Western Satraps
Western Satraps | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35–405 CE | |||||||||
![Approximate territory of the Western Satraps (35–405) in dark green, circa 350 CE.[1]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Western_Satraps_map_%28highlighted%29.jpg/300px-Western_Satraps_map_%28highlighted%29.jpg) Approximate territory of the Western Satraps (35–405) in dark green, circa 350 CE.[1] | |||||||||
| Capital | Ujjain Barygaza | ||||||||
| Common languages | Pali (Kharoshthi script) Sanskrit, Prakrit (Brahmi script) | ||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism, Buddhism | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Satrap, King | |||||||||
• c. 35 | Abhiraka | ||||||||
• 388–395 | Rudrasimha III | ||||||||
| Historical era | Antiquity | ||||||||
• Established | 35 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 405 CE | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | India Pakistan | ||||||||
The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:
, Mahakṣatrapa, "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of ancient India who ruled over the region of Sindh, Makran, Saurashtra and Malwa (in modern Sindh, Balochistan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh of India and Pakistan), between 35 and 405 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 destroyed by Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century CE.[3]
Altogether, there were 27 independent Western Satrap rulers during a period of about 350 years.
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