History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.Campbell, James M.
History
History of Gujarát: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Volume I, Part I.
Campbell, James M.
Gujarat (India) -- History
[Chashtana's Father.] The name Zamotika is certainly not Indian but
foreign apparently a corruption of some such form as Psamotika or
Xamotika. Further the fact that Zamotika is not called Kshatrapa or by
any other title, would seem to show that he was an untitled man whose
son somehow came to authority and obtained victory over these parts
where (as his earlier coins with the sun and the moon show) he was
at first called a Kshatrapa and afterwards (as his later coins with
the third symbol show) a Mahákshatrapa or great Kshatrapa. We know
nothing of any connection between Nahapána and Chashtana. Still it
is clear that Chashtana obtained a great part of the territory over
which [Chashtana, A.D. 130.] Nahapána previously held sway. Though
Chashtana's coins and even the coins of his son and grandson bear no
date, we have reason to believe they used a nameless era, of which the
year 72 is given in the Junágadh inscription of Chashtana's grandson
Rudradáman. [89] Though we have no means of ascertaining how many
years Rudradáman had reigned before this 72 it seems probable that
the beginning of the reign was at least several years earlier. Taking
the previous period at seven years Rudradáman's succession may be
tentatively fixed at 65. Allowing twenty-five years for his father
Jayadáman and his grandfather Chashtana (as they were father and son
and the son it is supposed reigned for some years with his father [90])
Chashtana's conquest of Gujarát comes to about the year 40 which makes
Chashtana contemporary with the latter part of Nahapána's life. Now the
Tiastanes whom Ptolemy mentions as having Ozene for his capital [91]
is on all hands admitted to be Chashtana and from what Ptolemy says it
appears certain that his capital was Ujjain. Two of Chashtana's coins
occur as far north as Ajmir. As the Chashtana coins in Dr. Gerson
DaCunha's collection were found in Káthiáváda he must have ruled a
large stretch of country. The fact that in his earlier coins Chashtana
is simply called a Kshatrapa and in his latter coins a Mahákshatrapa
leads to the inference that his power was originally small. Chashtana
was probably not subordinate to Nahapána but a contemporary of Nahapána
originally when a simple Kshatrapa governing perhaps North Gujarát and
Málwa. Nor was Chashtana a member of Nahapána's family as he is nowhere
called Kshaharáta which is the name of Nahapána's family. During
the lifetime of Nahapána Chashtana's power would seem to have been
established first over Ajmir and Mewád. Perhaps Chashtana may have
been the chief of the Uttamabhadra Kshatriyas, whom, in the year 42,
Ushavadáta went to assist when they were besieged by the Málayas or
Málavas [92]; and it is possible that the Málavas being thus driven
away Chashtana may have consolidated his power, taken possession of
Málwa, and established his capital at Ujjain.
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