Kushan dynasty descended from yuezhi who ruled most of northern indian subcontinent and parts of central asia. Little silver coinage was issued, but in later periods the gold used was debased with silver. The kushans spread from the kabul river valley to defeat other central asian tribes that had previously conquered parts of the northern central iranian. Recognizing the importance of unification, these five tribes combined under the one dominate kushan tribe, and the primary rulers descended from the yuezhi. Brahmi numerals and matras in comparison with devnagri ancient symbols construction of om deciphering a symbol. One of five branches of the yuezhi, who invaded bactria in 5 bce, and spread southeast to form the kushan empire around 30 ce. Mar 24, 2018 the kushan empire survived for about 90 years after kanishkas death. He was succeeded by his son vima taktu or sadashkana ad 80 ad 95 who expanded the empire into northwest india.
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. Just how and when the kushan dynasty was formed continues to. 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. 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. 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. The great yuehichi driven out of fertile land in western china migrated towards the aral sea. Kushan art, the art of the kushan empire in northern india, flourished between the 1st and the 4th century ce. Pdf the mint cities of the kushan empire robert bracey. He had conquered the areas of northern india till mathura. The yuezhi people conquered bactria in the second century b. The kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the roman empire, sasanian persia, the aksumite empire and the han dynasty of china. Indian history kushans and kanishkas,iasips free study.
Malavas, arjunayanas, kunindas and madras provide a. 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. You find coins depicting the gods and goddesses with the mesopotamian, zoroastrian, greek, roman and indian connections. 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. While coins float, travel and circulate even outside the political boundaries of an empire, reflecting its. Kushan art and architecture research papers academia. 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. Kushan dynasty descended from yuezhi who ruled most of northern indian subcontinent and.
The fact remains, however, that the kushans fell to the sassanians. 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. 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. Vasudeva i was the last greatest king of the dynasty when kushana empire was at its height of splendor and prosperity. Kushan empire article about kushan empire by the free. 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. The beliefs and arts of kushan dynasty featuring 39 fine distinctive cultural relics from shanghai museum, xinjiang uyghur. Initiation tsz shan monastery buddhist art museum following the opening of tsz shan monastery in 2015, there had been a rising sentiment.
As the kushan empire was situated in a crucial geographical region. 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. It is generally accepted that qiujiuque, the founder of the guishuang dynasty, is identical with the kujula kadphises shown on the coins and inscriptions of the kushans. Nov 30, 2019 this video covers maurya,satvahan,kushan,megh,vakatak dynasty of the syllabus. Kanishka the kushan dynasty 30 375 ad kanishka empire. Known to chinese historians as kueishuang,1 they were one of. Languages and literature of the kushan empire unesco. Speaking in general about the achievement of the kushans, the first is the economic prosperity. 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. Jul 25, 2017 kannada audio notes for competitive exams.
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 empire was created by the kushan tribe of the yuezhi, a people from modern xinjiang, china, possibly related to the tocharians. After the decline of mauryan empire, kushan dynasty is one among many which came to power in india. Pdf kushan coins do not have mint names on them so the attribution of coins to particular mints is difficult. The yuezhi conquered bactria in the 2nd century bce and divided the country into five. Kujula kadphises was also the energetic early conqueror of the kushan dynasty. Kushan emperors represented a wide variety of faiths including zoroastrianism, buddhism, and possibly saivism, a sect of hinduism. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. Kujula kadphises was the first yuezhi chief to lay the foundation of the kushana empire in india.
Kushan dynasty, kushan empire, coins of the kushan dynasty. Developments were made in irrigation, cropraising and breeding, building and handicrafts. Shanghai museum recently organized an exhibition titled crossroads. 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. The kushan empire was a syncretic empire, formed by yuezhi, in the bactrian territories in the early 1st century. In fact, in spite of the similarity of several letters. The kushan dynasty had diplomatic contacts with the roman empire, sassanid persia, aksumite empire, and han china. A total of 34 deities appear on the coins of the entire kushan empire. 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 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 first important ruler of the kushana dynasty was kujula kadphises or kadphises i. Kushana empire and the silk route their capital was purushpura currently peswar in pakistan 3. Chinese sources atribute the entry of the kushans into the southern.
In the coinage of the north indian and central asian kushan empire approximately 30375 ce the main coins issued were gold, weighing 7. 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. It spread to encompass much of afghanistan, and then the northern parts of the. 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. 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. The kushans fostered a mixed culture that is best illustrated by the variety of deitiesgrecoroman. 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. Economy and social systems in central asia in the kushan. Notes on the yuezhi kushan relationship and kushan. Mazdooano, the gracious one, kushan god on a gold dinara. 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. Roman gold and chinese silk changed hands in the kushan empire, at a very tidy profit for the middlemen.
The kushan empire chapter 7 empires of ancient eurasia. Pdf from the kushans to the western turks khodadad. Kushan dynasty, history of kushanas, post mauryan india. Kushan dynasty was another dynasty which came to power after the mauryan empire. The empire was created by the kushan tribe of the yuezhi, a people from modern xinjiang, china, possibly related to. View kushan art and architecture research papers on academia. The construction of the salarkarasudzhun irrigation system in the second and.
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. It blended the traditions of the grecobuddhist art of gandhara, influenced by hellenistic artistic canons, and the more indian art of mathura. 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. 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. Its military combines large, well organized conventional forces with various supernatural creatures and human magic users. Decline of the kushan empire after the death of the emperor vasudeva i in 225, the kushan empire split into western and eastern halves. The kushanas had originally belonged to the regions of western china. 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. The kushan empire was a syncretic empire, formed by the yuezhi, in the bactrian territories in the early 1st century. Notes on the yuezhi kushan relationship and kushan chronology.
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. 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. Later vasumitra the grandson of pushyamitra sunga defeated the yavanas. During the early second century ad the tarim basin revolted and. 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 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. It spread tae encompass much o afghanistan, an then the northren pairts o the indian.
Role of kushana empire in buddhism and hinduism by adesh katariya plast. The kushanas defeated the shakas and the pahlavasparthinians and went on to create a big empire in afganistan, pakistan and northern parts of india. Brahmi chronology maurya dynasty edicts describing the kalinga war brahmi decipherment origin of brahmi brahmi as a hieroglyph. 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. The texts of the inscriptions from dashti nawur and surkh kotal are rather long and reading them presents great dif. Some scholars regard that the establishment of sunga dynasty was symbolic of the brahmanical reaction to the mauryan bias towards buddhism. The kushan empire was at the center of trade relations between the roman empire and china. The apparent importance of the kushan empire in the indian history is now. The kushan dynasty has thirteen rulers, there are many. Kabul city, was probably a summer palace of the kushan empire after the court moved into india. 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.
Kushan empire was a super power of its time alongside those of china, persia and rome. Mazdooano, the gracious one, kushan god on a gold dinara of. He was then succeded by his son, wima kadphises or kadphises ii. Classical civilization and the age of empires 46, foreign rule in india ap world history learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. After vasudevas death, the kushan empire had started its decline. Kushan is a large empire loosely based on the real world kushan empire, ruled by emperor ganishka. 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. Therefore, the predecessor of the kushan dynasty is undoubtedly the xihou of guishuang, one of the five xihou of the da yuezhi. In the postmauryan era central asia and northwestern india witnessed hectic and shifting political scenes. Therefore, the predecessor of the kushan dynasty is undoubtedly the xihou of guishuang. This certainly accords well with the known stringent economic policy of vespasian.
The rise of the empire of the kushans is an important landmark in the history of central. Pdf joe cribb is probably the most important living scholar working on kushan studies. The contribution of the kushan empire to buddhism essay cram. Can the kushan empire be considered as one the great. The kushan dynasty had been totally assimilated in indian culture. The kushan empire survived for about 90 years after kanishkas death. 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. He established his supremacy over kabul, kandahar and afghanistan.
Pdf the mint cities of the kushan empire researchgate. Four scenes from the life of the buddha birth of the. Kushan empire based on a report made by the chinese general ban yong to the chinese emperor c. By the reign of vasudeva ii, bactrian inscriptions on the coins were becoming increasingly illegible. The kushans spread from the kabul river valley to defeat other central asian tribes that had previously. Introduction of kushan history including its prelude shodhganga.
Kushan aristocracy tried to adopt the royal ideology of the graecobactrian kings and its religious implications. 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. On the origin of the kushans with reference to numismatic and anthropological data pdf. Kushan coins do not have mint names on them so the attribution of coins to particular mints is difficult. Ninety years may be a short period of time in the grand scale of all things historical but it isnt so for me. 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 art in the north 323 kushan art in bactria 343. Moreover, the very area covered by the kushan empire helped the flow of trade between the east and the west. 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. He occupied the valley of kabul and had also issued coins in his name. He played an important role in the establishment of buddhism in the indian subcontinen.
Kushan period were constructed in the vicinity of these canals, especially in the third and fourth centuries a. 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. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Moreover, the very area covered by the kushan empire helped. Like asoka, he regretted his misdeed and took refuge in the triple gems buddha, dharma, and sangha. Mauryan empire, kushan dynasty is one among many which came to power in india. This paper examines some of the strands of evidence that are available to do so. The establishment of the imperial gupta dynasty by candragupta in a. The nameless king with high titles has 2 pulleyblank, 1968, pp. The kushan empire for 10% off your first squarespace website or domain, visit. 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. Jain votive plaque, kushan kankali tila, mathura, u.
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. These notes will also be useful for other competitive exams like banking po, ssc, state civil services exams and so on. They are collectively known as kushanosasanians, or indosasanians. The history of the kushan empire demonstrates the global trend of era 3 of growing interconnectedness between human societies.
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