Chutu dynasty

Origins

At least two of the Chutu kings bore the title of "Satakarni", which is associated with the more notable Satavahana dynasty, and which was also borne by ministers and ordinary people in the Satavahana period. The exact relationship between the Chutus and the Satavahanas is uncertain. Modern historians variously believe the Chutu family originated as a branch of the Satavahanas, was descended from the Satavahana princesses, or simply succeeded the Satavahanas in the southern Deccan.

Numismatist Michael Mitchiner speculates the Chutus may have been of Indo-Scythian (Shaka) origin. According to him, some Chutu coins bear designs copied from Indo-Scythian coins. For example, the obverse of two lead coins found at Kondapur features a swastika surrounded by a legend "reminds one of the Kshaharata coins stuck for Ladhanes and Pisayu". The reverse of the same coin bears an arrow and a thunderbolt that seems to be derived from the coins of Bhumaka and Nahapana. According to V. V. Mirashi's interpretation, the issuers of such coins variously call themselves Shakas or members of the Chutu family. Mirashi and Mitchiner read the legend on the coin as Mahasenapatisa Baradajaputasa Saga Mana Chutukulasa, which means "of the Maha-senapati (chief commander) Saka Mana, the son of Baradaja, of the Chutu family". Mitchiner notes that according to a Nashik inscription, the Satavahana king Gautamiputra Satakarni issued an order from his "camp of victory" at Vaijayanti (the ancient name of Banavasi). He theorizes the Chutus were originally Indo-Scythian chiefs, who became Satavahana feudatories when Gautamiputra defeated the Indo-Scythian king Nahapana around 125 CE. Subsequently, they participated in Satavahana military campaigns: one Chutu chief was appointed as the Mahasenapati in the Kondapur region, while another was appointed to govern the newly-captured city of Banavasi.

Historian D. C. Sircar has disputed Mirashi's reading of the coin legend, arguing the expression Saga Mana Chutukulasa cannot be interpreted as "Saka Mana of the Chutu family". Sircar argues if this was the meaning intended, the expression would have been Chutu-kulasa Saga-Manasa or Chutu-kula-Saga-Manasa. Sircar instead reads the term Saga-Mana as Sagamana ("of the Sagamas, that is, belonging to the Sagama family"). The Chutu coins discovered from Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh and the southern part of Telangana prove the Chutus held sway in and around the Srisailam (Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh) or Sriparvata area which explained their title of Sriparvatiyas (the masters of the Sriparvata region). In medieval times, the Srisailam region or the Sriparvata area was known as Kannadu and Kannavisaya which is the contracted form of Satakarninadu and Satakarnivisaya. Satakarninadu and Satakarnivisaya seem to be identical with the Satavahanihara of the Myakadoni inscription of Pulumayi, or the Satavahaniratta of the Hirehadagalli grant. The Chutus continued to use the title Satakanni along with their names and regions, but later dropped the Sata part of Satakanni and used only the title of Kanni.

Political history

The Chutus ruled a kingdom centered around the city of Banavasi in present-day Karnataka for over two centuries, from c. 125 CE to c. 345 CE. The Chutus were probably subordinate to the Satavahanas in the beginning, and assumed independence when Satavahana power declined. They were probably one of the several dynasties described collectively as "Andhra-bhritya" ("servants of the Andhras, that is, the Satavahanas) in the Puranas. Numismatic evidence suggests the Chutus were surrounded by other Satavahana feudatories: the Kuras of Kolhapur in the north and the Sadakana Maharathis of Chandravalli. The coins issued by these three families are similar, and most of these coins can be dated to the 2nd century CE. Coins discovered at Chandravalli and Kondapur bear the legend of "Maharathi Sadakana Chutu Krishna", which suggests the Chutus consolidated their power by intermarriage with the other feudatory families.

Numismatic evidence also indicates that by the last quarter of the 2nd century CE, the power of these three feudatory families was eclipsed by the Satavahanas, who appear to have assumed greater control over their territories. This is suggested by the discovery of the coins of the Satavahana ruler Yajna Sri Satakarni at Bramhapuri (Kolhapur) and Chandravalli: the Satavahana coins were found in a more recent strata compared to the coins of the feudatory dynasties. When Satavahana power declined in the first half of the 3rd century CE, the Chutus retained their authority at Banavasi, unlike the Kuras and the Sadakana Maharathis. Their rule is attested by at least four inscriptions dated between the 260s and 340s CE. Historian Sailendra Nath Sen states that after the fall of the Satavahanas post the end of the reign of Pulumayi IV in 225 CE, the Chutus appear to have controlled the far-flung areas of the south-western parts of the erstwhile Satavahana empire. They subsequently extended their power in the north and the east. According to historian Teotónio R. De Souza, following the rule of Shak Satakarni of the Satavahanas, the Chutus ruling from Banavasi, probably also gained control of the Konkan and places in Goa like Kunkalli, Balli, and Kankon, as subordinates of the Bhojas.

Che hutu dynasty came to an end probably in the first or second half of the third century, that is, around 250–275 CE. Two kings of the Chutu dynasty tre known through inscriptions, Hariti-putra Chutu-kadananda Satakarni and his grandson Hariti-putra Siva-skanda-varman, who ruled in Banavasi before its conquest by the Kadamba dynasty. In 222 CE, Prithivi-sena, son of Rudra-sena I, was reigning as the Western Kshatrapa ruler, in succession to the latter - Hariti-putra Siva-skanda-varman. The Chutus appear to have continued the policy of consolidating their power by intermarriage with their neighbours: this is suggested by an Ikshvaku dynasty record which states the "Maharaja of Vanavasa" (presumably the Chutu ruler of Banavasi) married a daughter of the Ikshvaku king Vira-purusha-datta. Mitchiner also believes the occurrence of the name "Satakarni" in the names of the Chutu kings (Vishnurudra Sivalananda Satakarni and Haritiputra Vishnukada Chutukulananda Satakarni) suggests the Chutus also married into the Satavahana family. The Chutu king Sivalananda is attested by a 278 CE inscription of the Abhira ruler Vasushena from Nagarjunakonda.

Religion

According to Mitchiner, the designs on the Chutu coins suggest they may have been Buddhists, although they also patronised Hinduism. According to an inscription in the town of Malavalli in southern Karnataka, one of their rulers, King Haritiputra Satakarni donated the village of Belgame to a group of Hindu priests. Belgame, not to be confused with its namesake in northwestern Karnataka, was located in the Shimoga district in Central Karnataka and is known as Balligavi today. The priests built five mathas, three puras and seven gurukulas there and developed Belgame as an important centre of learning and knowledge. The original grant was revived by another Chutu ruler, King Haritiputra Shiva-skandavarman and the sacred town was later expanded by the succeeding Kadamba rulers.

Successors

The Chalukya dynasty of Badami, which later controlled much of present-day Karnataka, claimed descent from a son of Hariti (a woman of the Harita gotra) and of Manavya gotra. The Chalukyas had appropriated this genealogy from the Kadamba dynasty, who ruled Banavasi before them and after the Chutus. The Kadambas, in turn, had appropriated this genealogy from the Chutus. Historian Sailendra Nath Sen theorizes the Chalukyas were related to the Chutus and the Kadambas "in some way".

Inscriptions

Banavasi inscription

The stone inscription at Banavasi (Vanavasi or Vaijayanti in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka) mentions Haritiputra Visnukada Chutukulananda Satakarni, who in the 12th year of his reign made a gift of a Nagashilpa, a tank and a Vihara. The nearby Malavalli inscription refers the same king Manavyasa Gotra Haritiputra Visnukadda Chutukulananda Satakarni, the king of Banavasi, who in the 1st year of his reign made the grant of a village. A stone inscription on the same pillar by a Kadamba king of the 5th century mentions a prior chieftain, Manavyasa Gotra Haritiputra Vaijayantipati Sivaskandavarman who also ruled this area. Based on this inscription and Rapson's opinion on Kanheri and this inscriptions, historian Gabriel Jouveau-Dubreuil states the Chutus succeeded the Satavahanas in both the Karnataka and the Aparanta (Konkan and western Maharashtra) regions. However, Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya states the succession occurred at a later date, when the Chutus had gained control over the northern part of the Kannada and Malayalam speaking regions.

Haritiputra-Satakarni issued an order to the chief revenue commissioner Mahavallabha-Rajjuka to grant the village of Sahalavati to a certain Kondamana as a Brahmin endowment in 175 CE for the enjoyment of the Mattapatti (Malavalli) god with the exemption of the soldier's entry (abhatappavesam). Another record states king Satakami had a daughter named Mahabhoja-Nagasri who made a grant of a tank and a Vihara to the Madhukeswara temple.

Coinage

Chutu coins have been discovered at Karwar and Chandravalli. Their coins are mostly minted of lead, belonging to Mulananda c. 125–345. One coin shows an arched hill (or stupa?) with a river motif below on the obverse and a tree within a railed lattice; and a Nandipada to the right on the Reverse.