Which Saka ruler repaired the Sudarshana lake in the 2nd century CE?

Rudradaman I repaired the Sudarshana Lake in the second century CE, as recorded in his Junagadh rock inscription. He was a powerful ruler of the Western Kshatrapas, a Saka dynasty that controlled parts of western and central India. The repair is generally dated to about 150 CE, during the Saka year 72.

Sudarshana Lake was not originally built by Rudradaman. The Junagadh inscription says that Pushyagupta, a governor under the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya, constructed the reservoir near Girnar in Saurashtra, present-day Gujarat. During Ashoka’s reign, the Yavana official Tushaspha is said to have added channels or conduits to the project.

A violent storm later damaged the lake’s embankment, creating a massive breach. Rudradaman ordered the restoration through his governor Suvisakha and emphasized that the work was completed without imposing forced labor or extra taxes on the local population. The inscription is also famous for being one of the earliest long royal inscriptions in polished Sanskrit. Centuries later, the reservoir required another major repair under the Gupta ruler Skandagupta.