Lion was one of the motifs used in Ashokan pillars. Lion is a solar symbol and it also represents the Buddha, as he is referred to as Sakyasimha which also means a lion among the Sakyas.
In the Battle of Vatapi, the Pallava ruler Narsimhavarman I defeated and killed Pulakesin II and captured the Chalukyan capital, Badami in 642 AD. Thus, he assumed the title of ‘Vatapikonda’ (Conqueror of Vatapi).
The earliest Satavahana inscriptions belong to the 1st century BCE. In the 1st century BCE the Satavahana defeated the Kanvas and established their rule over parts of central India.