Chastana with costume details.jpg

Chashtana (Greek: (epigraphic), ; Brahmi: ; Kharosthi: , ) was a ruler of the Saka Western Satraps in northwestern India during 78-130 CE, when he was the satrap of Ujjain.

Name

Chashtana's name is attested in the Greek forms () and (), in the Brahmi form () and the Kharosthi form (), which are derived from the Saka name , meaning "master".

Reign

Among modern scholars, the beginning of the Saka era is widely equated to the ascension of Chashtana (possibly to ''Mahakshatrapa'') in 78 CE.

A statue found in Mathura together with statues of the Kushan king Kanishka and Vima Taktu, and bearing the name "Shastana" ( Middle Brahmi script of the Kushan period: ') is often attributed to Chashtana himself."The three letters give us a complete name, which I read as Ṣastana (vide facsimile and cast). Dr. Vogel read it as Mastana but that is incorrect for Ma was always written with a circular or triangular knob below with two slanting lines joining the knob" in Chashtana is called Tisman by the bards, a spelling that matches the Greek rendition of his name more closely.

Chashtana was mentioned by Ptolemy as , ruling a large area of Western India into the 2nd century CE, especially the area of Ujjain ("Ozene"), during the reign of the Satavahana king Vasisthiputra Sri Pulamavi. According to Ptolemy, Chashtana directly ruled Ujjain, while Paithan (Pratisthana) continued to be ruled by Siristolemaios (identified with Sri Pulumayi, son of Gautamiputra Satakarni). Ptolemy in his "Geographia", where he classifies the Western Satraps as "Indo-Scythians", describes Chashtana's territory as starting from Patalene in the West, to his capital Ujjain in the east ("Ozena-Regia Tiastani", "Ozene, capital of king Chashtana"), and beyond Barigaza in the south:

Chashtana was the grandfather of the great Western Satrap conqueror Rudradaman I. Chashtana was founder of one of the two major Saka Satrap dynasties in north-western India, the ''Bhadramukhas''; the other, short-lived dynasty, the ''Kshaharatas'' ("Satraps"), included Bhumaka and Nahapana.

Coinage

The coinage of Chastana combines a corrupted Greek legend on the obverse, around his portrait, and a Brahmi script legend on the reverse around a "Three hills and river" symbol together with the sun and two moons.

Obverse: The obverse in Greek corrupted script typically reads "ΡΑΝΝΙω ΙΑΤΡΑΠAC CIASTANCA", transliteration of the Prakrit ''Raño Kshatrapasa Chashtana'': "King and Satrap Chashtana".

Reverse: The reverse in Early/Middle Brahmi script reads: RAJNO MAHAKSHATRAPASA YSAMOTIKAPUTRASA CHASHTANASA “Of the Rajah, the Great Satrap, son of Ysamotika, Chashtana". This legend is sometimes followed by the name "Chatḥaṇasa" in Kharosthi script.

References

Bibliography

* "The dynastic art of the Kushans", Rosenfield
*

{{Western Satraps
Western Satraps
2nd-century Indian monarchs
People from Ujjain