• The Shakas,also known as the Indo-Scythians or Indo-Sakas, were a nomadic Iranian people of Scythian ancestry who moved from Central Asia southward into northern and western portions of ancient India between the middle of the second century BCE and the fourth century CE.
• The ascension of King Chashtana marks the beginning of the Saka Era.

Origin

• The succession of King Chashtanamarks the beginning of the Saka Era.
• The Saka Era spans 11 to 52 years.
• This information was obtained from King Chashtana’s inscriptions.
• Scythians (also known as Sakas in Indian literature) were nomadic pastoral nomads from Iran.
• In the second century BC, central Asian nomadic tribes and tribes from the Chinese area entered the Scythian-inhabited territory of modern-day Kazakhstan.
• This encouraged the Scythians to migrate toBactria and Parthia.
• They marched towards India after conquering the Parthian monarch. 
• Indo-Scythians are Scythianswho moved to India.
• The Sakas possessed a greater Indian dominion than the Indo-Greeks.
• Maues/Moga(1st century BC) was the first Saka monarch of India, establishing Saka dominance in Gandhara and the Indus Valley.
• The Indo-Scythiansconsolidated their control over northwestern India, defeating the Indo-Greeks and other local kingdoms.
• TheKushan Empire, either Kujula Kadphises or Kanishka, appears to have subdued the Indo-Scythians.
• Nonetheless, the Saka continued to reign as satrapies, constituting the Northern and Western Satraps.
• The Indo-Scythiansappear to have been Buddhists, and many of their customs appear to have maintained those of the Indo-Greeks.
• After the Satavahana monarch Gautamiputra Satakarniconquered the Indo-Scythians in the 2nd century CE, the Saka kings’ influence began to wane.

Rulers

Maues (Reign 98/50 BC – 60/57 BC)

• The first Indo-Scythian monarch was Maues, also known as Moga.
• He was the ruler of Gandhara (present Pakistan and Afghanistan).
• He attempted but failed to attack the Indo-Greek provinces.
• Sirkap was his capital (Punjab, Pakistan).
• Many Maues coins have been discovered.
• They include Buddhist and Hindu symbols.
• Greek and Kharoshti were the languages used on these coins.
• By conquering Hippostratos, his sonAzes I gained control of the remaining Indo-Greek lands.

Chashtana (Reign 78 AD – 130 AD)

• He reigned over Ujjain as a Saka monarch of the Western Kshatrapas (Satraps) dynasty.
• The Saka Era is thought to have begun with his ascent to power in 78 AD.
• Ptolemy calls him “Tiasthenes” or “Testenes.”
• He founded the Bhadramukhas,one of the two great Saka Kshatrapa kingdoms in northwest India.
• The other dynasty was the Kshaharatas, who featured King Nahapana (who was defeated by Satavahana king Gautamiputra Satakarni).

Rudradaman I (Reign 130 AD – 150 AD)

• He is regarded as the greatest Saka ruler.
• He is a descendant of theWestern Kshatrapa dynasty.
• He was Chastana’s grandchild.
• His domain encompassed the Konkan, Narmada valley, Kathiawar, and other portions of Gujarat and Malwa.
• He was in charge of repairingSudarshana Lake in Kathiawar.
• He turned to Hinduism after marrying a Hindu woman.
• In addition, he published the first extended inscription in chaste Sanskrit.
• After becoming king, he acquired the title Makakshatrapa.
• He had marital tieswith the Satavahanas.
• His son-in-law was Vashishtiputra Satakarni.
• He did, however, fight in countless conflicts alongside them.
• He reclaimed most of the regions previously held by Nahapana via conquests.
• He was an advocate for Sanskrit literature and cultural arts.
• During Rudradaman’sreign, the Greek writer Yavaneshwara lived in India and translated the Yavanajataka from Greek to Sanskrit.

Coinage

• The Shaka (Indo-Scythian) currency is typically of great aesthetic quality, however it plainly deteriorates when Indo-Scythian power crumbles about AD 20.
• The Western Satraps maintained a high-quality but conventional coinage until the 4th century.
• Indo-Scythian coinageis often highly realistic, falling halfway between Indo-Greek and Kushan coinage in terms of aesthetic quality.
• It is often assumed that Indo-Scythian coinage benefited from the assistance of Greek celators (Boppearachchi).
• By employing the Greek language on the obverse and the Kharosthi language on the reverse, Indo-Scythian coins effectively continue the Indo-Greek heritage.

Art and Architecture

• Several Gandharan sculpturesdepict foreigners dressed in soft tunics and wearing the pointed headdress typical of Scythians.
• They contrast with depictions of Kushan males, who appear to wear thick, stiff tunics and are often shown in a much more basic fashion.
• Numerous stone palettes discovered in Gandhara are regarded as good examples of the Shaka art.
• These colours incorporate Greek and Iranian inspirations and are frequently implemented in a basic, ancient style.
• The Mathura lion capital, which is associated with several Indo-Scythian monarchs from Maues to Rajuvula, records the consecration of a Buddha relic in a stupa.
• Several reliefs in the same place depict Indo-Scythians with their distinctive tunics and pointed hoods in a Buddhist atmosphere, beside reliefs of standing Buddhas.

Indian Literature

• In India, the Indo-Scythians were known as “Shaka,” an outgrowth of the Persian word Saka for Scythians.
• Shakas are mentioned multiple times in writings such as the Puranas, Manusmriti, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Patanjali’s Mahabhasya, Vraha Mihira’s Brihat Samhita, Kavyamimamsa, Brihat-Katha-Manjari, Katha-Saritsagara,and others.
• They are regarded as part of a conglomeration of other northwest warlike tribes.
• The Valmiki Ramayana’s Bala Kanda has several references to the fighting Mleccha hordes of the Sakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, and Pahlavas.

Decline of the Shakas

• After their defeat at the hands of Satavahana Emperor Gautamiputra Satakarni, the Saka Empire began to decline.
• The Sakas ruled northwest India and Pakistan until the death of Azes II (12 BC), when the territory was taken over by the Kushanas.
• Their dominion in western India ended in the 4th century AD, when the last Western Satrap Saka monarch, Rudrasimha III,was defeated by Chandragupta II of the Gupta dynasty.