imported>Chewings72 at 06:34, 1 August 2021

2021-08-01T06:34:55Z

New page

{{Short description|1st century BCE Indian Satavahana king}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox royalty
| succession = [[Satavahana dynasty|Satavahana king]]
| reign = c. 100-70 BCE
| predecessor = [[Simuka]]
| successor = [[Satakarni|Sri Satakarni]] (according to [[Puranas]])
| dynasty = [[Satavahana dynasty|Satavahana]]
}}
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction =vertical
| header=Inscription of king Kanha (100-70 BCE)
| total_width=270
| image1 = Nasik cave 19.jpg
| caption1 = <center>Cave No.19 of Satavahana king Kanha at the [[Nasik Caves]], 1st century BCE.<ref name="Alcock"/></center>
| image2 = Inscription Cave 19 Nasik.jpg
| caption2 = <center>Inscription of king Kanha in cave No.19, [[Nasik Caves]]. This is the oldest known Satavahana inscription, circa 100-70 BCE.{{sfn|Carla M. Sinopoli|2001|p=168}} In [[Brahmi script]]:𑀲𑀸𑀤𑀯𑀸𑀳𑀦𑀓𑀼𑀮𑁂 𑀓𑀦𑁆𑀳𑁂𑀭𑀸𑀚𑀺𑀦𑀺 𑀦𑀸𑀲𑀺𑀓𑁂𑀦 𑀲𑀫𑀡𑁂𑀦 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀫𑀸𑀢𑁂𑀡 𑀮𑁂𑀡 𑀓𑀸𑀭𑀢 ''Sādavāhanakule Kanhe rājini Nāsikakena Samaṇena mahāmāteṇa leṇa kārita'' "Under King Kanha<ref name="EP168"/> of the Satavahana family this cave has been caused to be made by the officer in charge of the [[Sramana]]s at [[Nasik]]".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Burgess |title=Epigraphia Indica Vol 8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/EpigraphiaIndica/page/n127 93] |url=https://archive.org/details/EpigraphiaIndica}}</ref><ref name="EP168">{{cite book |last1=Alcock |first1=Susan E. |last2=Alcock |first2=John H. D'Arms Collegiate Professor of Classical Archaeology and Classics and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Susan E. |last3=D'Altroy |first3=Terence N. |last4=Morrison |first4=Kathleen D. |last5=Sinopoli |first5=Carla M. |title=Empires: Perspectives from Archaeology and History |date=2001 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521770200 |page=168 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MBuPx1rdGYIC&pg=PA168 |language=en}}</ref></center>
| footer=
}}
'''Kanha''' ([[Brahmi script]]:'''𑀓𑀦𑁆𑀳''', ''Ka-nha'', c. 1st century BCE) was a ruler of the [[Satavahana dynasty]] of India. Historian Himanshu Prabha Ray assigns his reign to the period c. 100-70 BCE.<ref name="SEA_2001">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MBuPx1rdGYIC&pg=PA166 |title=Empires: Perspectives from Archaeology and History |editor=Susan E. Alcock |editor-link=Susan E. Alcock |chapter=On the edge of empire: form and substance in the Satavahana dynasty |author=Carla M. Sinopoli |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2001 |pages=166–168 |isbn=9780521770200 }}</ref><ref name="Alcock">Empires: Perspectives from Archaeology and History by Susan E. Alcock [https://books.google.com/books?id=MBuPx1rdGYIC&pg=PA168 p.168]</ref>

Kanha has been mentioned as "Krishna" ([[IAST]]: Kṛṣṇa) in the [[Puranas]]. According to the Puranic genealogy, he was the brother of the first Satavahana king [[Simuka]] (whose name varies according to the different Puranas).<ref name="SC_1974">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=78I5lDHU2jQC&pg=PA37 |title=Some Early Dynasties of South India |author=Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |year=1974 |pages=37–38 |isbn=9788120829411 }}</ref>{{Sfn|rao|1994|p=10}}

==Nasik cave==
Besides the legendary Puranas, Kanha's existence is also supported by an epigraphic record at Cave No.19 in the [[Nasik Caves]]. He is identified with the "Kanha-raja" (King Kanha) of "Satavahana-kula" (Satavahana family) mentioned in a [[Pandavleni Caves|Nashik cave]] inscription.<ref>{{cite book |author=D. S. Naidu |title=Andhra Satavahanas: Origins, Chronology, and History of the Early Rulers of the Dynasty |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hLkBAAAAMAAJ |year=1970 |publisher=Bharath |page=80 }}</ref> The inscription states that the cave was excavated by ''maha-matra'' (officer-in-charge) of the [[shramana]]s (non-[[Historical Vedic religion|Vedic]] ascetics) during Kanha's reign. Based on this, Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya concludes that Kanha favoured [[Buddhism]], and had an administrative department dedicated to the welfare of Buddhist monks. Also, the term ''[[Mahamatra|maha-matra]]'', well known in Ashokan inscriptions, indicates that the early Satavahanas followed the [[Mauryan Empire|Mauryan]] administrative model.<ref name="SC_1974"/>

Cave No19 at the [[Nasik Caves]] is located on the ground floor, to the left of the entrance of Cave No.18, and right under cave No.20. Cave No.19 has one inscription mentioning the dedication by a government officer during the rule of king Krishna of the [[Satavahanas]]:

{{quote|
𑀲𑀸𑀤𑀯𑀸𑀳𑀦𑀓𑀼𑀮𑁂 𑀓𑀦𑁆𑀳𑁂𑀭𑀸𑀚𑀺𑀦𑀺 𑀦𑀸𑀲𑀺𑀓𑁂𑀦 𑀲𑀫𑀡𑁂𑀦 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀫𑀸𑀢𑁂𑀡 𑀮𑁂𑀡 𑀓𑀸𑀭𑀢 
''Sādavāhanakule Kanhe rājini Nāsikakena Samaṇena mahāmāteṇa leṇa kārita'' 
"Under King Kanha of the Satavahana family, this cave has been caused to be made by the officer in charge of the [[Sramana]]s at Nasik."
|Inscription of Cave No.19<ref name="EI 93">Epigraphia Indica [https://archive.org/stream/EpigraphiaIndica/Epigraphia_Indica p.93 Inscription No.22]</ref>}}

This makes Cave No.19 one of the earliest to be excavated at [[Nasik Caves]].<ref>Archaeological survey of India [http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_maha_pandulenacaves.asp] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926230100/http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_tktd_maha_pandulenacaves.asp |date=26 September 2013 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Satavahana}}
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{citation|title=History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh: From the Earliest times to the present Day|last=rao|publisher=Sterling Publishers|year=1994|isbn=81-207-1719-8}}

[[Category:1st-century BC Indian monarchs]]
[[Category:Satavahana dynasty]]

{{India-royal-stub}}

Kanha Satavahana dynasty - Revision history

imported>Chewings72 at 06:34, 1 August 2021