Kushan Empire
Kushan Empire ruled India from 1 C.E to 375 C.E. It was founded by Kujula Kadphises. Kushan empire was stretched from Afghanistan to Tajikistan and from the Ganges River basin in Northern India to Arabian Sea. Kushan was at its peak approximately around the 105–250 centuries. Kushan empire increased trade by combining the marine route of the Indian Ocean with the Silk Route. This linkage increased their income level. They had very verry strong diplomatic relations with Rome, Persia and China. By language they were Indo-European people.
Kushan Empire Religion
They were followers of Zoroastrianism (Parsi) and Buddhism. . Kushan empire rulers established Greek Buddhism religion by combining Greek and Buddhist religious principles and beliefs. Greek Buddhism is also called Mahayana Buddhism. Their god beliefs was discovered through paintings and currency inscriptions. Their beliefs about god was also found in Greek and Iranian inscriptions.
During Kushan Empire Buddhism flourished. King Kanishka I, the fifth Kushan king translated the Buddhist texts into Sanskrit. He also established one of the great Buddhist councils in Kashmir which played a very crucial role Buddhism. Buddhist give equal importance to Kanishka I with Ashoka the great in Buddhism. During the regin Kushans encouraged Hinayana and Mahayana writings, which played an important part in spreading Buddhism along the Silk Road.
List of Kushan Empire Kings
The list of kushan dynasty kings is given below.
- Kujula Kadphises (1C.E – 80 C.E)
- Vimaa Taktoo ( 80 C.E – 105 C.E)
- Vimaa Kadphisees (105 C.E – 127 C.E)
- Kanishkaa I (127 C.E – 147 C.E)
- Vāsishka ( 151 C.E – 155 C.E)
- Huviska ( 155 C.E – 187 C.E )
- Vasudevaa I
- Kanishkaa II (226 C.E – 240 C.E)
- Vashiska (240 C.E – 250 C.E)
- Kanishkaa III (255C.E – 275 C.E)
- Vasudevaa II ( 290 C.E – 310 C.E )
- Vasudevaa III
Kujula Kadphises (1 C.E–80 C.E)
Kujula was the first king of the Kushan empire. He first attacked Anxi (Parthia) and captured it. After some time he attacked Gaofu area (Kabul) and conquered it. Later on he also captured Gandara’s whole kingdoms. After 40 to 60 victories he made a vast empire. When he died, Kujula was almost 80 years old.
Kanishka I (127–147)
Kanishka I reigned for at least 28 years from 127 C.E to 147 C.E. Kanishka I ruled a large area which consisted of the entire northern India, south Ujjalian and Kundina, and east beyond Pataliputra. He is also a most respected king in Buddhism because he helped a lot in flourishing Buddhism. He also ruled Purushapura (now Peshawar in northern Pakistan) and Mathura (north of India).. He founded a huge historic fort of Bathinda (Qila Mubarak) in the present town of Bathinda, Indian Punjab.
Expansion of Kushan Empire
It was a vast kingdom which was consisted on Central Asia, China, Afghanistan and Northern India. The Kushans had two capitals one was Kapisa and another one was Pushklavati (Peshawar, Pakistan). The Kushans spread over the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent in the 1st and early 2nd century CE. Approximately in 152 C.E Emperor Kanishka I, marched his troops north of the Karakoram Mountain, and later built a route that lasted more than a century from Gandara to China.
Decline of Kushan
Vasudeva I, the last great monarch of the Kushan Empire reigned till 225 C.E. When he died, the Empire split into Western and Eastern parts. Persian Sassanid Empire captured the western part of Kushan Empire. The Punjab was the center of the eastern Kushan empire. It was conquered by the Gupta Empire, led by Samudragupta, in the mid-fourth century. After that magnificent empire collapsed, which was a great empre and connected east and west asia for three centuries.
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