Huvishka
Kushan emperor
Coin of Huvishka. Legend in Kushan language and Greek script (with the Kushan letter Ϸ "sh"): ϷΑΟΝΑΝΟϷΑΟ ΟΟΗϷΚΙ ΚΟϷΑΝΟ ("Shaonanoshao Ooishki Koshano"): "King of kings, Huvishka the Kushan".
Reign150–180 CE
PredecessorKanishka
SuccessorVasudeva I
ReligionBuddhism, Shaivism, Zoroastrianism (per coinage)

Huvishka (Kushan: Οοηϸκι, Ooēški, Brahmi: Hu-vi-ṣka, Huviṣka;[1] Kharosthi: 𐨱𐨂𐨬𐨅𐨮𐨿𐨐 Hu-ve-ṣka, Huveṣka[2]) was the emperor of the Kushan Empire from the death of Kanishka (assumed on the best evidence available to be in 150 CE) until the succession of Vasudeva I about thirty years later.

His rule was a period of consolidation for the Empire. Huvishka's territory encompassed Balkh in Bactria to Mathura in India, locations where it is known that he minted his coinage. Gold coins and amulets in his effigy were found as far as Pataliputra and Bodh Gaya, including one such amulet as an offering under the Enlightenment Throne of the Buddha in Bodh Gaya, suggesting with other finds of Kushan coins in the area that Kushan rule may have extended this far east.[3] His reign seems to have been essentially peaceful, consolidating Kushan power in northern India, and moving the centre of the Kushan Empire to the southern capital city of Mathura.[4]

Religion

Relief probably showing Huvishka making a donation to the Buddha.[5]

Huvishka was the son of Kanishka. His reign is also known as the golden age of Kushan rule.

Mahayana Buddhism

The reign of Huvishka corresponds with the first known epigraphic evidence of the Buddha Amitabha, on the bottom part of a 2nd-century statue which has been found in Govindo-Nagar, and now at the Mathura Museum. The statue is dated to "the 28th year of the reign of Huvishka", and dedicated to "Amitabha Buddha" by a family of merchants.[6][7]

There is also some evidence that Huvishka was a follower of Mahāyāna Buddhism. A Sanskrit manuscript fragment in the Schøyen Collection describes Huvishka as one who has "set forth in the Mahāyāna."[8]

Some reliefs from Gandhara are also thought to portray Huvishka making donations to the Buddha.[5]

Huvishka is widely attested to have supported Buddhism, but the Buddha does not appear on his coinage, possibly out of respect to the Buddha.[9]

Graeco-Roman deities

Huvishka with seated Roman-Egyptian god Serapis (ϹΑΡΑΠΟ, "Sarapo") wearing the modius.[12]

See also: Indo-Roman trade relations

Huvishka also incorporates in his coins for the first and only time in Kushan coinage the Hellenistic-Egyptian Serapis (under the name ϹΑΡΑΠΟ, "Sarapo").[12][13] Since Serapis was the supreme deity of the pantheon of Alexandria in Egypt, this coin suggests that Huvishka had as strong orientation towards Roman Egypt, which may have been an important market for the products coming from the Kushan Empire.[12]

Another coin possibly depicts the Goddess Roma ("Roma aeterna"), under the name "Rishti" (Greek: ΡΙϷΤ),[14] or "Riom" (Greek: ΡΙΟΜ).[15][16][17]

Iranian deities

Huvishka is also known to have included Iranian deities in his pantheon. Between 164 and 174, he established a temple to Pharro ("Royal splendour")-Ardoxsho in the stronghold of Ayrtam, near Termez, according to the Ayrtam inscription.[12] He also issued numerous coins in the name of these deities. Many more Iranian deities are also known from his coinage, such as Miiro (Mitra), Mao (the Lunar deity Mah), Nana (Anahita), Atsho (Atar, "The Royal fire").[18] Another Zoroastrian deity, the supreme god Ooromozdo (Ahura Mazda), and Mazdo oana ("Mazda the victorious") also appears.[18] Other Zoroastrian deities include Rishti ("Uprightness", Arshtat), Ashaeixsho ("Best righteousness", Asha Vahishta), the Lunar deity Mah (Mao), Shaoreoro ("Best royal power", Khshathra Vairya).[18][19]

Indian deities

Coin of Huvishka with deity Oesho ("ΟΗϷΟ", Shiva).[12]

Huvishka is known to have restored a temple in Mathura, where provisions were made for hospitality towards the Brahmans.[12] Some of the coins of Huvishka also featured Maaseno on his coins, the Kushan incarnation of the Hindu god Karttikeya, or Skanda, whose epithet was "Mahasena".[20] This god being particularly important to the Yaudheyas, it may have been incorporated into Kushan coinage when the Kushans expanded into Yaudheya territory in order to establish control of the Mathura area. It may also have been adopted as a way to appease the warlike Yaudheyas. In effect, the Kushans became the suzerains of the Yaudheyas in the area.[21][22]

In a departure from his predecessor Kanishka, Huvishka also added Oesho ("ΟΗϷΟ", Shiva) on some of his coinage. In replacement of the Iranian god of war Ořlagno, he also added several Indian war gods, such as Skando (Old Indian Skanda), Komaro (Old Indian Kumara), Maaseno (Old Indian Mahāsena), Bizago (Old Indian Viśākha), and even Ommo (Old Indian Umā), the consort of Siva. This could suggest an evolution toward Indian deities among the Kushans, possibly motivated by the enlisting of Indian warriors.[20]

Coinage and statuary

The coinage of Huvishka is characterized by a great variety of designs and the large quantity of gold coins that were minted: more gold coins from Huvishka are known than from all other Kushan rulers combined.[4] The locations of his mints were mainly in Balkh and Peshawar, with smaller mints in Kashmir and Mathura.[4]

One of the great remaining puzzles of Huvishka's reign is the devaluation of his coinage. Early in his reign the copper coinage plunged in weight from a standard of 16g to about 10–11g. The quality and weight then continued to decline throughout the reign until at the start of the reign of Vasudeva the standard coin (a tetradrachm) weighed only 9g. The devaluation led to a massive production of imitations, and an economic demand for the older, pre-devaluation coins in the Gangetic valley. However, the motivation and some of the details of this devaluation are still unknown.

Huvishka
  • Kushan king or prince, said to be Huvishka, Gandhara art.[5]
    Kushan king or prince, said to be Huvishka, Gandhara art.[5]
  • Painting of a Kushan ruler (probably Huvishka, seated) and attendants, Bactria.[25]
    Painting of a Kushan ruler (probably Huvishka, seated) and attendants, Bactria.[25]
  • Coin of Huvishka 126–163, with Kushan goddess Rishti, possibly depicted as Roma copied from a Roman coin.[26][27][28]
    Coin of Huvishka 126–163, with Kushan goddess Rishti, possibly depicted as Roma copied from a Roman coin.[26][27][28]
  • Bodhisatva of Sravasti, inscribed "reign of Huvishka" (or possibly Kanishka).[29]
    Bodhisatva of Sravasti, inscribed "reign of Huvishka" (or possibly Kanishka).[29]
  • Naga statue with inscription of "the 40th year of the reign of Huvishka". Mathura Museum.
    Naga statue with inscription of "the 40th year of the reign of Huvishka". Mathura Museum.
  • Kankali Tila elephant capital with inscription of "Huvishka in the year 39". Detail of the name Hu-vi-ṣka
    Kankali Tila elephant capital with inscription of "Huvishka in the year 39". Detail of the name Hu-vi-ṣka

References

Kushan emperors
30 CE–350 CE
Heraios1–30 CE
Kujula Kadphises50–90 CE
Vima Takto90–113 CE
Vima Kadphises113–127 CE
Kanishka I127–151 CE
Huvishka151–190 CE
Vasudeva I190–230 CE
Kanishka II230–247 CE
Vāsishka247–267 CE
Kanishka III267–270 CE
Vasudeva II270–300 CE
Mahi300–305 CE
Shaka305–335 CE
Kipunada335–350 CE
  1. ^ Epigraphia Indica Vol 8. p. 182.
  2. ^ Konow, Sten, Kharoshṭhī Inscriptions with the Exception of Those of Aśoka, Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. II, Part I. Calcutta: Government of India Central Publication Branch, p. 167
  3. ^ Sinha, Bindeshwari Prasad; Narain, Lala Aditya (1970). Pāṭaliputra Excavation, 1955-56. Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Bihar. p. 52-53.
  4. ^ a b c Rezakhani, Khodadad (2017). From the Kushans to the Western Turks. p. 202.
  5. ^ a b c Marshak, Boris; Grenet, Frantz (2006). "Une peinture kouchane sur toile". Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. 150 (2): 257. doi:10.3406/crai.2006.87101.
  6. ^ Rhie, Marylin M. (2010). Early Buddhist Art of China and Central Asia, Volume 3: The Western Ch'in in Kansu in the Sixteen Kingdoms Period and Inter-relationships with the Buddhist Art of Gandh?ra. BRILL. p. xxxvii, Fig 6.17a. ISBN 978-90-04-18400-8.
  7. ^ a b Schopen, Gregory (1987). "The Inscription on the Kuṣān Image of Amitābha and the Charakter of the Early Mahāyāna in India" (PDF). The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. 10 (2): 99–138. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2019.
  8. ^ Neelis, Jason. Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks. 2010. p. 141
  9. ^ Dani, Ahmad Hasan; Harmatta, János (1999). History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 327. ISBN 978-81-208-1408-0.
  10. ^ Rhie, Marylin M. (2010). Early Buddhist Art of China and Central Asia, Volume 3: The Western Ch'in in Kansu in the Sixteen Kingdoms Period and Inter-relationships with the Buddhist Art of Gandhara. BRILL. p. xxxvii, Fig 6.17a. ISBN 978-90-04-18400-8.
  11. ^ The inscription reads: "In the year 33 of the Maharaja, the Devaputra Huvishka ( Mahārājasya Devaputrasya Huviṣka) on the 8th day of the 1st summer (month), a Bodhisattva was set up at Madhuravanaka by the nun Dhanavati, the sister's daughter of the nun Buddhamitra, who knows the Tripitaka, a female pupil of the monk Bala, who knows the Tripitaka, together with her mother and father....". in Epigraphia Indica Vol 8. p. 182. Another similar inscription mentions "Huvihska in the year 26". in Sharma, R.C. (1994). The Splendour of Mathura Art and Museum. D. K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd. p. 142.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Dani, Ahmad Hasan; Harmatta, János (1999). History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 326. ISBN 978-81-208-1408-0.
  13. ^ Serapis coin
  14. ^ "Huvishka Rishti coin British Museum". The British Museum.
  15. ^ Mario Bussagli, "L'Art du Gandhara", 225
  16. ^ This coin. The reading of the name of the deity on this last coin is very much uncertain and disputed (Riom, Riddhi, Rishthi, Rise....) in Fleet, J.F. (1908). "The Introduction of the Greek Uncial and Cursive Characters into India". The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 1908: 179, note 1. JSTOR 25210545.
  17. ^ "The name Riom as read by Gardner, was read by Cunningham as Ride, who equated it with Riddhi, the Indian goddess of fortune. F.W. Thomas has read the name as Rhea" in Shrava, Satya (1985). The Kushāṇa Numismatics. Pranava Prakashan. p. 29.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dani, Ahmad Hasan; Harmatta, János (1999). History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 327–328. ISBN 978-81-208-1408-0.
  19. ^ Boyce, Mary (2001). Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Psychology Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-415-23902-8.
  20. ^ a b "Also omitted is the ancient Iranian war god Orlagno, whose place and function are occupied by a group of Indian war gods, Skando (Old Indian Skanda), Komaro (Old Indian Kumara), Maaseno (Old Indian Mahāsena), Bizago (Old Indian Viśākha), and even Ommo (Old Indian Umā), the consort of Shiva. Their use as reverse types of Huvishka I is clear evidence for the new trends in religious policy of the Kushan king, which was possibly influenced by enlisting Indian warriors into the Kushan army during the campaign against Pataliputra." in Dani, Ahmad Hasan; Harmatta, János (1999). History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 326. ISBN 978-81-208-1408-0.
  21. ^ Classical Numismatics Group
  22. ^ Indian Sculpture: Circa 500 B.C.-A.D. 700, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pratapaditya Pal, University of California Press, 1986, p.78 [1]
  23. ^ Dani, Ahmad Hasan; Harmatta, János (1999). History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 326. ISBN 978-81-208-1408-0.
  24. ^ "Ommo-Oesho coin of Huvishka British Museum". The British Museum.
  25. ^ Marshak, Boris; Grenet, Frantz (2006). "Une peinture kouchane sur toile". Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. 150 (2): 947–963. doi:10.3406/crai.2006.87101. ISSN 0065-0536.
  26. ^ "Huvishka Rishti coin British Museum". The British Museum.
  27. ^ The reading of the name of the deity on this coin is very much uncertain and disputed (Riom, Riddhi, Rishthi, Rise....) in Fleet, J.F. (1908). "The Introduction of the Greek Uncial and Cursive Characters into India". The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 1908: 179, note 1. JSTOR 25210545.
  28. ^ "The name Riom as read by Gardner, was read by Cunningham as Ride, who equated it with Riddhi, the Indian goddess of fortune. F.W. Thomas has read the name as Rhea" in Shrava, Satya (1985). The Kushāṇa Numismatics. Pranava Prakashan. p. 29.
  29. ^ Epigraphia Indica Vol 8. p. 180.

Sources

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Preceded byKanishka Kushan Ruler 150–183 CE Succeeded byVasudeva I
Kushan EmpireEmperors, territories and chronology
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