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    This document provides an overview of the Kushana polity that ruled northern India from around the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE. It describes the origins and expansion of the Kushana empire under rulers like Kujula Kadphises, Wima Kadphises, and Kanishka. The Kushanas adopted grand titles but their political system had a feudal character with regional governors (kshatrapas) who were often semi-independent. The administration was decentralized and relied on military officers. The Kushanas balanced centrifugal forces through the cult of dead kings housed in devakulas, though most rulers were Buddhist.

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    This document provides an overview of the Kushana polity that ruled northern India from around the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE. It describes the origins and expansion of the Kushana empire under rulers like Kujula Kadphises, Wima Kadphises, and Kanishka. The Kushanas adopted grand titles but their political system had a feudal character with regional governors (kshatrapas) who were often semi-independent. The administration was decentralized and relied on military officers. The Kushanas balanced centrifugal forces through the cult of dead kings housed in devakulas, though most rulers were Buddhist.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Flag for inappropriate content
    1K views5 pages

    Kushana Polity

    Uploaded by

    Kunal
    This document provides an overview of the Kushana polity that ruled northern India from around the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE. It describes the origins and expansion of the Kushana empire under rulers like Kujula Kadphises, Wima Kadphises, and Kanishka. The Kushanas adopted grand titles but their political system had a feudal character with regional governors (kshatrapas) who were often semi-independent. The administration was decentralized and relied on military officers. The Kushanas balanced centrifugal forces through the cult of dead kings housed in devakulas, though most rulers were Buddhist.

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    R.S.Sharma, Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient India.

    Delhi:MLBD, 2021. First edition 1959.

    Kushana Polity

    The period from c. 200 BCE – 300 CE was historically significant from several points of
    view. In north India, several invasions from the north-west led to westward shift in the focus
    of political power away from the Magadha region. The Deccan and far south experienced a
    transition to a state polity and society. City life spread to new regions of the subcontinent.
    Craftsperson produced larger quantities and more varied goods, trade within the subcontinent
    and between its regions and other lands flourished, and money was increasingly used as a
    medium of exchange. New cultural winds blew into the subcontinent in the wake of the
    invasions and expanding trade, and the north-west in particular became a major cultural
    crossroads. The devotional worship of images in shrines became a corner stone of religious
    life, cutting across cultic and sectarian boundaries. The increasing institutionalisation of
    religious activity was reflected in religious texts, permanent religious structures, and
    inscriptions, stone sculptures and terracotta art.

    Sources – The sources for the history of these centuries are many and diverse. The
    Jatakas contain many stories of ordinary people, traders, and travellers. Incidental historical
    references occur in other Buddhist works such as the Milindpanha and Lalitvistara. The
    Puranas and epics are a rich source of information on the emergence of early Hindu cults and
    religious practices. The later Dharmasutras and Smritis such as the Manava Dharmashastra
    (c. 200 BCE -200 CE) and Yajnavalkya Smriti (c. 100-300 CE) represent Brahmanical
    discourses, through which we can get glimmers of the society of their time.

    After more than two centuries of disintegration following the fall of the Maurya empire
    the Kushanas restored the partial political unity of northern India and maintained it for about
    more than a century. The Kushana empire was formed by one of the five Great Yueh-chi
    principalities, Kuei-shang. A Kuei-shang ruler named Miaos seems to have extended his rule
    to north of the Oxus and established an independent Kuei-shang principality in the second
    half of the 1st century BCE. In the early 1st CE, Kujula Kadphises, amalgamated the five
    principalities and laid the foundations of a unified Kushana empire. His coins have been
    found south of the Hindu Kush suggesting that Kushana movement into the Indian
    subcontinent began in his time. Kujula Kadphises was succeeded by his son Wima
    Kadphises. During his reign the Kushanas pressed further east and established their control
    over the Indus valley and the Mathura region. The Kushana empire reached its zenith during
    the reign of Kanishka. Most scholars accept that his reign began in 78 CE and that his
    successors dated their inscriptions in an era beginning from this year.

    Titles hinting at feudatory character – Kushanas adopted grandiloquent titles as


    maharaja, rajatiraja. The rulers belonging to the Kanishka group generally prefixed to their
    names a title shahi. The title appears as shaonano shao on the coin-legends of Kanishka and
    his successors. The administrative and political significance of this title is evident in the Jaina
    text Kalakacaryakathanaka. It reveals three distinct elements of the Shaka polity which was
    adopted by the Kushana rulers. First the shahis were not independent king who had been
    subjugated but chiefs who stood in relation of feudatories to the great lord, shahanushahi.
    Secondly the shahis belonged to the same clan as the shahanushahi and therefore he was only
    the first among the equals. Thirdly, because of thisfeelings of equality, at the slightest
    provocation they could withdraw their fealty from him and seek their fortunes independently.

    The feudatory character of the Kushana political system can also be inferred from some
    other titles. The title mahishvara adopted by Wema Kadphises II means the great lord. The
    title sarvaloka-ishvara means the lord of the whole world, though these titles were not
    adopted by the Kanishka group of Kushana rulers. The generally prevalent Kushana titles
    such as rajatiraja and shahi were not adopted by indigenous rulers, but the term ishvara
    associated with the Kadphises group came to be common with the post-Gupta rulers, who
    styled themselves as parmeshvara, the supreme lord.

    Administration - The Kushanas were influenced by the Roman system of administration


    as Kanishka adopted the title of Kaiser. They could not evolve any sound provincial system
    either on Maurya or Roman lines. There is no information whether they exercised any direct
    administrative control over a sizeable part of their territories. The Sarnath Buddhist image
    inscription of the year 3 of Kanishka (AD 81?) refers to the rule of two kshatrapas, Vanaspara
    and Kharapallana, ruling over the easternmost province, including the Banaras region of
    Kanishka’s empire. The Kushanas seem to have introduced the curious practice of dual
    governorship in a province. Apparently it was intended that one kshatrapa would act as a
    check on the power of the other. But probably the two could not remain on the same footing
    for long, since in another inscription the former is mentioned as a kshatrapa and the latter as
    mahakshatrapa. The mahakshatrapa was made overlord of the kshatrapa, who assisted him in
    the work of administration. The names Vanaspara and Kharapallana clearly show that they
    were foreigners. It is suggested that they were the descendants of the mahakshatrapa Shodasa
    of Mathura and retained in their position by the Kushanas. It would mean that even the
    kshatrapas were not directly appointed by the Kushana king but were reinstated in their
    position as vanquished chiefs. This may have been true in some cases but in other cases the
    kshatrapas may have been appointed directly. It is clear from this that generally the scions of
    the ruling family were appointed to this post. It has been suggested that empire was divided
    into five or seven satrapies.

    The military system of the Kushanas is not reflected in their records. The frequent use of
    the term dandanayaka in its different forms in their inscriptions suggests the importance of
    the military element in their polity. They were skilled horsemen using stirrups. The Mathura
    statue of Kanishka clearly shows that boots and trousers formed the essential equipment of
    the Kushana horsemen who seem to have been good archers. The kshatrapas exercised their
    powers through semi-military officers known as dandanayaka and mahadandanayaka, who
    seem to have occupied an important position in the Kushana polity. During the reign of
    Kanishka we hear of dandanayaka Lala, who served Kshatrapa Veshpasi as his donation
    master. He was scion of the ruling family, for he is described as “the increaser of the Kushana
    race.” Kushana inscriptions from Mathura mentions mahadandanayaka Valina and
    Hummiyaka Chanayakka. These references suggest they performed non-military functions
    also along with their military duties. Thus the names of the Kushana functionaries do not
    suggest any territorial associations as in the case of the Maurya officials, but indicate graded
    hierarchy of the same type of officers. They probably received salaries in cash, as can be
    inferred from cash donations made for feeding the brahmanas and from the use of gold and
    copper coins on a large scale in the Kushana dominions.

    As regards territorial administration under the Kushanas, the Allahabad Inscription of


    Samudragupta speaks of vishaya and bhukti in their dominions. The prevalence of the bhukti
    is not corroborated by any source but that of vishaya is attested by a Buddhist Mahayanaist
    text of the third century AD, which while defining a devaputra, refers kings ruling in
    vishayas. Four seals of the Kushana period from Bhita speak of the nigama, and an
    inscription refers to two guilds (shrenis), of which one was wheat-flour dealers, at Mathura.
    The lowest territorial unit was undoubtedly the village, under the gramika, who seems to
    have been regular part of the Kushana system of administration in the Mathura region. A
    gramika is expressly mentioned in a Mathura Jain inscription of the time of Vasudeva. On the
    basis of Manu it can be said that the gramika of Kushana times had something to do with
    revenue collection.

    The centrifugal forces were counterbalanced by the proclaimed association of divine


    elements with the ruler. Despite the fact that most of the Kushana rulers were Buddhists, they
    tried to deify themselves by adopting the title of devaputra (son of God) and instituting the
    dead king’s cult. F.W. Thomas contends that devaputra was not an official title of the
    Kushana rulers but a complimentary epithet given to them by their subjects. This view was
    also accepted by U.N. Ghoshal. The Kushanas followed the practice of erecting devakulas, in
    which the statues of the dead rulers were housed. The term devakula is recorded in the
    inscription on the colossal image of Wima, and we have also a reference to the repair of the
    devakula of the grandfather of Huvishka during the reign of the latter. On the basis of
    Pratimanataka of Bhasha the term devakula has rightly been interpreted to mean the place
    where statues were erected in honour of dead potentates. It is argued that this structure was a
    temporal temple and not a place of worship. The term devakula clearly means “deity-house”,
    and, the Mathura inscription of Huvishka shows that the repair of the dilapidated devakula of
    his grandfather by a state official was an act of religious merit intended for the increase of life
    and strength of the maharaja rajatiraja devaputra Huvishka. The practice of erecting
    devakulas, was in keeping with the official title of devaputra, and both contributed to the
    apotheosis of the Kushana kings. The adoption of the title devaputra and establishment of
    devakulas by the Kushanas were deliberate devices to deify the kings can be deduced from
    the representation of divine aura round the busts of the kings on their coins. On the gold
    pieces of Kadphises II the shoulders of the kings are surrounded by luminous rays of flames,
    and his bust appears to issue from the clouds like the gods of Greece. The nimbus appears on
    some pieces of Kanishka, but is much more frequent on certain gold pieces of Huvishka, who
    is at once ornamented with nimbus, flames and clouds. Vasudeva has simply the nimbus
    round his head. The nimbus or prabhamandala was especially associated with the divinities
    represented on the coins of Kanishka and Huvishka. Therefore it was in order to propagate
    their celestial origin that the Kushana kings got themselves represented on their coins with
    the nimbus, aureole, clouds or flames. The deification of the Kushana king served to secure
    him the allegiance of the subjects, of which we have enough evidence in the religious gifts
    made by officers and individuals.
    The Kushana coins, which are considered an important insignia of sovereignty, broadly
    indicate the faith to which they belonged. Kadphises I, calls him dhramathidasa, a title which
    also occurs as sacadhramathitasa on the other coins of the Kushanas. This apparently refers to
    their devotion to the dharma of the Buddha. Besides, we have representations of Shiva on
    their coins. The variety of gods are represented on the coins of Huvishka, this variety of gods
    on their coins may also suggest the policy of the Kushanas to respect the religious sentiments
    of their subjects. Under their rule Mathura was a noted centre of Jainism, as is apparent from
    the numerous gifts of Jain images made there by lay and clerical votaries in the reigns of
    Kanishka and Huvishka. Similarly brahmanical sacrificial religion was also tolerated. An
    inscription mentions the erection of the sacrificial post (yupa) by a brahmana of the
    Bharadvaja gotra after having performed a sattra of twelve nights.

    The sketch of the Kushana polity, though inadequate on account of lack of material,
    would show that the Kushanas introduced certain new elements in Indian polity like the dual
    governorship in the provinces; the idea of the divinity of the king, which made some
    impression on later rulers for Samudragupta is compared to four different gods. Again, the
    office of the mahadandanayaka came to function in the eastern, southern and northern
    provinces of the Gupta empire. Above all, the main characteristic of the Kushana political
    structure, namely the organization of the hierarchical feudatory system, seems to have been
    adopted by Samudragupta in his imperial system.

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