The Early History of the Deccan (Parts I–XI) v1.c7.s7.6

v1.c7.s7.6

The extent of the Sātavāhana dominions and of those of their antagonists, the Western Kshatrapas, fluctuated continually according to the political vicissitudes of the times. The Purāṇas assert that the Andhras overthrew the Kaṇvas and thus acquired the empire of Magadha. But clear evidence of their control over the ancient imperial capital, Pāṭaliputra, has not yet come to light. They were definitely a Deccani power. At most they had two seats of government—Dhānyakaṭaka (Dharnikoṭa) on the southern bank of the Kṛṣṇā in the Guntūr District, and later Paiṭhana on the northern bank of the Godāvarī in the Aurangābād District. At its zenith their empire stretched from the Bay of Bengāl in the east to the Arabian sea in the west, and embraced the entire region between the Narmadā in the north and the Kṛṣṇā in the south. The conquest of Malwa marks the limit to which the progress of their rule beyond the Vindhyan range can be definitely traced. But Malwa was in fact the main prize at stake in the Śaka-Sātavāhana duel and hence frequently changed hands. The fate of certain parts of the Deccan, especially the territories round Nāsik, Junnār, and Kārle,¹ was subject to like fluctuations.