Elephant right, Ujjain symbol in the upper left, Rano [Vasithiputasa Siri Chimukasa] // Tree-in-railing. 18x19mm, 5.83 grams. Newase-Paithan type (modern Ahmednagar district). Pieper 2021 #2610.

The Satavahanas were a major Indian dynasty that ruled much of the Deccan from approximately the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD. Emerging after the decline of the Mauryan Empire, they controlled important trade routes linking northern and southern India and the ports of the western coast. Their greatest rulers included Gautamiputra Satakarni, who defeated the Western Kshatrapa ruler Nahapana and recovered large territories in western India. The Satavahanas were important patrons of Buddhism as well as Brahmanical traditions and supported major religious centers such as Nashik, Karla, and Amaravati. Their extensive coinage, struck in lead, copper, potin, and silver, provides an important source for the political and economic history of the Deccan.