India. Gujarat Region, Western Kshatrapas. Svami Rudrasenasa (Rudrasimha) III son of Svami Rudradaman II, as Mahakshatrapa. Silver Drachm 14mm (2.02 grams) Struck circa 336-348 A.D.. Reference: A. M. Fishman 34.3.294 Rare Bust of king facing right, date behind in Brahmi, corrupt Greek legend around. Brahmi legend in Prakrit Rajna Mahakshatrapasa Svami Rudradamaputrasa Rajna Mahakshatrapasa Svami Rudrasenasa, three arched hill with crescent in center, moon to left and sun to right, Brahmi legend in Prakrit Rajna Mahakshatrapasa Svami Rudradamaputrasa Rajna Mahakshatrapasa Svami Rudrasenasa.
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Rudrasimha III was the last ruler of the Western Satraps in India, in the 4th century. Rudrasimha III succeeded Rudrasena IV as the leader of the Indo-Scythians in India. Both were the sons of the Saka ruler Satyasimha, making them at least half-brothers, if not first-degree relatives.
The Western Satraps were ultimately conquered by the Gupta Emperor Chandragupta II. This event completely ended the rule of the Sakas on the Indian subcontinent. An inscriptions of the victorious Gupta king Chandragupta II in 412-423 CE, the Sanchi inscription of Chandragupta II, can be found on the railing near the Eastern Gateway of the Great Stupa in Sanchi.
The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (“Great Satraps”) were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of ancient India who ruled over the region of Sindh, Makran, Saurashtra and Malwa (in modern Sindh, Balochistan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh of India and Pakistan), between 35 and 405 CE. The Western Satraps were contemporaneous with the Kushans who ruled the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, and were possibly vassals of the Kushans. They were also contemporaneous with the Satavahana (Andhra) who ruled in Central India. They are called “Western Satraps” in modern historiography in order to differentiate them from the “Northern Satraps”, who ruled in Punjab and Mathura until the 2nd century CE.
The power of the Western Satraps started to decline in the 2nd century CE after the Saka rulers were defeated by the Emperor Gautamiputra Satakarni of the Satavahana dynasty. After this, the Saka kingdom revived, but was ultimately destroyed by Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century CE.
Altogether, there were 27 independent Western Satrap rulers during a period of about 350 years.
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