The history of South Asia is a picture that we see of native dynasties and exogenous nomadic powers. In this picture, the Indo-Scythians, who in Indian records are referred to as the Sakas, take a preeminent role. From the steppes of Central Asia, they came, and after settlement in the northwestern frontiers and western India, they played a great role in cultural exchange and political reorganisation.

Origins and Migration

The Indo-Scythian story does not begin on the Indian subcontinent but in the areas which today surround the River Jaxartes (modern Syr Darya) in Central Asia. Out of a tribe of Indo-European ancestry, which was a part of a large Scythian group, these nomadic people grew. In the 2nd century BC, political changes in the steppe caused a great migration. Forced out by the Great Yuezhi, which in turn was also under pressure from the Xiongnu, the Sakas went south.

Their passage took them through Sogdiana and from there into Drangiana, which over time became known as Sakastan (modern Sistan), before they went into the Indo-Greek lands of Gandhara. This migration was a process that saw them in a constant conflict with the Greco-Bactrian and Parthian powers of the time.

Establishment of the Indo-Scythian Kingdom

By the turn of the 1st century BC, the Sakas had put down roots that would become a power base in what is now Pakistan and northwestern India, thus putting an end to the Indo-Greek kingdoms’ dominance. Also, it was an age that saw the rise of great rulers who, out of the fragmented tribal lands, created a unified political whole.

King Azes I, who is very much a figure of note (fl. 57 BC), also did much to see to it that the Saka territory was consolidated, which in turn saw their influence grow into the Punjab area, and they took key centres like Mathura. It was under his rule that we see the development of what will be telluric Indio-Scythian art and administrative styles, which in turn adopted and put their own spin on the Greek administrative and artistic models. Also, they kept the practice of appointing “Kshatrapas” (Satraps or governors), which would go on to define their rule for the coming centuries.

The Western Kshatrapas: A History of Resilience.

While the North Saka regions did see a fall to the growing Kushan Empire, a southern offshoot, which was the Western Kshatrapas, held on to their identity and had a long run in what is today’s Gujarat and Malwa. Also, this branch was very much into the political play of contemporary Indian powers.

A great leader of that lineage was Nahapana, who we see to have ruled the first and second centuries AD. He achieved virtual independence from the Kushan domineering and expanded the Saka territories deep into the Deccan. But his ascent instigated a very competitive relationship with the Satavahana dynasty. In a tale of epic conflict, the Satavahana king Gautamiputra Satkarni defeated Nahapana, after which he reclaimed lost territories and put a stop to Saka expansion.

After that defeat, Chastana had the line back on its feet, and later his grandson Rudradaman I, who was very much into his military campaigns and public works, which included the repair of the Sudarshana Lake tank.

Down and Out of an Era.

The Gupta Dynasty.

The end of the Indo-Scythian rule saw the rise of Chandragupta II. Also a proponent of the West as a trade asset, the Gupta emperor went to war with the last Saka king, Rudrasimha III. In 395 AD, we see the fall of Rudrasimha III, which in turn put an end to the Saka rule in India. We see the Gupta empire absorb Scythian territories, and also see the intermarriage and absorption of their people into the greater Indian culture.