SHAKAS main Branches

The main branches were:

The Shakas of Taxiia The Taxila branch of the Shakas
ruled in north-western provinces of India with its capital at Taxila. The earliest Shaka ruler of this branch was Manes who is identified with King Moga. This branch ruled between 20 BC and AD 44.

The Shakas of Mathura Rajwul (Rajool) was the first ruler of this branch. The title of 'Mahakshatrapa' is in­scribed on the coins of the Shakas. Rajwul was succeeded by his son Shoddas. This branch of the Shakas ruled the area between eastern Punjab and Mathura.

The Shakas of Maharashtra The Kshaharata clan of the Shakas ruled the entire Maharashtra region and a portion of Saurashtra. Bhumaka was the first Kshaharata ruler. But the most important ruler of this line of the Shakas was Nahapana. He is known for his silver and copper coins and for issuing several inscriptions in both Brahmi and Kharoshthi scripts.

The Shakas of Saurashtra The Kardamaka dynasty of the Shakas ruled the Saurashtra region. The Kardamaka dynasty was founded by Chashtana, who was a feudatory of the Kushans. But Chashtana's grandson, Rudradaman, was the most important king of not only the Kardamaka dynasty but also the entire Shaka tribe. Rudradaman called himself mahakshatrapa. He conquered Malwa, Saurashtra, Gujarat, the northern Konkan and Mahishmati.

In about 58 BC we hear of a king of Ujjain who effectively fought against the Shakas and succeeded in driving them out in his time. He called himself Vikramaditya and an era called the Vikram Samvat is reckoned from the event of his victory over the Shakas. Henceforth, Vikramaditya became a coveted title, and consequently there are 14 Vikramadityas in Indian history.

The Shaka governors were called satraps, but the title became so popular that even when the governors became independent rulers they did not part with it. The Nasik satrapy had the great ruler Nahapana. The most important of the Shaka satrapies was the one at Ujjain founded by Chastana. About ten kings of this dynasty ruled but the most important was Rudradaman I, who .assumed the title Mahakshatrap. He ruled not only over Sind, but also over a good part of Gujarat, Konkan, the Narmada valley, Malwa and Kathiawar. Although a foreigner settled in India, he issued the first-ever long inscription in chaste Sanskrit-the Junagarh Rock Inscription; all the earlier inscriptions were composed in Prakrit. The inscription is a long panegyric recording his martial exploits and his reconstruction at Gimar (in Saurashtra) of the great artificial lake (Sudarshana Lake), which had been excavated under Chandragupta Maurya and improved in the time of Asoka. This inscription is among the earliest dated records of ancient India, and proves that Rudradaman was reigning in AD 150.