage only two specimens are at present known, and both of them bear the name of *Siriyaña Gotamīputa Sātakaṇi II*, who may, perhaps, have been a contemporary of Jayadāman or Rudradāman.

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BH.JBRA. XV, p. 305, Pl. II, 7. 7a; BÜHLER, Ind. Ant. 1883, p. 273.

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§ 88. Succession of Andhra kings. — In regard to the order of succession and chronological arrangement of the different members of this dynasty there is at present great uncertainty, and this uncertainty extends to the attribution of the coins. Those bearing the inscr. *Raño Gotamīputasa Viḷivāyakurasa* (C.CAI. Pl. XII, 6. 7; E.CSI. Pl. II, 39. 40) are by some (Bhaṇḍ., Tr. I. Or. Cong. 1874, p. 351; Old., Ind. Ant. 1881, p. 226) assigned to Gotamīputra Sātakarṇi I, the conqueror of Nahapāna, and by others (Bh.JBRA. XIII, p. 308; C.CAI. p. 105) to Siriyaña Gotamīputa Sātakaṇi II, whose name occurs in full on other issues (§ 87; C.CAI. Pl. XII, 8—12; E.CSI. p. 25). The attribution of the coins of the successor of Gotamīputa Sātakaṇi I, *Vāsiṭhīputa Puḷumāyi*, who was probably contemporary with Caṣṭana, is, on the other hand, quite certain¹.

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¹ Bühler, Ind. Ant. 1883, p. 272. The synchronism of Puḷumāyi and Caṣṭana is in every way probable and is rendered almost certain by the quotations from Ptolemy VII, 1, 82 Βαίθανα (Paithan) βασίλειον [Σιρο]πτολεμαίου, and VII, 1, 63, Ὀζηνή (Ujjain) βασίλειον Τιαστανοῦ: Bhāu Dājī, JBRA. VII, p. 117.

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There is less certainty as to the position which the coins bearing the names *Māḍharīputa* (C.CAI. Pl. XII, 4) and *Vāsiṭhīputa Srī Vadasata* (id. 13. 14) should occupy in the Andhra series².

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² Bh. suggests that Māḍharīputa may perhaps be an Ābhīra (v. sup. § 84), and Bhaṇḍ. (Hist. Dek. p. 35) that he may belong to a branch of the Andhra dynasty; but v. Bühler, Ind. Ant. 1883, p. 273; C.CAI. p. 107. For the coins of the Andhras: C.CAI. p. 102, Pl. XII; Bh.JBRA. XIII, p. 303, Pll. III. IV; id. XV, p. 273, Pl. II; E.CSI. p. 28, Pl. II, 39—48; Th., Ind. Ant. 1877, p. 274; 1880, p. 61. Cp. also Proc. BA. 1882, p. 59; 1893, p 117; JBRA. XII, p. 407; XIV, p. 153; PE. II, p. 66. For the chronology: Bühler, Ind. Ant. 1883, p. 272; Bhaṇḍ. Tr. I. Or. Cong. 1874, p. 347; and Hist. Dek. p. 25 (rev. Miss Duff, JRAS. 1895, p. 693); Old., ZfN. 1881, p. 323 = Ind. Ant. 1881, p. 227.

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§ 89. Nanda Kings of Kārwār. — Similar in style and fabric to the large coins of the Andhras, and, therefore, probably belonging to the same period, are those bearing the names of two Nanda kings of Kārwār.

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C.CAI. p. 111; E.CSI. p. 31, Pl. II, 41. 42.