The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, Mahakṣatrapa, "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central parts of India (extending from Saurashtra in the south and Malwa in the east, covering modern-day Sindh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states), between 35 and 415 CE. The Western Satraps were contemporaneous with the Kushans who ruled the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, and were possibly vassals of the Kushans. They were also contemporaneous with the Satavahana (Andhra) who ruled in Central India. They are called "Western Satraps" in modern historiography in order to differentiate them from the "Northern Satraps", who ruled in Punjab and Mathura until the 2nd century CE.
The power of the Western Satraps started to decline in the 2nd century CE after the Saka rulers were defeated by the Emperor Gautamiputra Satakarni of the Satavahana dynasty.[2] After this, the Saka kingdom revived, but was ultimately defeated by Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century CE.[3] The Western Satraps, having been defeated by the Abhiras/Ahirs, declined rapidly during the second half of the third century.[4]
Altogether, there were 27 independent Western Satrap rulers during a period of about 350 years.
^Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 145, map XIV.1 (h). ISBN 0226742210.
^World history from early times to A D 2000 by B .V. Rao: p.97
^Ancient India by Ramesh Chandra Majumdar p. 234
^Singh, Madanjeet (1965). The Cave Paintings of Ajanta. Thames and Hudson.
independent WesternSatrap rulers during a period of about 350 years. They are named WesternSatraps in contrast to the "Northern Satraps" who ruled around...
adopted the title "satrap" for the semi-autonomous princes that governed one of its Armenian provinces, the Satrapiae. The WesternSatraps or Kshatrapas (35–405...
The Northern Satraps (Brahmi: , Kṣatrapa, "Satraps" or , Mahakṣatrapa, "Great Satraps"), or sometimes Satraps of Mathura, or Northern Sakas, are a dynasty...
again replaced by the WesternSatraps in the mid-3rd century CE, during the rule of Rudrasena II (255-278 CE). The WesternSatraps remained well into the...
Their power gradually declined as a result of defeats against the WesternSatraps (2nd century CE), the Gupta emperor Samudragupta (4th century), and...
the WesternSatraps. The greatest and the mightiest ruler of the Satavahana dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni who defeated the WesternSatraps and conquered...
consisted of Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, Kṣatrapa, "Satraps") and Mahakshatrapa (Brahmi: , Mahakṣatrapa, "Great Satraps"). Other areas of probable rule include Khwarezm...
designation of "WesternSatraps", Ptolemy's Geography still called them "Indo-Scythians". Altogether, there were 27 independent WesternSatrap rulers during...
rare silver coins which are more directly imitated from those of the WesternSatraps... they retain some traces of the old inscriptions in Greek characters...
such as the Kushan Empire and the Indo-Scythians. Rudradaman I of the WesternSatraps notes in his Junagadh rock inscription that the Yaudheyas were 'heroes...
Mauryas, the Satavahanas, the WesternSatraps, the Abhiras, the Vakatakas, the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, the Western Chalukyas, the Seuna Yadavas,...
Mathura. In Western India, as visible in Devnimori, the WesternSatraps (1st–4th century CE) developed a refined art, representing a Western Indian artistic...
inscription of Rudradaman, is a Sanskrit prose inscribed on a rock by the WesternSatraps ruler Rudradaman I. It is located near Girnar hill near Junagadh, Gujarat...
Shakas (the WesternSatraps) under Vashishtiputra Satakarni. He defeated the WesternSatraps and reconquered their southern regions in western and central...
A second casket included eight coins of WesternSatraps rulers, one of them being a coin of WesternSatrap ruler Visvasena (294-305). The coins are worn...
inscription made in the Nasik Caves by Ushavadata, a son-in-law of the WesternSatraps ruler Nahapana, in the years circa 120 CE. It is the earliest known...
was particularly focused around the regions of Gujarat, ruled by the WesternSatraps, and the tip of the Indian peninsular in Southern India. Large hoards...
Rajasthan. The Western Indian region was ruled by the Rashtrakuta Empire, the Maurya Empire, the Gupta Empire, Rajputs, Satavahanas, WesternSatraps, Indo Greeks...
numbers of silver coins clearly influenced by those of the earlier WesternSatraps by Chandragupta II. The silver Rūpaka (Sanskrit: रूपक) coins were weighed...
c. 380 BC, and most importantly, the revolts by the westernsatraps (known as the Great Satraps' Revolt) in the 360s and 350s BC, led by distinguished...
Vakataka royal family and, with their support, annexed Gujarat from the Saka Satraps in 4th century CE. The power vacuum left by the Vakatakas were filled by...
(right) coins Coin with the king's name in Brahmi script Silver coin in WesternSatraps style (15mm, 2.1 grams.) Various gold coins of Chandragupta II In addition...
Global Information
, Mahakṣatrapa, "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central parts of India (extending from Saurashtra in the south and Malwa in the east, covering modern-day Sindh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states), between 35 and 415 CE. The Western Satraps were contemporaneous with the Kushans who ruled the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, and were possibly vassals of the Kushans. They were also contemporaneous with the Satavahana (Andhra) who ruled in Central India. They are called "Western Satraps" in modern historiography in order to differentiate them from the "Northern Satraps", who ruled in Punjab and Mathura until the 2nd century CE.