The Kushanas

Let us begin with a simple, yet powerful framing:
The Kushanas were not originally from India, yet they played a crucial role in shaping Indian polity, religion (especially Buddhism), and cross-continental trade and culture. Think of them as a connective bridge between India, Central Asia, China, and even Rome.

🏹 Origin: Who Were the Kushanas?

• The Kushanas belonged to a nomadic tribe known as the Yuechi (also written Yuezhi or Yuchi), originally from north-central Asia, near modern-day China.
• This Yuechi tribe had five clans, and one of these clans came to be known as the Kushanas.
• Initially, they were not a major political force. But over time, one clan—the Kushanas—rose to power, leading to the creation of a large empire.

👉 Analogy: Just as the Mughals were Central Asians who became Indian emperors, the Kushanas were outsiders who became insiders through politics, culture, and religion.

⚔️ Rise to Power

Let’s trace their geographical movement:

1. First, they displaced the Shakas and took control of Bactria (modern northern Afghanistan).
2. Then, they moved into Kabul Valley, seized Gandhara, and expanded into the lower Indus Basin.
3. Eventually, they pushed into northern India, reaching the Gangetic plain.

📌 At their peak, the Kushana empire extended:

• From the Oxus river (in Central Asia)
• To the Ganga river (in north India)
• From Khorasan (in Iran)
• To Varanasi (in Uttar Pradesh)

They ruled a trans-regional empire connecting India with the Silk Route, a trade network that brought immense wealth and cultural exchanges.

🧱 Founders of the Empire

🟡 Kujula Kadphises (Kadphises I)

• He was the one who united all five Yuezhi clans and established the Kushana dynasty in the 1st century CE.
• He minted coins—primarily copper coins—and interestingly, imitated Roman coins, showing the trade links with Rome.

👉 This imitation tells us: cultural influence often follows trade.

🟡 Vima Kadphises (Kadphises II)

• He was the son of Kujula, and under him, the empire expanded east of the Indus.
• He issued a large number of gold coins, another sign of increasing prosperity and contact with global markets.

👑 Kanishka (c. 78–120 CE) – The Greatest Kushana Ruler

Now comes the central figure in this entire dynasty—Kanishka.

📍 Territories

• Kanishka expanded the empire from Central Asia to Maharashtra.
• He fought wars with China—lost the first expedition but succeeded in the second.
• He had two capitals:
  • Purushapura (modern-day Peshawar) – primary capital
  • Mathura – secondary capital

🧠 Contributions

1. Shaka Era

• He started the Shaka Era in 78 CE, which is still used in India today (adopted as the national calendar in 1957).

2. Rabatak Inscription

• Discovered in Afghanistan, written in the Bactrian language using Greek script.
• It gives the genealogy of Kanishka and calls him a “righteous and just king worthy of divine worship.”
• It also lists the cities under his rule and provides valuable historical evidence.

🕉️ Kanishka and Buddhism

Kanishka is one of the greatest patrons of Buddhism in Indian history, just like Ashoka.

🌼 Mahayana Buddhism

Under his rule, Mahayana Buddhism gained momentum. Two major changes happened:

1. Image worship began: Before this, Buddha was represented symbolically (like a tree, wheel, or footprint). Now, statues of Buddha were made and worshipped.
   • Mathura and Taxila became major centres of Buddhist art.
2. Belief in Bodhisattvas: Bodhisattvas were enlightened beings who postponed their nirvana to help others attain it. This idea was emphasized in Mahayana tradition.

🌍 Spread of Buddhism

• Kanishka embraced Buddhism in the early part of his reign.
• He sent Buddhist missionaries to Central Asia and China, leading to the spread of Mahayana Buddhism along the Silk Route.

📜 Fourth Buddhist Council

• Held in Srinagar (Kashmir) at the Kundalavana monastery, under the presidentship of Vasumitra.
• Major objective: to organise and systematise Buddhist doctrine.
• Result: The Vibhasha Shastras were compiled—commentaries on the Tripitakas (the core Buddhist scriptures).

🪔 It is believed that Kanishka had these commentaries engraved on red copper plates and placed in a stupa—an early example of preserving knowledge through monumental architecture.

📚 Kanishka’s Contribution to Buddhist Literature

After having understood how Kanishka expanded Mahayana Buddhism, now we explore how he became a patron of Buddhist scholars and writers, thereby shaping the intellectual landscape of Buddhism.

👨‍🏫 Patronage of Scholars

Kanishka surrounded himself with some of the greatest Buddhist minds of the time:

• Vasumitra – President of the Fourth Buddhist Council.
• Ashvaghosha – A philosopher-poet.
• Nagarjuna – Founder of the Madhyamika School of Mahayana Buddhism.

👉 Think of Kanishka as a blend of Chandragupta Maurya’s political skill and Ashoka’s spiritual dedication, but in a unique Central Asian–Indian context.

🪔 Ashvaghosha – The First Great Sanskrit Buddhist Poet

Earlier, Pali was the main language of Buddhist literature. But under the Kushanas—especially due to Mahayana’s rise—Sanskrit emerged as the preferred literary medium.

Ashvaghosha’s works not only popularised Mahayana themes, but also gave Buddhism a literary elegance in Sanskrit.

His Major Works:

1. Buddhacharita – A biography of the Buddha in the form of an epic poem.
2. Saundarananda Mahakavya – Describes the transformation of Nanda, Buddha’s half-brother.
3. Mahalankara – A Mahayana philosophical text.
4. Sariputraprakarana – A drama based on Sariputta and Maudgalayana.
5. Vajrasuchi – A fierce critique of casteism, questioning the varna system and Vedic dominance.

👉 Insight: Ashvaghosha played for Buddhism what Kalidasa did for classical Sanskrit literature.

🧪 Charaka and the Charaka Samhita – Medicine in Kanishka’s Time

While spiritual and literary culture flourished under the Kushanas, so did science and medicine.

Charaka Samhita: A Landmark in Ancient Indian Medicine

• Written in Sanskrit, it’s one of the three foundational texts of Ayurveda (along with Sushruta Samhita and Ashtanga Hridaya).
• Emphasised the importance of diet, lifestyle, meditation, and environment in health.
• Includes detailed accounts of:
  • Medicinal plants (referred to as oshadhi)
  • Drug preparation methods (early chemistry)
  • Clinical observations

Composition Timeline:

• Originally composed by Agnivesha, a disciple of Punarvasu Atreya.
• Charaka revised and expanded the work between 100 BCE – 200 CE.
• Later additions made by Dridhabala, who rewrote missing sections and the final part.

📌 Charaka was the royal physician in Kanishka’s court.
This reflects Kanishka’s role not just as a patron of religion, but also scientific inquiry.

🌏 Controlling the Silk Road – Kushanas as Economic Powerhouses

The Silk Road was not just a trade route—it was the artery of global cultural and economic exchange.

• The Kushanas controlled key segments of this route.
• They levied tolls and earned huge revenue, which helped build their wealthy and cosmopolitan empire.

💡 Contextual Thought: Just as modern nations thrive on controlling global trade routes (think Suez Canal, Malacca Strait), ancient empires too rose by dominating trade arteries.

💰 Coins of the Kushanas – Economic Brilliance

1. First to issue gold coins on a large scale in India (c. 1st century CE)

• Most coins were found west of the Indus.
• High metallic purity, even higher than Gupta coins.

2. Influence of Roman and Parthian coinage

• Identical weight to Roman coins → shows active Indo-Roman trade.
• Roman coins found in South India, showing international networks.

3. Early Coin Designs

• Obverse: King’s image (usually sacrificing at an altar)
• Reverse: Greek gods
• Bilingual inscriptions: Greek (obverse) + Kharoshthi (reverse)

4. Kanishka’s Innovations

• Shifted from Greek-Kharoshthi to Bactrian language.
• Early coins featured Greek gods, later coins included:
  • Iranian deities
  • Indian gods (e.g., Shiva as Oesho)
  • Buddha himself, with inscriptions like Boddo

👉 This indicates not just political ambition but religious pluralism and an inclusive cultural policy.

📉 Decline of the Kushanas

Kanishka was followed by:

• Huvishka – maintained the empire’s wealth and stability.
• Vasudeva I (191–232 CE) – last prominent ruler.

Key Observations:

• Vasudeva was the first Kushana king with a Sanskrit name, derived from Vasudeva Krishna.
  ⇒ This shows a shift towards Indianisation of the Kushanas.

Decline Factors:

1. Invasions by the Sassanian Empire (from Iran) – weakened Kushana hold in northwest India.
2. Though their empire shrank, small Kushana principalities survived for a while.
3. Finally, in the 5th century CE, the Huns invasion ended all remaining Kushana power.