{"id":353391,"date":"2026-01-07T15:55:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T10:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=353391"},"modified":"2026-01-07T15:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T10:25:19","slug":"kushanas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/kushanas\/","title":{"rendered":"Kushanas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>News:<\/strong> Recent excavations at <strong data-start=\"22\" data-end=\"49\">Bhir Mound, Takshashila<\/strong> uncovered <strong data-start=\"60\" data-end=\"103\">lapis lazuli fragments (6th century BC)<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"108\" data-end=\"148\">Kushan bronze coins (2nd century AD)<\/strong>, highlighting long-distance trade and later Kushana political-economic activity in ancient Gandhara.<\/p>\n<h2>About Kushanas<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_353404\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-353404\" style=\"width: 317px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-353404\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Source-Wikipedia-1.jpg?resize=317%2C293&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Kushanas\" width=\"317\" height=\"293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Source-Wikipedia-1.jpg?resize=300%2C277&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Source-Wikipedia-1.jpg?w=483&amp;ssl=1 483w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 317px) 100vw, 317px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-353404\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source &#8211; Wikipedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>The Kushanas <strong>were nomadic people,<\/strong> also known as <strong>Tocharians<\/strong>, who migrated from the steppes of <strong>north-central Asia<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>They succeeded the <strong>Parthians<\/strong> and initially occupied <strong>Bactria<\/strong>, displacing the <strong>Shakas<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>Gradually, they established control over the <strong>lower Indus basin<\/strong> and large parts of the <strong>Gangetic plain<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The empire extended <strong>from the Oxus to the Ganges<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>It stretched <strong>from Khorasan in Central Asia to Pataliputra in Bihar<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>At its height, it included parts of <strong>Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and almost all of north India<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dynasties and Rulers:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>House of Kadphises: Kujula Kadphises<\/strong> founded the <strong>first Kushana dynasty in the 1st century CE.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>He laid the foundations of a unified empire and issued <strong>copper coins<\/strong> south of the Hindukush, imitating Roman models.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wima Kadphises succeeded Kadaphises<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kanishka and Later Rulers:<\/strong> Kanishka ascended the throne in <strong>78 AD<\/strong> and started the <strong>Shaka Era<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>His successors included <strong>Vasishka, Huvishka, Kanishka II, and Vasudeva I<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Decline<\/strong> began during the reign of <strong>Vasudeva I<\/strong>; <strong>Vasudeva II<\/strong> was the last Kushana ruler.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Capitals:<\/strong> Kanishka established two capitals: <strong>Peshawar (Purushapura)<\/strong> or <strong>Pataliputra<\/strong> as the primary capital and <strong>Mathura<\/strong> as the second capital.\n<ul>\n<li>The empire was divided into <strong>satrapies<\/strong>, each governed by a <strong>satrap<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Administration<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Officials such as <strong>dandnayaka<\/strong> and <strong>mahadandnayaka<\/strong> performed <strong>civil and military functions.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Gramika<\/strong> and <strong>padrapala<\/strong> acted as <strong>village headmen<\/strong> responsible for <strong>revenue collection and law and order<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The Kushanas introduced <strong>better cavalry<\/strong> and promoted the large-scale use of horses.<\/li>\n<li>They <strong>popularised<\/strong> the use of <strong>reins, saddles, stirrups, trousers, long boots, and heavy coats<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Political Ideology:<\/strong> The Kushanas strengthened the idea of <strong>divine kingship<\/strong>. Kings adopted the title <strong>\u2018Devputra\u2019 (Son of God)<\/strong>, borrowed from the <strong>Chinese concept of the \u201cSon of Heaven\u201d.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Coinage:<\/strong> The Kushanas were the <strong>first Indian rulers to issue gold coins on a large scale<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>Coins of <strong>Kadphises I<\/strong> indicate Buddhist influence.<\/li>\n<li>Coins of <strong>Vima Kadphises<\/strong> show devotion to <strong>Shiva<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Kushana coins have been found as far east as <strong>Bengal and Odisha<\/strong>, indicating extensive trade networks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Trade:<\/strong>\u00a0India received large quantities of <strong>gold from the Altai mountains<\/strong> of Central Asia.\n<ul>\n<li>The Kushanas controlled the <strong>Silk Route<\/strong>, connecting China with Iran and western Asia.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Toll collection from traders<\/strong> was a <strong>major source of revenue<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Economy: <\/strong>The Kushanas also promoted <strong>agriculture<\/strong>, with early evidence of <strong>large-scale irrigation<\/strong> in Afghanistan and western-central Asia.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Inscriptions:<\/strong> Kushana inscriptions were written in: <strong>Bactrian (Greek script) and <\/strong><strong>Prakrit (Brahmi and Kharoshthi scripts. <\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The most important inscription is the <strong>Rabatak inscription<\/strong>, which establishes Kanishka\u2019s genealogy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Religious Developments:<\/strong> Kushana rulers patronised <strong>Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Buddhism<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>Images of <strong>Shiva, Buddha, and Vishnu<\/strong> appear on Kushana coins. The ruler <strong>Vasudeva<\/strong> indicates Vaishnavite influence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rise of Mahayana Buddhism:<\/strong> \u00a0Kanishka was a major patron of Mahayana Buddhism. Kanishka convened the <strong>Fourth Buddhist Council in Kashmir<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>Commentaries on the <strong>three Pitakas<\/strong> were composed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Art:<\/strong> The Kushanas <strong>blended Central Asian, Greek, and Indian styles,<\/strong> giving rise to <strong>Gandhara and Mathura schools<\/strong> of art, including Graeco-Roman images of the Buddha and the <strong>famous statue of Kanishka<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Language:<\/strong> The Kushanas officially recognised <strong>three scripts &#8211;<\/strong>\u00a0Greek, Kharoshthi, Brahmi and <strong>four languages &#8211;<\/strong>\u00a0Greek, Prakrit, Sanskrit-influenced Prakrit, and Sanskrit.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Literature: Ashwaghosha<\/strong> was patronised by the Kushanas.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Decline of the Kushana Empire:<\/strong> After <strong>Vasudeva I (225 AD)<\/strong>, the empire split into <strong>western and eastern halves<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>western Kushanas<\/strong> were subjugated by the <strong>Sassanid Persians<\/strong> and replaced by <strong>Kushanshas<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>eastern kingdom<\/strong>, based in Punjab, lost Gangetic territories to local dynasties like the <strong>Yaudheyas<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>It was finally conquered by <strong>Samudragupta<\/strong> in the mid-4th century.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News: Recent excavations at Bhir Mound, Takshashila uncovered lapis lazuli fragments (6th century BC) and Kushan bronze coins (2nd century AD), highlighting long-distance trade and later Kushana political-economic activity in ancient Gandhara. About Kushanas The Kushanas were nomadic people, also known as Tocharians, who migrated from the steppes of north-central Asia. They succeeded the Parthians&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/kushanas\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Kushanas<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10366,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1566,11212,12039],"tags":[11872,10498],"class_list":["post-353391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-factly-articles","category-history-and-art-culture-in-news","category-knolls","tag-9pm-daily-factly","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10366"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353391\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}