History · Ch 3 — Kinship, Caste and Class — Early Societies
Non-Kshatriya kings
Non-Kshatriya kings
The Shastras laid down a clear rule: only Kshatriyas could be kings. But the actual history of early India tells a different story. Several important ruling dynasties had origins that did not fit this rule at all.
The Mauryas, who built the largest empire of their time, are a prime example. Later Buddhist texts claimed they were Kshatriyas, but Brahmanical texts described them as being of “low” origin. This debate shows that social status was not fixed — it could be contested depending on who was writing the account.
The Shungas and the Kanvas, who followed the Mauryas, were Brahmanas. This is a direct contradiction of the Shastric rule. In practice, political power was open to anyone who could gather support and resources. Birth as a Kshatriya was rarely the deciding factor.
Then came the Shakas from Central Asia. Brahmanas labelled them mlechchhas — barbarians or outsiders. Yet Rudradaman, the most famous Shaka ruler (around the second century CE), left one of the earliest Sanskrit inscriptions. It describes how he rebuilt the Sudarshana lake (mentioned in Chapter 2). This tells us that even powerful mlechchhas were familiar with and participated in Sanskritic traditions.
The Satavahanas present the most complicated case. Their greatest ruler, Gotami-puta Siri-Satakani, made several contradictory claims:
- He called himself a unique Brahmana (eka bamhana).
- He also claimed to be a destroyer of the pride of Kshatriyas.
- He boasted that he had prevented intermarriage among the four varnas.
- Yet he entered into a marriage alliance with the family of Rudradaman, a Shaka mlechchha. …
The figure shows a silver coin from around the fourth century CE, bearing the portrait of a Shaka ruler. The coin is a physical artefact that illustrates a key point in the section: the Shakas, though regarded as mlechchhas (barbarians or outsiders) by Brahmanas, actively adopted Sanskritic traditions. The portrait itself is a sign of their political power and cultural integration — they minted coins in the style of Indian rulers, with their own image, just as earlier Indian kings had done.
The coin’s presence in the chapter reinforces the text’s argument that political power was not limited to Kshatriyas. The Shakas, who came from Central Asia, were outsiders by birth, yet they ruled territories in western India and issued coins with Sanskrit inscriptions and royal imagery. The figure thus serves as visual evidence that mlechchha rulers could become patrons of Sanskritic culture, as seen in the earlier example of Rudradaman (second century CE) who rebuilt the Sudarshana lake and left one of the earliest Sanskrit inscriptions. …