Kushan dynasty, ruling line descended from the yuezhi, a people that ruled over most of the northern indian subcontinent, afghanistan, and parts of central asia. Can the kushan empire be considered as one the great. He occupied the valley of kabul and had also issued coins in his name. Speaking in general about the achievement of the kushans, the first is the economic prosperity. Indian history kushans and kanishkas,iasips free study.
He owes much of his fame to his place in early buddhist literature, where he is mentioned as a patron of buddhism and the convener of the fourth buddhist council. By the reign of vasudeva ii, bactrian inscriptions on the coins were becoming increasingly illegible. This paper examines some of the strands of evidence that are available to do so. Initiation tsz shan monastery buddhist art museum following the opening of tsz shan monastery in 2015, there had been a rising sentiment.
Eventually, the kushan empire divided into two halfs, and one half was conquered by the sassanid empire of persia while the other was taken over by the guptas of india. The history of the kushan empire demonstrates the global trend of era 3 of growing interconnectedness between human societies. The kushan empire for 10% off your first squarespace website or domain, visit. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. The kushans spread from the kabul river valley to defeat other central asian tribes that had previously. The rise of the empire of the kushans is an important landmark in the history of central. The fact remains, however, that the kushans fell to the sassanians. Just how and when the kushan dynasty was formed continues to. It is therefore no accident that in the sculptural decoration of the kushan manorhouse at khalchayan the enthroned ruler and his wife appear again with nike. Known to chinese historians as kueishuang,1 they were one of. A total of 34 deities appear on the coins of the entire kushan empire. It spread tae encompass much o afghanistan, an then the northren pairts o the indian. The empire was created by the kushan tribe of the yuezhi, a people from modern xinjiang, china, possibly related to the tocharians. Recognizing the importance of unification, these five tribes combined under the one dominate kushan tribe, and the primary rulers descended from the yuezhi.
More than a hundred years later than the conquest of bactria by the da yuezhi, the prince xihou of guishuang badakhshan established himself as king, and his dynasty was called that of the guishuang kushan king. While coins float, travel and circulate even outside the political boundaries of an empire, reflecting its. Therefore, the predecessor of the kushan dynasty is undoubtedly the xihou of guishuang. Chapterii the making of the kushana empire the mighty kushanas achieved the herculean task of uniting a large mass of land and people by carving out an extensive empire, including southern parts of the erstwhile soviet central asia, afghanistan, pakistan and north india under their imperial hegemony. Introduction of kushan history including its prelude shodhganga. Malavas, arjunayanas, kunindas and madras provide a. This diversity in the divinities appearing on the kushan coins is a very important link that hints to the wide cultural connections of this dynasty. Little silver coinage was issued, but in later periods the gold used was debased with silver. In the postmauryan era central asia and northwestern india witnessed hectic and shifting political scenes. Its military combines large, well organized conventional forces with various supernatural creatures and human magic users.
Moreover, the very area covered by the kushan empire helped the flow of trade between the east and the west. Kushan empire article about kushan empire by the free. Notes on the yuezhi kushan relationship and kushan chronology. Nov 30, 2019 this video covers maurya,satvahan,kushan,megh,vakatak dynasty of the syllabus. The most obvious interpretation of the coin finds is that there was a drastic reduction in coinage exports from the roman empire after neros reign. Kushan dynasty descended from yuezhi who ruled most of northern indian subcontinent and parts of central asia. The kushanas had originally belonged to the regions of western china. In more than 5000 yrs of history of indian subcontinent pakistan has a history of 69 years which is a blimp on a time period of 5000 y. The kushan dynasty has thirteen rulers, there are many. The kushans fostered a mixed culture that is best illustrated by the variety of deitiesgrecoroman. He was succeeded by his son vima taktu or sadashkana ad 80 ad 95 who expanded the empire into northwest india. The kushanas defeated the shakas and the pahlavasparthinians and went on to create a big empire in afganistan, pakistan and northern parts of india. The construction of the salarkarasudzhun irrigation system in the second and. Kushan dynasty kusan, the line of rulers in bactria, central asia and northern india from the first century ce the kushan kings were succeeded in the third century, in part of the region they had ruled, by the sasanian princes who governed with the title of kushanshah q.
Kushan coins do not have mint names on them so the attribution of coins to particular mints is difficult. Some scholars connect the kushans with the tocharians of the tarim basin in china, caucasian people whose blonde or redhaired mummies have long puzzled observers. Kushan art in the north 323 kushan art in bactria 343. Vasudeva i was the last greatest king of the dynasty when kushana empire was at its height of splendor and prosperity. The first important ruler of the kushana dynasty was kujula kadphises or kadphises i. Languages and literature of the kushan empire unesco. The rule of kanishka, the third kushan emperor, who flourished from the late first to the earlymid2nd century ad, was administered from two capitals. The taxila silverscroll inscription of year 6 ayasa of the era of azes gives as ruler an unnamed king, the great king, the king of kings, the son of heaven, the kushan. The nameless king with high titles has 2 pulleyblank, 1968, pp.
He established his supremacy over kabul, kandahar and afghanistan. The yuezhi conquered bactria in the 2nd century bce and divided the country into five. Mazdooano, the gracious one, kushan god on a gold dinara. Pdf kushan coins do not have mint names on them so the attribution of coins to particular mints is difficult. The kushan empire and buddhism a kanishka and the fourth council in kashmir according to buddhist wisdom, kanishka was a cruel and impious person, who later turns to buddhism through the marvelous teachings of the buddha. The kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the roman empire, sassanid persia, aksumite empire, and han china. The beliefs and arts of kushan dynasty featuring 39 fine distinctive cultural relics from shanghai museum, xinjiang uyghur. Developments were made in irrigation, cropraising and breeding, building and handicrafts. The kushan empire was a syncretic empire, formed by the yuezhi, in the bactrian territories in the early 1st century. Ninety years may be a short period of time in the grand scale of all things historical but it isnt so for me. During the early second century ad the tarim basin revolted and. Pdf joe cribb is probably the most important living scholar working on kushan studies.
The kushan empire was located at a key crossroads for the afroeurasian empires and became an important player in regional trade in this world zone. In fact, in spite of the similarity of several letters. The inscriptions issued by the kushan rulers or in areas under their rule include texts in bactrian, written in greek script, and in prakrit written in brahmi or kharohi script. The empire was created by the kushan tribe of the yuezhi, a people from modern xinjiang, china, possibly related to. Jain votive plaque, kushan kankali tila, mathura, u. Kushan art, the art of the kushan empire in northern india, flourished between the 1st and the 4th century ce. As the kushan empire was situated in a crucial geographical region. The chinese annals of the han dynasty offer crucial clues to the nomadic background of the kushans who sometimes also appear in classical sources as. Notes on the yuezhi kushan relationship and kushan. Kushan is a large empire loosely based on the real world kushan empire, ruled by emperor ganishka. Brahmi numerals and matras in comparison with devnagri ancient symbols construction of om deciphering a symbol. The kushan empire formed by yuezhi in the early 1st century spread to encompass much of afghanistan and then the northern parts of the indian subcontinent where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the kushan emperor kanishka, who was a great patron of buddhism. Kwsan mlk kushan malik was the title of the rulers of the kushanosasanian kingdom, the parts of the former kushan empire in the areas of sogdiana, bactria and gandhara, named kushanshahr and held by the sasanian empire, during the 3rd and 4th centuries ce.
Amidst hectic and shifting political equations of postmauryan era, central asia and northwestern india witnessed a major upheaval, great yuehichi driven out of fertile land in western china migrated towards the aral sea. Decline of the kushan empire after the death of the emperor vasudeva i in 225, the kushan empire split into western and eastern halves. Jul 25, 2017 kannada audio notes for competitive exams. The great yuehichi driven out of fertile land in western china migrated towards the aral sea. The establishment of ancient nakhshab oasis and its centre, the town of erkurgan, was completed. Mar 24, 2018 the kushan empire survived for about 90 years after kanishkas death.
Kushan dynasty descended from yuezhi who ruled most of northern indian subcontinent and. Kushan control fragmented into semiindependent kingdoms as the sassanians attacked from the west and the guptas attacked from the east, collapsing the kushan empire around 375 ce. Kushan aristocracy tried to adopt the royal ideology of the graecobactrian kings and its religious implications. Kanishka the kushan dynasty 30 375 ad kanishka empire. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. It spread to encompass much of afghanistan, and then the northern parts of the indian subcontinent at least as far as saketa and sarnath near varanasi, where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the kushan emperor kanishka the great.
Economy and social systems in central asia in the kushan. Some scholars regard that the establishment of sunga dynasty was symbolic of the brahmanical reaction to the mauryan bias towards buddhism. Kabul city, was probably a summer palace of the kushan empire after the court moved into india. Kushan art and architecture research papers academia. He was then succeded by his son, wima kadphises or kadphises ii.
Economy and social systems in central asia in the kushan age the kushan age the first to the fourth century ad was a time of great innovation for the economy of central asia. After vasudevas death, the kushan empire had started its decline. Pdf the mint cities of the kushan empire researchgate. One of five branches of the yuezhi, who invaded bactria in 5 bce, and spread southeast to form the kushan empire around 30 ce.
Pdf the mint cities of the kushan empire robert bracey. The kushan empire survived for about 90 years after kanishkas death. The yuezhi people conquered bactria in the second century b. Kushan dynasty history the first king of kushan empire was kujula kadphises 30 80 ad, after it continue with vima taku or sadashkana 8095 ad vima kadhipes 95127 ad, then came kanishka 1st 127 140 ad the most powerful king of this empire. It spread to encompass much of afghanistan, and then the northern parts of the. Sep 06, 2016 the answer is based on murder of history by k k aziz and coinage of kushans and later kushans in my collection. Kushan dynasty, kushan empire, coins of the kushan dynasty. The kushan empire was at the center of trade relations between the roman empire and china. Kujula kadphises was the first yuezhi chief to lay the foundation of the kushana empire in india. Mauryan empire, kushan dynasty is one among many which came to power in india. The kushan empire was a syncretic empire, formed by yuezhi, in the bactrian territories in the early 1st century. The establishment of the imperial gupta dynasty by candragupta in a. However, there are some t groups of gold and copper coinage which can be attributed, he kushan empire was the dominant power of cen and at least. Chapteriii kushana coins and inscriptions the greatest testimony of kushana power in india is in the form of abundant kushana coins and a large number of inscriptions which are retrieved from all quarters of their empire.
Kushan dynasty, ruling line descended from the yuezhi, a people that ruled over most of the northern indian subcontinent, afghanistan, and parts of central asia during the first three centuries of the common era. The kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the roman empire, sasanian persia, the aksumite empire and the han dynasty of china. Is kushan empire a pakistani dynasty or an indian one. View kushan art and architecture research papers on academia. Feb 15, 2016 from this central location, the kushan empire became a wealthy trading hub between the peoples of han china, sassanid persia and the roman empire. Kushan emperors represented a wide variety of faiths including zoroastrianism, buddhism, and possibly saivism, a sect of hinduism. That is i guess from pdf file, anyway you yourself is cherry picking because the pdf overall leans towards early decades of 2nd century ce. Kanishka i is no doubt the most famous kushan king and even perhaps the greatest, although his son huvishkas empire was probably bigger and coinage more copious. Purushapura presentday peshawar adn the summer capital complex at begram kapisa, which rivalled the pleasure palaces created by the emperors in rome or han dynasty china. He played an important role in the establishment of buddhism in the indian subcontinen. The texts of the inscriptions from dashti nawur and surkh kotal are rather long and reading them presents great dif. Therefore, the predecessor of the kushan dynasty is undoubtedly the xihou of guishuang, one of the five xihou of the da yuezhi. These notes will also be useful for other competitive exams like banking po, ssc, state civil services exams and so on.
Classical civilization and the age of empires 46, foreign rule in india ap world history learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. This certainly accords well with the known stringent economic policy of vespasian. Kushan empire was a super power of its time alongside those of china, persia and rome. Kushana empire and the silk route their capital was purushpura currently peswar in pakistan 3. You find coins depicting the gods and goddesses with the mesopotamian, zoroastrian, greek, roman and indian connections. In the coinage of the north indian and central asian kushan empire approximately 30375 ce the main coins issued were gold, weighing 7. Pdf from the kushans to the western turks khodadad. Four scenes from the life of the buddha birth of the. He had conquered the areas of northern india till mathura. Kushan dynasty, history of kushanas, post mauryan india.
Kujula kadphises was also the energetic early conqueror of the kushan dynasty. Kushan empire based on a report made by the chinese general ban yong to the chinese emperor c. Role of kushana empire in buddhism and hinduism by adesh katariya plast. Notes on the yuezhi kushan relationship and kushan chronology by hans loeschner professor michael fedorov provided a rejoinder1 with respect to several statements in the article2 a new oeshoshiva image of sasanian peroz taking power in the northern part of the kushan empire. Shanghai museum recently organized an exhibition titled crossroads. It blended the traditions of the grecobuddhist art of gandhara, influenced by hellenistic artistic canons, and the more indian art of mathura. Mazdooano, the gracious one, kushan god on a gold dinara of. The apparent importance of the kushan empire in the indian history is now. Expansion and decline of the kushan empire the kushan empire was an empire in south asia originally formed in the early 1st century ce in the territories of ancient bactria around the oxus river. The kushans spread from the kabul river valley to defeat other central asian tribes that had previously conquered parts of the northern central iranian. Kushan art, art produced during the kushan dynasty from about the late 1st to the 3rd century ce in an area that now includes parts of central asia, northern india, pakistan, and afghanistan.
Roman gold and chinese silk changed hands in the kushan empire, at a very tidy profit for the middlemen. After the decline of mauryan empire, kushan dynasty is one among many which came to power in india. A brief overview the kushan or kushano of the epigraphical and numismatic sources of india and central asia, and kueishauang of the chinese sources1 2 was the name of a tribe which together with other tribes formed a tribal. The kushan empire began in the early 1st century as a branch of the yuezhi, a confederation of ethnically indoeuropeans nomads who lived in eastern central asia. Brahmi chronology maurya dynasty edicts describing the kalinga war brahmi decipherment origin of brahmi brahmi as a hieroglyph. Moreover, the very area covered by the kushan empire helped. Kushan art follows the hellenistic art of the grecobactrian kingdom as well as indogreek art which had been flourishing between the 3rd century bce and 1st. Kushan dynasty was another dynasty which came to power after the mauryan empire. Kushan period were constructed in the vicinity of these canals, especially in the third and fourth centuries a. A brief overview the kushan or kushano of the epigraphical and numismatic sources of india and central asia, and kueishauang of the chinese sources1 2 was the name of a tribe which together with other tribes formed a tribal confederacy of rather mixed origin.
Naturally enough, the bactrian inscriptions are mostly found in bactria and the indian inscriptions in the kushan territories to the south and east of the hindu. On the origin of the kushans with reference to numismatic and anthropological data pdf. The contribution of the kushan empire to buddhism essay cram. The kushan empire chapter 7 empires of ancient eurasia. Four scenes from the life of the buddha birth of the buddha kushan dynasty, late 2nd to early 3rd century ad, gandhara, schist freer gallery of art dsc05128. The kushan dynasty had been totally assimilated in indian culture. Although philosophy, art, and science was created within its borders, the only textual record we have of the empires history today comes from inscriptions writings and accounts in other languages, particularly chinese. Later vasumitra the grandson of pushyamitra sunga defeated the yavanas.