Saka Dynasty (The Shakas)- Origin, Culture, Important Rulers

Around the second century A.D., King Maeus most likely started the Saka Dynasty (The Shakas). The Indo-Scythians, commonly known as the Shakas, were an Iranian nomadic race who entered India by defeating the Indo-Greeks in North-West India.

• The Shakas seized control of a big portion of the country.
• Rudradaman, who reigned from 130 to 150 AD, was India’s most renowned Shaka emperor.
• Five lineages of the Shakas settled and established control in various portions of the Indian subcontinent’s north and north-western regions.
• With the fall of the final Shaka emperor, Rudrasimha III, by Chandragupta-II of the Gupta dynasty, the Saka era came to an end.

Origin Of Saka Dynasty (The Shakas)

• The Shakas were pushed out of their lands by central Asian nomadic people known as ‘Yueh-chi’ or ‘Yuezhi’ in the 2nd century BC, forcing them to invade India from the northern frontier of modern-day China. 
• Kushana was the name given to the descendants in the following generations.
• The Shakas conquered Parthia and Bactria, and the Parthian King was defeated. This prompted them to expand their operations in India.
• Maues was the first Indian ruler to establish the Indo-Scythian empire.
• The Shakas were categorised into five branches, and they established authority by settling in the Indian subcontinent’s north and north-western regions.
• The Shakas’ five branches established themselves in Afghanistan, Punjab, with Taxila as their capital, and Mathura, Western India, Upper Deccan, with Ujian as their capital.
• Among all of these diverse Shaka branches, the Central and Western Indian branches rose to prominence and ruled India for longer periods than previous Shaka monarchs.

Culture During Saka Dynasty (The Shakas): Arts

• The Saka specialised in similar techniques to other Iranian steppe ethnic tribes, which are collectively referred to as Scythian workmanship. The discovery of an undamaged imperial Scythian internment wagon in 2001 characterised Scythian monster style gold, which lacks the instant punch of Greek styles. The regal couple was buried with 44 pounds of gold at Kyzyl, the capital of the Siberian country of Tuva.
• Similar to Korea and Japan, Saka impacts have been identified. Various Korean antiques, such as the imperial crowns of the Silla empire, are said to be “Scythian” in design. Similar crowns may also be found in Kofun era Japan, which were transported via contact with the mainland.
• Following connections between urban China and the western and north-western line realms around the seventh century BC, antiquated Central Asian influences were visible in China. The Chinese took the Scythian-style creature craft of the steppes (portraits of beasts secured in combat), particularly the rectangular gold or bronze belt-plaques, and remade them in jade and steatite.
• Some Saka may have relocated to the Yunnan region of southern China after being expelled by the Yuezhi. Saka warriors might have also served as hired troops for the several rulers of ancient China. Excavations of the Dian culture of Yunnan’s ancient speciality have discovered pursuit scenes with Caucasoid horsemen dressed in Central Asian garb.

Important Rulers Of Saka Dynasty (The Shakas)

Maues

• King Moga was another name for King Maues.
• He is credited as being India’s first Shaka or Indo-Scythian emperor, and he established Shaka dominion over the Gandhara area, which includes modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• He conducted a series of unsuccessful expeditions beyond the Jhelum River against the Indo-Greeks.
• During his reign, he minted a large number of copper coins and a smaller amount of silver coins.
• Greek and Kharosthi scripts were the languages used on his coins.
• The coins also feature motifs and symbols of Buddhist and Hindu deities from India.
• Shaka King Moga’s inscriptions include the renowned Taxila copper plate, which provides exact information inscribed in the Kharosthi script.

Nahapana

• Under King Nahapana, the Shaka Empire ascended to prominence once more.
• His significance in the central and western satrap areas is evidenced by his mention in many Maharashtra and Satavahana inscriptions.
• He is the founder of the ‘Kshaharatas dynasty,’ one of the two famous Shaka Kshatrapa empires in North and North-Western India.
• Later, he was vanquished by Satavahana dynasty monarch Gautamiputra Satakarni.

Chashtana

• King Chashtana was Nahapana’s successor.
• The Shaka King Chashtana reigned over the Western Kshatrapas or Satraps, with Ujjain as his capital.
• Ptolemy admired him and called him “Testenes” or “Tiasthenes.”
• Following Nahapana, he was the founder of the ‘Bhadramukhas dynasty,’ which ruled North and North-Western India.

Rudradaman I

• Rudradaman I was the Shaka king Nahapana’s grandson.
• He is regarded as the most powerful and renowned of all Shaka Rulers.
• He turned Ujjain, his capital, into a thriving cultural and educational centre. After being anointed King, he took the title ‘Makakshatrapa.’
• Rudradaman I is regarded as a reformer of Sanskrit literature and art.
• He is also the first emperor to release a lengthy inscription in Sanskrit, which was previously only written in Prakrit.
• His most well-known effort is the restoration of Chandragupta Maurya’s Sudarshana lake in the Kathiawar area.
• According to the Junagarh rock inscription, he ruled over the extensive Western satrap dynasty, which included Kathiawar, the Narmada valley, the Konkan, and portions of Malwa (excluding Pune and Nasik), as well as Gujarat.
• Following his marriage to a Hindu woman, he converted to Hinduism.
• Through conquest, he restored most of the provinces lost to the Satavahanas during the Nahapana era.

Decline Of Saka Dynasty (The Shakas)

• After a defeat by the Kushan Kingdom, the Shaka empire in the Gandara area (north-western Pakistan) began to crumble during the reign of Azes-II.
• The King of the Satavahana Empire, Gautamiputra Satakarni, dealt another severe blow to the Shaka dominion in the Indian subcontinent.
• Finally, Chandragupta-II of the Gupta Empire conquered Rudrasimha III, the last of the Shaka kings of the western satrap area, and reduced the Shakas to a tiny regional monarchy.

Conclusion

This article will teach you all you need to know about the Saka Dynasty (The Shakas), which is a vital topic for many exams. Prepare properly for your test, and I hope this post has been of assistance to you. One can check the Oliveboard site for articles like this.

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