Central Indian
dynasty whose core area was in the Deccan plateau in the west ern state of
Maharashtra, and whose capital was in the city of Paithan.
The Satavahana dynasty was at its peak from the first to the
third centuries, when it ruled an area spanning the modern states of Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
It was in the Satavahana domains that the first cave temples
were constructed in the chaitya and vihara architectural styles, which paved
the way for later architectural forms.
