Paithan, historically known as Pratiṣṭhāna, is a town with a municipal council located in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district of Maharashtra, India. It is situated on the banks of the Godavari River, approximately 56 kilometres south of present-day Aurangabad.
The town served as the capital of the Satavahana dynasty, which ruled the region from the second century BCE to the second century CE. Additionally, Paithan is notable for being one of the few inland towns mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a famous Greek book dating back to the first century.