Urbanisation in the Deccan, Saka Expansion in the North

Hitherto marked by relatively small settlements that used iron implements and had megalithic burial practices, the Deccan begins to urbanise. Major coastal centres emerge, and new kingdoms are established, such as those of the Satavahanas. The earliest examples of royal cave shrines and Buddhist monasteries in the Deccan are commissioned, already displaying the influence of older wood-construction techniques from northern India. Some of the earliest known Deccan coins are issued, revealing a considerable Hellenistic influence that appears to have arrived by way of Roman trade or through interactions with the Saka satrapy in present-day Gujarat. In northern India, Mathura begins to emerge as a major urban and artistic centre under the patronage of the Northern Sakas. While they are gradually driven from the region by the invading Kushans, the Sakas remain a significant force in Gujarat and parts of the Deccan.