This
part of the catalogue is based on the work of AM Fishman (2013), The Base Metal
Coinage of the Western Satraps in India; and AM Fishman (2013) The Silver Coinage
of the Western Satraps in India
See Pankaj Tandon’s article on how to read the silver coins: https://people.bu.edu/ptandon/WK-Legends.pdf
The Western Kshatrapas,
or Western Satraps, (35-405 AD) were Saka rulers of the western and
central part of India (Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states). They were contemporaneous with the
Kushans who ruled the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, and the
Satavahana (Andhra) who ruled in Central India.
Altogether, there were 27 independent Kshatrapa rulers during a period of about 350 years. The
word Kshatrapa stands for satrap, and
its equivalent in Persian Ksatrapavan, which
means viceroy or governor of a province.
The first Kshatrapas
ruled parts of northwestern India as far as Mathura and may have been viceroys
of the Kushans. Eventually they became independent as they vanquished the
Satavahana empire, but retained the name of Kshatrapas.
The Kshatrapa
dynasty became very powerful with the accession of Nahapana
to the throne. Nahapana occupied vast portion of the
Satavahana empire in western and central India, although he was ultimately
defeated by the powerful Satavahana king Gautamiputra
Satakarni in 125 AD. Nahapana
managed however to build a strong power base in the west, from which his
successors would benefit. He also established the Kshatrapa
coinage.
The Kshatrapa
dynasty seems to have reached a high level of prosperity under the rule of Rudrasen II (256-278 AD), 19th ruler of Kshatrapa
The last Kshatrapa ruler was Vishwasen,
brother and successor to Bhratadaman and son of Rudrasen II.
A new family took control under Rudrasimha, but
was eventually conquered by the Gupta emperor Vikramaditya.
The Kshatrapas
established their own calendar, which starts in 78 AD and defines the beginning
of the Saka era, and which today the starting year for the official calendar of
the Indian Republic.