The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, Mahakṣatrapa, "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central part of India (Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh states), between 35 to 415 CE. The Western Satraps were contemporaneous with the Kushans who ruled the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, and were possibly vassals of the Kushans. They were also contemporaneous with the Satavahana (Andhra) who ruled in Central India. They are called "Western Satraps" in modern historiography in order to differentiate them from the "Northern Satraps", who ruled in Punjab and Mathura until the 2nd century CE. The power of the Western Satraps started to decline in the 2nd century CE after the Saka rulers were defeated by the Emperor Gautamiputra Satakarni of the Satavahana dynasty. After this, the Saka kingdom revived, but was ultimately destroyed by Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century CE. The western Satraps, having been defeated by the Abhiras/Ahirs, declined rapidly during the second half of the third century. Altogether, there were 27 independent Western Satrap rulers during a period of about 350 years. Name They are named Western Satraps in contrast to the "Northern Satraps" who ruled around East Punjab and the area of Mathura, such as Rajuvula, and his successors under the Kushans, the "Great Satrap" Kharapallana and the "Satrap" Vanaspara. Although they called themselves "Satraps" on their coins, leading to their modern designation of "Western Satraps", Ptolemy in his 2nd century "Geographia" still called them "Indo-Scythians". The word has the same origin as the word satrap and are both descended from Median , which means viceroy or governor of a province, and according to John Marshall, the word means the viceroy of the "King of kings". The title of the or the "Great Satrap" was given to the ruling Satrap, and the title of was given to the heir apparent. The western Kshatrapas were also known as Sakas to Indians. The title by which the Western Satraps styled themselves is a derivation of a Saka language term , meaning "lord of the country", and was likely the Saka synonym for the Indian title , which had itself been borrowed from the Iranian Median language. The Sakas of Western India spoke the Saka language, also known as Khotanese as it is first attested in the Tarim Basin. First expansion: Kshaharata dynasty (1st century CE)