History of Indo Parthian & Kushan Dynasty

Indo – Parthian
(Pallava) & Kushana Dynasties

Ancient History
Part – 14th
Useful for UPSC, SSC, Railways and various competition exams.
Sumit Choudhary
Indo – Parthian Rule
The Indo Parthian Kingdom was ruled by the Gondopharid
dynasty, which was made up of a group of Iranian tribes
that lived east of Parthia and ruled the Indus Valley
between 12 BC to 130 AD. For most of their history, the
Gondopharid kings held Taxila as their residence, but
during their last few years of existence the capital shifted
between Kabul and Peshawar.
Gondophares called himself "King of Kings"
➢ The most renowned Parthian king was Gondophernes (20
AD to 41 AD) in whose reign St. Thomas who was one of the
12 apostles of Jesus came to India to propagate Christianity.
➢ Parthian kings adopt Buddhism.
➢ After the Gondophares, The Indo-Parthian rule in India
ended and soon Kushanas overpowered them.
➢ The last king Pacores (perhaps before 100 AD) only ruled in
Seistan and Kandahar.
Kushan Dynasty
❖ Kushanas are considered to be one of the five branches of the
Yuezhi tribe who lived in the Chinese frontier or central Asia.
❖ They are known as Guishuang in Chinese sources.
❖ They eventually acquired dominance over the other Yuezhi tribes.
❖ They moved eastward towards India defeating the Parthians and
the Sakas in the 1st century AD.
❖ Vasudeva I was the last great king of the Kushanas. After his death,
the empire disintegrated away. He probably died in 232AD
Kujula Kadphises (30 AD – 80 AD)
❖ Kujula Kadphises was the first Yuezhi chief to lay the
foundation of the Kushana Empire in India.
❖ He established his supremacy over Kabul, Kandahar and
Afghanistan.
❖ He was succeeded by his son Vima Taktu or Sadashkana
(AD 80 -AD 95) who expanded the empire into
northwest India.
Kanishka (127 AD – 151 AD)
❖ Considered the greatest Kushana king and also a great king
of ancient India.
❖ Son of Vima Kadphises.
❖ His kingdom included Afghanistan, parts of Sindhu, parts of
Parthia, Punjab, Kashmir, parts of Magadha (including
Pataliputra), Malwa, Benaras, perhaps parts of Bengal,
Khotan, Kashgar, Yarkhand (last three in modern China). His
empire covered Gandhara, Peshawar, Oudh, Pataliputra,
Kashmir and Mathura. His kingdom also included parts of
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
❖ His main capital was Peshawar, then known as Purushpura.
❖ After the capture of Pataliputra, he is said to have taken
away the Buddhist monk Ashvaghosha with him to
Peshawar.
❖ The scholars in his court included Parsva, Ashvaghosha,
Vasumitra, Nagarjuna, Charaka and Mathara. He also
patronised the Greek engineer Agesilaus.
❖ He was also a patron of art and architecture. The Gandhara
School of art flourished under him.
❖ It is not known how he died.
❖ Kanishka convened the fourth Buddhist Council at
Kundalvana in Kashmir.
❖ He patronised Buddhism although he was very tolerant
in his religious views. His coins contain a mix of Indian,
Greek and Zoroastrian deities.
❖ He also propagated the Mahayana form of Buddhism
and he was largely responsible for propagating it in
China.
Importance of the Kushana Empire
❖ Sanskrit literature began to be developed during this time.
The fourth Buddhist council was held in Sanskrit.
❖ Ashvoghosha is considered to be the first Sanskrit dramatist.
❖ During this time, three distinct schools of art flourished:
Gandhara School in northwest India, Amaravati School in
Andhra and the Mathura School in the Ganges valley.
❖ Trade prospered between India and China, and India and the
Roman Empire.
Importance of the Kushana Empire
❖ The Kushanas controlled large parts of the Silk Route which
led to the propagation of Buddhism into China. It was during
this time that Buddhism began to spread to Korea and Japan
also.
❖ Many towers, Chaityas, towns and beautiful sculptures were
built under the patronage of the Kushana kings.
❖ Kushanas were foreign invaders to begin with, but they were
completely Indianised in ways and culture.
❖ It is said that the Kushana period in Indian history was a
perfect forerunner to the golden age of the Guptas.
Thank you
LIKE, SHARE & SUBSCRIBE

History of Indo Parthian & Kushan Dynasty

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

History of Indo Parthian & Kushan Dynasty

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

History of Indo Parthian & Kushan Dynasty

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Indo – Parthian

(Pallava) & Kushana Dynasties

You might also like