History of Maharashtra
The area that constitutes the present day state of Maharashtra was the scene of the flourishing of many dynasties. After coming into the control of the Mauryan Empire, Satavahana kingdom held its sway over the territory. Junnar , thirty miles north of Pune, was the capital of the Satavahanas at one point of time. During the Satavahana period, Maharashtra became a great centre of culture and learning. The official language of Satavahana was Maharashtri , which later developed into Marathi. The greatest ruler of the Satavahana dynasty was Gautamiputra Satkarni , who took pride in calling himself the destroyer of the Sakas (Scythians), Yavanas (Greeks) and Pahlavas (Parthians). He is credited to have started the Shalivahana era, a new calendar, still used by the Maharashtrians. Sri Yajna Satkarni was the last great king of the Satavahana kingdom. According to some Puranas, 19 kings of this dynasty ruled for 300 years, while according to others, 30 kings ruled for 465 years. The d