Ajay Kumar: Created a new article

2023-08-28T18:27:08Z

Created a new article

New page

{{Short description|2nd century Western Kshatrapas Śaka ruler}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Rudradāman I
| title = {{plain list|*''[[Western Satrap]]''
*''Rajno Ksatrapasa Jayadamasaputrasa Rajno Mahaksatrapasa Rudradamasa''}}
| image = Rudradaman coin.jpg
| caption = Rudradāman I coin, with corrupted Greek legend. [[British Museum]].
| reign = 130–150 CE
| coronation =
| full name =
| predecessor = [[Jayadaman]]
| successor = [[Damajadasri I]]
| spouse =
| issue = [[Damajadasri I]], [[Rudrasimha I]]
| royal house =
| dynasty =
| father =
| mother =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| date of burial =
| place of burial =
|}}
'''Rudradāman I''' (r. 130–150) was a [[Śaka]] ruler from the [[Western Kshatrapas]] dynasty. He was the grandson of the king [[Chastana|Caṣṭana]].<ref>Page 9, Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Volume 7, Asiatic Society of Bombay, Publisher: The Society, 1867, Original from Harvard University, Digitized 14 Jun 2008</ref> Rudradāman I was instrumental in the decline of the [[Sātavāhana]] Empire.<ref name="UP381">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Upinder |title=A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century |date=2008 |publisher=Pearson Education India |isbn=9788131716779 |page=381 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA381 |language=en}}</ref> Rudradāman I took up the title of ''[[Maha-kshtrapa]]'' ("Great Satrap"), after he became the king and then strengthened his kingdom.

==Reign==
As a result of his victories, Rudradāman regained all the former territories previously held by [[Nahapana]], except for the southern territory of [[Poona]] and [[Nasik]].<ref>Rapson</ref> The indigenous Nagas also were aggressive toward [[Śaka]] [[Western Kshatrapas|kshatrapas]].{{cn|date=November 2022}} Sātavāhana dominions were limited to their original base in the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] and eastern central India around [[Amaravathi village, Guntur district|Amaravati]]:<ref name="UP381" />

{{quote|"Rudradaman (...) who is the lord of the whole of eastern and western Akaravanti (Akara: East [[Malwa]] and [[Avanti (India)|Avanti]]: West Malwa), the [[Anupa]] country, [[Anarta]], [[Surashtra]], Svabhra (northern [[Gujarat]]) Maru ([[Marwar]]), Kachchha ([[Cutch State|Cutch]]), [[Sindhu]]-[[Sauvira]] ([[Sindh]] and [[Multan]] districts), Kukura (Eastern [[Rajputana]]), [[Aparanta]] ("Western Border" - Northern [[Konkan]]), [[Nishada]] (an aboriginal tribe, [[Malwa]] and parts of [[Central India]]) and other territories gained by his own valour, the towns, marts and rural parts of which are never troubled by robbers, snakes, wild beasts, diseases and the like, where all subjects are attached to him, (and) where through his might the objects of [religion], wealth and pleasure [are duly attained]".|[[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman|Junagadh rock inscription]].<ref name="sdstate1"/> Geographical interpretations in parenthesis from Rapson.<ref>Rapson, "Indian coins of the British Museum" p.lx</ref>}}

=== War with the Yaudheyas ===
[[File:Coin of Rudradaman.jpg|thumb|350px|Silver coin of Rudradāman I, 16 mm, 2.0 grams. '''Obv:''' Bust of Rudradāman, with corrupted Greek legend "OVONIΛOOCVΛCHΛNO".
 '''Rev:''' Three-arched hill or [[Chaitya]] with river, crescent and sun. [[Brāhmī script|Brahmi]] legend around (from 12 o'clock): [[File:Rudradaman I, Brahmi coin legend.jpg|center|350px|Rudradaman I, Brahmi coin legend.]]{{center|"Rajno Ksatrapasa Jayadamasaputrasa Rajno Mahaksatrapasa Rudradamasa": "King and Great Satrap Rudradaman, son of King and Satrap [[Jayadaman]]"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rapson |first1=Edward James |title=Catalogue Of The Indian Coins In The British Museum |date=1967 |page=78 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.533728/page/n290/mode/1up}}</ref>}}]]
Rudradāman conquered the [[Yaudheya]] tribes in present day [[Haryana]], as described in the Girnar rock inscription of Rudradaman. Rudradaman refers to the Yaudheyas as a militant republic of [[kshatriya]]s that confronted him as opposed to submitting:<ref>Rosenfield, "The dynastic art of the Kushans", p132</ref>
{{quote|"Rudradaman (...) who by force destroyed the Yaudheyas who were loath to submit, rendered proud as they were by having manifested their' title of' heroes among all Kshatriyas."|[[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman]]<ref name="sdstate1"/>}}

However, the Yaudheyas soon reestablished themselves as independent. Within the next century the warlike Yaudheyas became more powerful. The Yaudheyas were then conquered by the [[Kushan Empire]], who were the suzerains of the Western Kshatrapas, until ultimately by the [[Gupta Empire]].

=== Wars with the Satavahana Dynasty ===
Rudradāman fought many battles against the Sātavāhanas (or the Āndhras) and [[Vashishtiputra Satakarni]], the son of the Āndhra king Pulamayi, in an effort to end the hostilities, married the daughter of Rudradāman.<ref name="UP381" /> The inscription relating the marriage between Rudradāman's daughter and [[Vashishtiputra Satakarni]] appears in a cave at [[Kanheri]]:

{{quote|"Of the queen ... of the illustrious [[Vashishtiputra Satakarni|Satakarni Vasishthiputra]], descended from the race of Karddamaka kings, (and) daughter of the Mahakshatrapa Ru(dra)....... .........of the confidential minister Sateraka, a water-cistern, the meritorious gift.|Kanheri inscription of Rudradaman I's daughter".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Burgess|first1=James|last2=Bühler|first2=Georg|title=Report on the Elura cave temples and the Brahmanical and Jaina caves in western India; completing the results of the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons' operations of the Archaeological survey, 1877-78, 1878-79, 1879-80. Supplementary to the volume on "The cave temples of India."|date=1883|publisher=London, Trübner & Co.|page=78|url=https://archive.org/stream/reportoneluraca00bhgoog}}</ref>}}

Rudradaman maintained matrimonial relationships with Sātavāhanas and conceded the country of Aparanta to [[Vashishtiputra Satakarni]], his son-in-law and younger son of [[Gautamiputra Satakarni]], as [[dowry]]. In spite of the matrimonial link, at least two wars took place between them wherein he defeated Sātavāhanas but spared the life of Satakarni (probably, Vashishtiputra Satakarni), essentially because of their relationship.<ref name="UP381" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sircar |first1=Dineschandra |title=Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India |date=1971 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=9788120806900 |page=228 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AqKw1Mn8WcwC&pg=PA228 |language=en}}</ref> However, it is not known who was the aggressor in either of the wars and whether there were more wars between them.{{quote|"Rudradaman (...) who obtained good report because he, in spite of having twice in fair fight completely defeated Satakarni, the lord of [[Dakshinapatha]], on account of the nearness of their connection did not destroy him."|[[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman|Junagadh rock inscription]]<ref name="sdstate1">{{cite web |url=http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm |title=Source |publisher=Projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu |access-date=2008-12-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223182107/http://projectsouthasia.sdstate.edu/Docs/HISTORY/PRIMARYDOCS/EPIGRAPHY/JunagadhRockInscription.htm |archive-date=23 February 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>}}

[[File:Andhau stone inscription of the time of Rudradaman Saka Year 52.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Andhau stone inscription of the time of Rudradāman, Śaka Year 52 (130 CE). The inscription reads: ''"In the year fifty-two, 50, 2; on the second day of the dark half of [[Phalguna|Phaguna]], of (the reign of) the king Rudradāman, son of [[Jayadaman]], (who was the grandson) of the king [[Chastana|Caṣṭana]], son of Ysamotika, (this) staff was raised in memory of Rishabhadeva, son of Sihila, of the Opasati gotra, by (his) brother, Madana, son of Sihila."''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=F. w |title=Epigraphia Indica Vol.16 |date=1921 |page=24 |url=https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.56664/2015.56664.Epigraphia-Indica-Vol16#page/n47}}</ref>]]
[[File:Khavada genealogical stone inscription of Rudradaman.jpg|thumb|Genealogical stone inscription of Rudradāman: "Ghsamotika, his son rajan mahakshatrapa svamin Caṣṭana, his son rajan svamin Jayadāman, and his son rajan svamin Rudradaman." Khavada , Kutch district.<ref>{{cite book |title=Indian Archaeology 1960-61 a Review |page=44, item 22 |url=https://dokumen.tips/documents/indian-archaeology-1960-61-a-review.html |language=en}}</ref>]]

== Other details ==
[[File:Ashoka Rock Edict at Junagadh.jpg|thumb|The Junagadh rock contains inscriptions by [[Ashoka]] (fourteen of the [[Edicts of Ashoka]]), Rudradāman I and [[Skandagupta]].]]
[[File:Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman (partial, RGB).jpg|thumb|A portion of the [[Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman]].]]
The Sanskrit [[Junagadh]] inscription dated 150 CE<ref name="st-and1">{{cite web |url=http://www-groups.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/history/Printonly/Yavanesvara.html |title=Source |publisher=Groups.mcs.st-and.ac.uk |access-date=2008-12-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930080741/http://www-groups.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/history/Printonly/Yavanesvara.html |archive-date=30 September 2007 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> credits Rudradāman I with supporting the cultural arts and [[Sanskrit]] literature and repairing the dam built by the [[Mauryan]]s. He in fact repaired the embankments of the lake Sudarśana, which was constructed by the Mauryas for checking floods.

Rudradāman is also known as the king who was ruling when the Greek writer [[Yavanesvara]] translated the [[Yavanajataka]] from Greek to Sanskrit, which influenced astrology in India.<ref name="st-and1" />

While most of the scholars, following Rapson believe that Rudradāman ruled from Ujjain, there is no such evidence to support this. In fact, there is evidence to prove the contrary:{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}
# Jain sources mention that after Nahapana (40 years) and Gardabhilas (15 years), Śakas will rule Ujjain but for only four years. Caṣṭana no doubt has ruled Ujjain but he must have ruled it only for four years. His son Jayadāman (a Kshatrapa as against Caṣṭana being a Mahaksatrapa) was an ineffectual king and lost most of the territory won by Caṣṭana. This must have included all important Ujjain as well.
# Natural History of Claudius Ptolemy in 160 CE record Caṣṭana as the king of Avanti while it is known that it is Rudradāman who was ruling between 130 and 150 CE. Ptolemy was obviously referring only to the last best known ruler and if Rudradāman was ruling Avanti, he would have mentioned him, since he was certainly well known through his conquests.
# Truly speaking, Rudradāman made no reference to Avanti. He said he conquered Eastern and Western Akaravanti (Eastern Malwa) - Western Akaravanti being land lying east to Bhopal, which does not include any western part of Malwa or Avanti. Akaravanti, earlier called as Sudarsana, comprised only Eastern Malwa. Western Akaravanti does not refer to Avanti.

==Notes==
<references/>

== References ==

* Todd, James - ''The Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan'', Rajputana Publications, 1942
* Michell, George - ''PRINCELY RAJASTHAN - Rajput Palaces and Mansions'', Oriental Books, 1992
* Rosenfield, "The dynastic art of the Kushans"
*{{cite book |last= Divatia |first= N. B. |title= Gujarati Language and Literature |publisher= Asian Educational Services |year= 1993 |isbn= 81-206-0648-5 }}
* Buddhist critical spirituality: Prajñā and Śūnyatā, by Shōhei Ichimura, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers (2001), {{ISBN|81-208-1798-2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/0100_0199/rudradamancoins/rudradamancoins.html Coins of the Western Satraps]
* [http://coinindia.com/galleries-rudradaman1.html Coins of Rudradaman I]

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box
| title = [[Western Satrap]]
| years = {{Circa|130}}–150
| before = [[Jayadaman]]
| after = [[Damajadasri I]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Western Satraps}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudradaman 01}}
[[Category:Converts to Hinduism]]
[[Category:History of Malwa]]
[[Category:Western Satraps]]
[[Category:2nd-century Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:People from Ujjain]]

Rudradaman I - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article