The Chutus commenced from the west of upper Tungabhadra basin sharing with the eastern neighbour Sadakana Maharatis of Chandravali.  Their reign is assumed to have started much earlier than Gautamiputra's invasion.  The Kuras were the contemporaries of the Chutus ruling part of the Tungabhadra basin probably conquered from the Chutus.  But on the eighteenth regnal year of Gautamipura Satakarni, the Chutus-Sadakanas-Kuras were defeated and the upper Tungabhadra basin were ruled by the Satavahanas for the next eight years. The Chutus managed to reoccupy the land the lost to Satavahanas.

From their coinage, it is believed that the Chutu rulers mainly belonged to three Gothras (family) namely Chutu, Mula and Sivala.  During the zenith of the power, the empires seems to have embraced Hampi, Belgaum, Karwar, Bhatkal and part of South Canara. Being seated in Banavasi, they gained the access to the sea ports such as Karwar and Bhatkal for the trade.  Banavasi inscription names one of the early Chutukulananda ruler Hariputra Vishnukada Chutukulananda Satakarni.  Around 175 BC, Mulananda rulers would have succeed the Chutukulanandas. During the fall of Satavahanas, Ikshvakus and Abhiras were the neighbours.

From the hoard patterns, the chronology of the Chutu coinage is very clear. Their chronology was Chutukulananda, Mulananda and Sivalananda.  They minted heavy lead coins mainly engraving the symbol of arched hill on the obverse and the railed tree and or Nandipada symbol on the reverse.  Most of the coins inscribed kings name with the family suffix.  They also issued fractional coins of lead, but without any inscription.  Probably these were issued by the ruler of Chandravali.

The other minor contemporary dynasties of Chutus were Maharathis of Chandravali, Sadas of the Amaravati region and the Sebakas of Anantpur region.  Through the motif of their lead coinage, they were known as Bull Maharathis, Lion maharathis  and Horse Maharathis respectively. They resembled Chutu coinage except for the weight (which is nearly half of the Chutu coinage mass) and for the obverse which were replaced with their identification emblem (Lion, Bull or Horse).

Sebakas ruled Anantapur region (in the Andhra state) from about 30 BC to late 1st century.  Their coinage reveals their family name Sebakas, and hence the dynasty is known as Sebakas.  The earlier issues of their coinage carried the Bull emblem alongwith the brahmi legend bearing Kings name.  They were struck in copper and resembled the shape {sometimes rectangular, sometime squarish] of Sangam age coins.  Arched hill, Nandipada, wheel were the typical devices struck.  The later Sebakas influenced by the Chutus, struck lead coins, which typically carried the horse symbol on the obverse and Chaitya, river on the reverse.  Two such coins are shown in the catalogue herewith.