Shaka (Kushan)

Kushan emperor

Shaka
Kushan emperor
Kushan Empire Shaka Circa AD 325-345. Obverse: King Shakā making a sacrifice over an altar. To the right of the altar: Vi. The name of the ruler appears vertically to the right of the king in Gupta script: Sha-kā. Under the arm of the ruler, also in Brahmi script: Si-ta.Traces of Greco-Bactrian legend around. Reverse: Ardoxsho enthroned, holding filleted investiture garland and cornucopia; tamgha to upper left.^[1]
Reign	300–350 CE
Predecessor	Vasudeva II
Successor	Kipunada
Born	270 CE
Died	350 CE
Dynasty	Kushan Dynasty
Father	Kanishka III

Kushan emperors
30 CE–350 CE


Heraios	1–30 CE
Kujula Kadphises	50–90 CE
Vima Takto	90–113 CE
Vima Kadphises	113–127 CE
Kanishka I	127–151 CE
Huvishka	151–190 CE
Vasudeva I	190–230 CE
Kanishka II	230–247 CE
Vāsishka	247–267 CE
Kanishka III	267–270 CE
Vasudeva II	270–300 CE
Mahi	300–305 CE
Shaka	305–335 CE
Kipunada	335–350 CE

Shaka (Gupta script: Sha-kā) may have been one of the last rulers of the Kushan Empire around 325-345.^[2] He may have succeeded Vasudeva II. There is a group of Kushan gold coins that all carry the Brahmi legend Shaka in the right field, in the same place where Vasudeva II's coins read Vasu, so it is natural to suppose that perhaps Shaka was the name of the king who issued these coins. A further support for this idea is that there is a mention of one "Devaputra Shahi Shahanshahi Shaka Murunda" in Samudragupta's famous Allahabad inscription, as one of the rulers who paid him homage. In this context, Shaka could be a title, it could refer to a tribe, or it could be a personal name. In any case, it seems to be related to the Shaka coins. We do not know the date of the Allahabad inscription, so the best guess on dating Shaka is c. mid-4th century.

Robert Göbl,^[3] for instance, did not think Shaka was the name of a ruler; rather, he thought the coins were tribal issues, but Michael Mitchiner ^[4] and many other authors do think Shaka was a personal name.

The Shaha coins all have the goddess Ardoxsho on the reverse, whether many other Kushan rulers are known to have used Oesho (probably Shiva with his bull) on the reverse of their coins.^[5]

There are also sources who use the term Shaka-Kushan as a label for a historic period that began sometime between 78 A.D. and 128 A.D. This included the reign of rulers bearing the name of Vasudeva.^[6] It was associated with several excavated remains in northern India, which revealed building activities as well as artifacts like red polished pottery, ceramics, and terracotta figures.^[7] The discovered remains showed sophisticated construction practices like the use of burnt bricks for flooring and tiles for flooring and roofing. The wares, including some coins, found in the Shaka-Kushana sites were also found in several locations in Delhi, Jhatikra Nahar near Najafgarh, and Gordon Highlanders near Badli ki Sarai. Archaeologists believe that this indicates contact among these contemporary settlements or that these sites were under the sphere of influence of the Shaka-Kushana empire.^[6]

Footnotes

^ CNG Coins
^ Indian Numismatic Studies K. D. Bajpai p.112
^ Münzprägung des Kušānreiches, Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1984
^ Oriental Coins and their Values: The Ancient and Classical World, London: Hawkins Publications, 1978
^ Allen, John (1914). Catalogue of the coins of the Gupta dynasties. p. xxxviii.
^ ^a ^b Digital Press (n.d.). Combined modern, medieval, and ancient India. Digital Press. p. 131.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
^ Katariya, Adesh (25 November 2007). Ancient History of Central Asia: Yuezhi origin Royal Peoples: Kushana, Huna, Gurjar and Khazar Kingdoms. Adesh Katariya. p. 129.

External links

Online catalogue of coins of Shaka

Preceded by

Kanishka III

Kushan Ruler
c. 325 – c. 345

Succeeded by

Kipunada

Kushan Empire
Emperors, territories and chronology

Territories/ dates	Western India	Western Pakistan Balochistan	Paropamisadae Arachosia	Bajaur	Gandhara	Western Punjab	Eastern Punjab	Mathura
				INDO-SCYTHIAN KINGDOM			INDO-GREEK KINGDOM	INDO-SCYTHIAN Northern Satraps
25 BCE – 10 CE				Indo-Scythian dynasty of the APRACHARAJAS Vijayamitra (ruled 12 BCE – 15 CE)^{[t 1]}	Liaka Kusulaka Patika Kusulaka Zeionises	Kharahostes (ruled 10 BCE– 10 CE)^{[t 2]} Mujatria	Strato II and Strato III	Hagana
10-20CE		INDO-PARTHIAN KINGDOM Gondophares		Indravasu	INDO-PARTHIAN KINGDOM Gondophares		Rajuvula
20–30 CE			Ubouzanes Pakores	Vispavarma (ruled c. 0–20 CE)^{[t 3]}	Sarpedones		Bhadayasa	Sodasa
30-40 CE			KUSHAN EMPIRE Kujula Kadphises (c. 50–90)^{[t 4]}	Indravarma	Abdagases		...	...
40–45 CE				Aspavarma	Gadana		...	...
45–50 CE				Sasan	Sases		...	...
50–75 CE							...	...
75–100 CE	Indo-Scythian dynasty of the WESTERN SATRAPS Chastana		Vima Takto (c. 90–113)^{[t 4]}				...	...
100–120 CE	Abhiraka		Vima Kadphises (c. 113–127)^{[t 4]}
120 CE	Bhumaka Nahapana	PARATARAJAS Yolamira	Kanishka I (c. 127–151)^{[t 4]}				Great Satrap Kharapallana and Satrap Vanaspara for Kanishka I
130–230 CE	Jayadaman Rudradaman I Damajadasri I Jivadaman Rudrasimha I Isvaradatta Rudrasimha I Jivadaman Rudrasena I	Bagamira Arjuna Hvaramira Mirahvara	Huvishka (c. 151 – c. 190)^{[t 4]} Vasudeva I (c. 190 – 230)^{[t 4]}
230–250 CE	Samghadaman Damasena Damajadasri II Viradaman Yasodaman I Vijayasena Damajadasri III Rudrasena II Visvasimha	Miratakhma Kozana Bhimarjuna Koziya Datarvharna Datarvharna	KUSHANO-SASANIANS Ardashir I (c. 230 – 250) Ardashir II (?-245)	Kanishka II (c. 230 – 247)^{[t 4]}
250–280		Miratakhma Kozana Bhimarjuna Koziya Datarvharna Datarvharna	Peroz I, "Kushanshah" (c. 250 – 265) Hormizd I, "Kushanshah" (c. 265 – 295)			Vāsishka (c. 247 – 267)^{[t 4]} Kanishka III (c. 267 – 270)^{[t 4]}
280–300	Bhratadarman	Datayola II	Hormizd II, "Kushanshah" (c. 295 – 300)			Vasudeva II (c. 267 – 300)^{[t 4]}		GUPTA EMPIRE Chandragupta I Samudragupta Chandragupta II
300–320 CE	Visvasena Rudrasimha II Jivadaman		Peroz II, "Kushanshah" (c. 300 – 325)			Mahi (c. 300–305)^{[t 4]} Shaka (c. 305 – 335)^{[t 4]}
320–388 CE	Yasodaman II Rudradaman II Rudrasena III Simhasena Rudrasena IV		Varahran I (325–350) Shapur II Sassanid king and "Kushanshah" (c. 350)			Kipunada (c. 335 – 350)^{[t 4]}
388–396 CE	Rudrasimha III		KIDARITES invasion
^ From the dated inscription on the Rukhana reliquary ^ Richard Salomon (July–September 1996). "An Inscribed Silver Buddhist Reliquary of the Time of King Kharaosta and Prince Indravarman". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 116 (3): 418–452 [442]. JSTOR 605147. ^ Richard Salomon (1995) [Published online: 9 Aug 2010]. "A Kharosthī Reliquary Inscription of the Time of the Apraca Prince Visnuvarma". South Asian Studies. 11 (1): 27–32. doi:10.1080/02666030.1995.9628492. ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Jongeward, David; Cribb, Joe (2014). Kushan, Kushano-Sasanian, and Kidarite Coins A Catalogue of Coins From the American Numismatic Society by David Jongeward and Joe Cribb with Peter Donovan. p. 4.