Nahapana
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Nahapana (119-124 CE) was an important ruler of the Western Kshatrapas, descendant of the Indo-Scythians, in northwestern India. According to one of his coins, he was the son of Bhumaka.
The Kshatrapa dynasty became very powerful with the accession of Nahapana to the throne. Nahapana occupied vast portion of the Satavahana empire in western and central India, although he was ultimately defeated by the powerful Satavahana king Gautamiputra Satkarni in 125 CE.
Nahapana managed however to build a strong power base in the west, from which his successors would benefit.
He also established the Kshatrapa coinage, in a style derived from Indo-Greek coinage. The obverse of the coins consists of the profile of the ruler, within a legend in Greek. The reverse represents a thunderbolt and an arrow, within Brahmi and Kharoshthi legends.
Nahapana is mentioned as a donator in inscriptions of numerous Buddhist caves in northern India.
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