Yagnasri Satakarni was the 26th ruler of the Satavahana dynasty and is considered the last great known king of the Satavahanas. He took advantage of a civil war in the Saka kingdom between Jivadama and Rudradama and invaded Ujjain. He controlled a greater part of western and central Deccan, as confirmed by the discovery of coins bearing his image and name.
He issued silver coins featuring a ship with two masts, found on the Coromandel coast, indicating his interest in navigation and the flourishing international trade during his reign.
He was a staunch supporter of Buddhism and patronized the famous Mahayana Buddhist scholar Acharya Nagarjuna. According to Tibetan and Chinese historians, he constructed a Mahachaitya at Sriparvata (Nagarjunakonda) in honor of his guru, Nagarjuna.
His glorious reign ended in 194 CE. After him, three rulers—Vijaya Satakarni, Chandasri, and Pulomavi IV—ruled for nearly seventeen years without any significant events. Eventually, the Satavahana dynasty declined, giving way to new powers:
- Chutus in the western Deccan
- Abhiras in the Nasik area
- Ikshvakus in the Telangana-Andhra regions