Love and Life in Satavahana Times (100 BCE - 3rd CE)

His form in my eyes, His touch in my limbs; His words in my ears, His heart in my heart; Now who’s separated?

This couplet, penned by a woman whose husband is travelling, is an example of just how timeless and enduring love is. The pangs of separation from a loved one are indeed universal, for this couplet is part of an anthology of poems put together about 2,000 years ago, by King Hala of the Satavahana Dynasty.

A part of the Gathasaptashati compiled in the 1st century CE, the work consists mainly of poems with an erotic flair, but it serves as a primary source to help us imagine what life was like for the people of the Deccan at the time.