Rudradāman I (r. 130–150) was a
Śaka
The Saka ( Old Persian: ; Kharoṣṭhī: ; Ancient Egyptian: , ; , old , mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit ( Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples who histo ...
ruler from the
Western Kshatrapas
The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, ''Mahakṣatrapa'', "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central part of India ( Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Prades ...
dynasty. He was the grandson of the king
Caṣṭana. Rudradāman I was instrumental in the decline of the
Sātavāhana Empire.
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
Nahapana (Ancient Greek: ; Kharosthi: , ; Brahmi: , ;), was an important ruler of the Western Kshatrapas, descendant of the Indo-Scythians, in northwestern India, who ruled during the 1st or 2nd century CE. According to one of his coins, he ...
, except for the southern territory of
Poona
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
and
Nasik. The indigenous Nagas also were aggressive toward
Śaka
The Saka ( Old Persian: ; Kharoṣṭhī: ; Ancient Egyptian: , ; , old , mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit ( Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples who histo ...
kshatrapas. Sātavāhana dominions were limited to their original base in the
Deccan
The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...
and eastern central India around
Amaravati
Amaravati () is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the river Krishna in Guntur district.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone at a ceremonial event in Uddandara ...
:
War with the Yaudheyas
![Coin of Rudradaman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Coin_of_Rudradaman.jpg)
Rudradāman conquered the
Yaudheya
Yaudheya (Brahmi script: 𑀬𑁅𑀥𑁂𑀬) or Yoddheya Gana (Yoddheya Republic) was an ancient militant confederation. The word Yaudheya is a derivative of the word from yodha meaning warriors.“Yaudheyas.” Ancient Communities of the Hima ...
tribes in present day
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
, as described in the Girnar rock inscription of Rudradaman. Rudradaman refers to the Yaudheyas as a militant republic of
kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...
s that confronted him as opposed to submitting:
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
The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gol ...
.
Wars with the Satavahana Dynasty
Rudradāman fought many battles against the Sātavāhanas (or the Āndhras) and
Vashishtiputra Satakarni
Vashishtiputra Sātakarni (Brahmi: 𑀯𑀸𑀲𑀺𑀣𑀺𑀧𑀼𑀢 𑀲𑀸𑀢𑀓𑀁𑀁𑀡𑀺, ''Vāsiṭhiputa Sātakaṃṇi'') was a Satavahana king, who ruled the Deccan region in India, during the 2nd century CE. He was the broth ...
, the son of the Āndhra king Pulamayi, in an effort to end the hostilities, married the daughter of Rudradāman.
The inscription relating the marriage between Rudradāman's daughter and
Vashishtiputra Satakarni
Vashishtiputra Sātakarni (Brahmi: 𑀯𑀸𑀲𑀺𑀣𑀺𑀧𑀼𑀢 𑀲𑀸𑀢𑀓𑀁𑀁𑀡𑀺, ''Vāsiṭhiputa Sātakaṃṇi'') was a Satavahana king, who ruled the Deccan region in India, during the 2nd century CE. He was the broth ...
appears in a cave at
Kanheri
The Kanheri Caves (''Kānherī-guhā'' aːnʱeɾiː ɡuɦaː are a group of caves and rock-cut monuments cut into a massive basalt outcrop in the forests of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, on the former island of Salsette in the western out ...
:
Rudradaman maintained matrimonial relationships with Sātavāhanas and conceded the country of Aparanta to
Vashishtiputra Satakarni
Vashishtiputra Sātakarni (Brahmi: 𑀯𑀸𑀲𑀺𑀣𑀺𑀧𑀼𑀢 𑀲𑀸𑀢𑀓𑀁𑀁𑀡𑀺, ''Vāsiṭhiputa Sātakaṃṇi'') was a Satavahana king, who ruled the Deccan region in India, during the 2nd century CE. He was the broth ...
, his son-in-law and younger son of
Gautamiputra Satakarni
Gautamiputra Satakarni (Brahmi: 𑀕𑁄𑀢𑀫𑀺𑀧𑀼𑀢 𑀲𑀸𑀢𑀓𑀡𑀺, ''Gotamiputa Sātakaṇi'', IAST: ) was a ruler of the Satavahana Empire in present-day Deccan region of India. He was mentioned as the important an ...
, as
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...
. 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.
However, it is not known who was the aggressor in either of the wars and whether there were more wars between them.
Other details
![Junagadh inscription of Rudradaman (partial, RGB)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Junagadh_inscription_of_Rudradaman_%28partial%2C_RGB%29.jpg)
The Sanskrit
Junagadh
Junagadh () is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state.
Literally t ...
inscription dated 150 CE
credits Rudradāman I with supporting the cultural arts and
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
literature and repairing the dam built by the
Mauryan
The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until ...
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
The Yavanajātaka (Sanskrit: ''yavana'' 'Greek' + ''jātaka'' ' nativity' = 'nativity according to the Greeks'), written by Sphujidhvaja, is an ancient text in Indian astrology.
According to David Pingree, it is a later versification of an earl ...
translated the
Yavanajataka
The Yavanajātaka (Sanskrit: ''yavana'' 'Greek' + ''jātaka'' ' nativity' = 'nativity according to the Greeks'), written by Sphujidhvaja, is an ancient text in Indian astrology.
According to David Pingree, it is a later versification of an earl ...
from Greek to Sanskrit, which influenced astrology in India.
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:
# 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
* 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"
*
* Buddhist critical spirituality: Prajñā and Śūnyatā, by Shōhei Ichimura, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers (2001),
External links
Coins of the Western Satraps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudradaman 01
Converts to Hinduism
History of Malwa
Western Satraps
2nd-century Indian monarchs
People from Ujjain