Mathariputra Ishwarsena or Mahaksatrapa Ishwarsena was the founder of the

Abhira dynasty The Abhira dynasty was a dynasty that ruled over the western Deccan, where they succeeded the Satavahanas. From 203 to roughly 260, they formed a vast kingdom. They were from the Abhira kshatriya clan. Abhira Era started by Ishwarsena in AD 249 ...

. He and his descendants, whose names occur in the

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

, seem to have ruled over a large territory in the Deccan. He took the title of

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested ...

n and an era was named after him. His descendants ruled for nine generations.

Early life and ascension to the throne

Ishwarsena was the son of Abhira Sivadatta and his wife Mathari. Another king claiming to be a son of Mathari is Sakasena. He is identified with Saka Satakarni, whose coins have been found over

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

and is taken to be a Satavahana king and successor of Yajna Sri Satakarni. However, K.Gopalchari thinks that Sakasena was a Abhira king. Reasons: * The name of Sakasena or Saka Satakarni does not occur in the Puranic genealogies of the Andhra-

Satavahana The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the l ...

kings. He claimed to be th son of Mathari, the wife of Abhira Sivadatta, as indicated by his epithet ''Mathariputra''. * The traditional title of ''Siri'' which is found on most coins and inscriptions of the

Satavahanas The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the lat ...

is significantly absent in the case of this ruler. * Considering the dynastic rivalry between the Saka Kshatrapas, the naming of a Satavahana prince with its main content as ''Saka'' is very unnatural and unlikely. * The Abhiras were earlier in the service of the Saka rulers of Ujjaini, and in those days, feudatory chiefs used to name their sons after the names of their overlords. The name of Sakasena was probably a result of this practice. The suffix of ''Sena'' in his name also suggests that he was an Abhira king and related to Ishwarsena. So this concludes that Ishwarsena's predecessor was his elder brother Sakasena, and he ascended the throne after his death. However, historian Ashvini Agrawal thinks he was a general in the service of

Rudrasimha I 300px, Gunda inscription of Rudrasimha, Saka year 103. Rudrasimha I was a Western Kshatrapa ruler, who reigned from 178 to 197 CE. He was son of Rudradaman I, grandson of Jayadaman, and grand-grandson of Chashtana. During his reign, the Abhira ...

who deposed his master in 188 A.D and ascended the throne. Ashvini Agrawal further says that

soon deposed him and regained the throne in 190 A.D.

Reign

Ishwarsena is the only confirmed ruler of his dynasty. He is mentioned in the Nasik cave inscription dated in his ninth regnal year. In the inscription, he is referred to have made two investments of 1,000 and 500 Karshapanas in trade guilds at Govardhana (Old

Nasik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nash ...

), for the purpose of providing medicines for the sick monks living in the monasteries of the Nasik hills. The areas which he controlled included Lata, Aparanta, Khandesh,

Ashmaka Ashmaka ( Sanskrit: ) or Assaka (Pali: ) was a Mahajanapada in ancient India which existed between 700 BCE and 425 or 345 BCE according to the Buddhist texts '' Anguttara Nikaya'' and ''Puranas''. It was located around and between the Godava ...

( Andhra), with

and its adjoining areas as the core territory. Ishwarsena started an era to commemorate his ascension in 284 or 249 AD, which later became known as the Kalachuri -Chedi era.

Numismatics & Epigraphics

Coins of Ishwarsena are dated only in the first and second years of his reign and are found only in Saurashtra and Southern

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern ...

. A number of feudatories of the Abhiras ruled in various parts of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

. One such dynasty founded by Ishwarsena is known from an inscription in cave XVII at Ajanta which mentions Ashmaka in verse 10.Maharashtra State Gazetteers: Sholapur-page-40

References

{{Reflist People from Maharashtra