Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
1. Earliest references
- The Aitareya Brahmana mentions the Andhras as a people outside the Aryan fold.
- Megasthenes wrote of a powerful Andhra people with many fortified towns.
- Ashoka's inscriptions in Andhra: Erragudi and Rajula Mandagiri (Kurnool district); the Andhras appear in Rock Edict XIII among the peoples within his empire.
- Bhattiprolu (Bapatla/Guntur) — stupa with relic-casket inscriptions in an early southern Brahmi script, the ancestor of the Telugu–Kannada script.
2. The Satavahanas
| Point | Fact |
|---|---|
| Founder | Simuka |
| Capitals | Pratishthana (Paithan) and Dhanyakataka / Dharanikota (near Amaravati) on the Krishna |
| Greatest ruler | Gautamiputra Satakarni — "destroyer of the Shakas, Yavanas and Pahlavas" (Nasik inscription of Gautami Balashri) |
| Later rulers | Vasishthiputra Pulumavi (moved the centre to Andhra), Yajna Sri Satakarni — the last great ruler; ship-motif coins show sea trade |
| Literature | Hala's Gathasaptashati (Prakrit); Gunadhya's Brihatkatha (Paishachi) |
| Administration | Provinces (aharas) under amatyas; land grants free of tax to monks and Brahmins |
| Trade | Ports of the Krishna–Godavari coast traded with Rome and Southeast Asia — Roman coins found in Andhra |
3. Buddhism in Andhra
| Site | Fact |
|---|---|
| Amaravati | Great stupa; the Amaravati school of art — white limestone reliefs |
| Nagarjunakonda | Ikshvaku capital Vijayapuri; associated with Acharya Nagarjuna, founder of the Madhyamika school of Mahayana |
| Bhattiprolu, Ghantasala, Jaggayyapeta, Salihundam, Sankaram, Thotlakonda, Bavikonda | Stupas and monasteries along the coast |
RememberEasy way to recall
Satavahana art = Amaravati school; Satavahana literature = Hala's Gathasaptashati; Satavahana philosopher = Nagarjuna.
Revision SummaryQuick recap
- Andhras in the Aitareya Brahmana; Ashokan edicts at Erragudi.
- Bhattiprolu inscriptions — early script.
- Satavahanas: Simuka (founder), Gautamiputra Satakarni (greatest), Yajna Sri (last great); capital Dhanyakataka.
- Amaravati stupa and school of art; Nagarjuna — Madhyamika.