Tripartite Struggle (78 A.D)
Tripartite Struggle (78 A.D) or Tripartite Struggle for Avanti[1]
| Tripartite Struggle (78 A.D) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Struggle for Avanti between Satavahanas, Kalinga and Western Satraps. | ||||||||
| ||||||||
| Belligerents | ||||||||
| Satavahana dynasty | Mahameghavahana dynasty | Western Satraps | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
|
Satakarni Gautamiputra Satakarni | Kharvela | Nahapana | ||||||
Background
The Naneghat inscription is thought to have been made during the reign of Satakarni I.[3] According to the inscription, he married Nayanika (Naganika), daughter of the Maharathi Tranakayiro Kalalaya, scion of the Amgiya (Ambhiya) family.[4] She wrote the Naneghat inscription, in which she describes Satakarni as "Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the unchecked wheel of Sovereignty".[5] The Naneghat inscription of Naganika suggests that Satakarni performed two horse sacrifices (Aswamedha), to proclaim his sovereignty.[6]
Kharvela–Satkarni Conflict
The Hāthigumphā inscription states that in the second year of his reign, Kharavela of Kalinga launched a westward campaign, ignoring the Satavahana ruler Satakarni. His army advanced to the river Kanhabennā, causing panic in Asikanagara, identified not as Maski but as Asika or Rishika modern-day Khandesh, west of Kalinga.[7]
The army likely reached the Vainganga River near Pauni, then the capital of Vidarbha under Satakarni's control, as confirmed by coin finds. The incursion alarmed neighboring regions like Asika, but the absence of a victory claim in the inscription suggests Kharavela's forces were repelled, likely by a prompt Satavahana response near Pauni.[6][8]
Kharvela Western Campgain
Kharavela launched another military expedition, this time deliberately avoiding direct conflict with the Satavahana ruler. During this campaign, he subdued groups referred to as the Rathikas and Bhojakas, compelling them to submit to his authority. However, the campaign appears to have yielded no lasting territorial acquisitions.[9]
Saka–Satavahana Conflict
The Satavahana power was revived by Gautamiputra Satakarni, who is considered the greatest of the Satavahana rulers.[11] The king defeated by him appears to have been the Western Kshatrapa ruler Nahapana, as suggested by Nahapana's coins overstruck with names and titles of Gautamiputra.[12] The Nashik prashasti inscription of Gautamiputra's mother Gautami Balashri, dated to the 20th year after his death, records his achievements. The Nashik prashasti inscription states that Gautamiputra uprooted the Kshaharata (or Khagarata) family, to which Nahapana belonged. The Nashik inscription dated to the 18th year of Gautamiputra's reign states that he reaffirmed a grant of land to Buddhist monks living at the Triraśmi peak. This land was earlier in the possession of Nahapana's son-in-law Rishabhadatta (also known as Ushavadata), who had donated it to the monks.[13] He (Gautamiputra Satkarni) claimed victory on them in an inscription at Cave No. 3 of the Pandavleni Caves in Nashik:
Gautamiputra Satakarni (…) who crushed down the pride and conceit of the Kshatriyas; who destroyed the Sakas (Western Satraps), Yavanas (Indo-Greeks) and Pahlavas (Indo-Parthians),[14] who rooted out the Khakharata family (the Kshaharata family of Nahapana); who restored the glory of the Satavahana race.
Reference
- ↑ Puratan. Department of Archaeology and Museums, Madhya Pradesh. 1986. p. 598.
- ↑ Carla M. Sinopoli 2001, p. 168.
- ↑ Alcock, Susan E.; Alcock, John H. D'Arms Collegiate Professor of Classical Archaeology and Classics and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Susan E.; D'Altroy, Terence N.; Morrison, Kathleen D.; Sinopoli, Carla M. (2001). Empires: Perspectives from Archaeology and History. Cambridge University Press. p. 169. ISBN 9780521770200.
- ↑ Raychaudhuri 2006, p. 346.
- ↑ Singh 2008, p. 382.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya (1974). Some Early Dynasties of South India. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 41–45. ISBN 978-81-208-2941-1.
- ↑ Sailendra Nath Sen (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International. pp. 176–177. ISBN 978-81-224-1198-0.
- ↑ Dr. Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi (1981). The History And Inscriptions Of The Sātavāhanas And The Western Kshatrapas. pp. 22–23.
- ↑ Dr. Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi (1981). The History And Inscriptions Of The Sātavāhanas And The Western Kshatrapas. pp. 22–23.
- ↑ Hultzsch, E. (1906). Epigraphia Indica Vol.8. p. 60.
- ↑ Charles Higham 2009, p. 299.
- ↑ R.C.C. Fynes 1995, p. 44.
- ↑ Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya 1974, p. 77.
- ↑ V.D, Mahajan (2016). Ancient India. S. Chand Publishing. ISBN 9789352531325.
Sources
- Singh, Upinder (2008), A history of ancient and early medieval India : from the Stone Age to the 12th century, New Delhi: Pearson Longman, ISBN 978-81-317-1120-0
- Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (2006), Political History Of Ancient India, ISBN 9788130702919
- Sharma, Ram Sharan (1991), Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient India, ISBN 9788120808270
- Rao (1994), History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh: From the Earliest Times To the Present Day, Sterling publishers, ISBN 81-207-1719-8