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Maurya and Gupta Period:
The golden era of our history begins with the rise of Chandragupta Maurya. (322 to 298 BC). It is evident from the Shilalekh of Rudradama that Gujarat was a part of India ruled by Chandragupta and remained under King Ashok from 273 to 237 BC.
The Shilalekh of Ashok, Shilalekh of Rudradama and the inscription on Girnar indicate that Maurya Dynasty extended to Surastra adjoining Kutch and remaining Gujarat.
It also shows that the Girinagar in the western foothills of Girnar was the administrative head quarter for this region. Having a sort of a governor. (Called Rashtriya or Rastrapal).24 Broad outlook of the rulers :
Following the fall of Maurya rule the Kutch was invaded by a series of outsiders.
Minendra a bahalik yavan (Greek) ruler in 185BC invaded and took over Sindh, Kutch and Surastra. Tarne believes that it was Apaldutta and not Minendra who invaded Kutch.
In the early first century the invasion of the Shak (Saka) swept over India. They were Scythian tribes.25 Their home land was in the plains between rivers Amur daria and Sir daria and were pushed out from their by the invading Chinese emperor.26 At the time of the Shak invasion the Greek power was on decline and there was no powerful Indian ruler to resist. They entered thru Kashmir thru Punjab and thru Sindh. The Shak in northern India known as northern Kshatrap had their capital in Taxashila and Mathura. Those who settled in Gujarat and part of Maharashtra were called Western Kshatrap. This western Kshatrps are important to the history of Gujarat as a whole and Kutch in particular. They had a stable rule for almost three centuries. Their hierarchy was dynastic, where the son or the grand son took over the reins: Bhumak (23 to32 AD) was the first Kshatrap ruler. His son Nahapan (32to78 AD) was second. He ruled for around 60 years over a large area extending from Ajmer in the north to Malva in the east to Saurashtra in the west and in the south, to south Gujarat, north Konkan, Ahemadnagar, Nashik and Puna27. I have found a coin of Nahapan from Nani Rayan.
Gautamiputra Shatkarni was followed by king Chastan, Jaydama, Rudradama 1st, etc (Pl refer the chart for complete list).
There is ample evidence of Khsatrap rule and rulers in Kutch. As we have already seen 12 Shilalekh (rock inscription) have been found from Kutch, 6 of them from Andhau Village on the northern border of Kutch. (Pl. refer to the Annexure II naming all the Shilalekh with the year and the place from of their find). The earliest one is from Dolatpar village and was of 6th year i.e. 84 AD, the beginning of Kshatrap rule in Kutch. The Shilalekh of Rudrasingh first (192AD) and the Bhartrudamas inscription from Movasa of year 299AD tells us of their influence till that period. 28
Dr Rashesh Jamindar (a noted historian) believes that from Chastan down to Rudrasingh, the kshatraps ruled Gujarat from Andhau in Kutch. Thus in a long drawn rule of these kings over Gujarat
24 25 26 27 28
Gujarat no Rajkiy Itihas. Vol. 2 Wonder that was India by Basham page 61, 62 Gujarat no Rajkiy Itihas vol. 2 Kshatrap kal nu Gujarat both by Dr.Rashesh Jamindar Gujarat no Rajkiy Itihas vol. 2 Kshatrap kal nu Gujarat both by Dr.Rashesh Jamindar Dr. Rashesh Jamindar
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