| Abhiraka | |
|---|---|
| Khaharatasa Khatrapasa | |
 | |
| Reign | c. 35 CE |
| Successor | Bhumaka |
Abhiraka was a ruler from the Kshaharata dynasty, of the Western Satraps.
| Abhiraka | |
|---|---|
| Khaharatasa Khatrapasa | |
| | |
| Reign | c. 35 CE |
| Successor | Bhumaka |
Abhiraka was a ruler from the Kshaharata dynasty, of the Western Satraps.
Prior to R. C. Senior reading the name as Abhiraka (1998), the name had been misread as Aubhiraka, Aubhirakes, Aghudaka, Arta, and Ata. [1]
Coins of Abhiraka have been predominantly from modern-day Gujarat (Saurashtra, Kutch, etc.); [2] one-off specimens have also been found in as far as Afghanistan and Mleiha in the United Arab Emirates, attesting to the antiquity of long-distance trade networks. [1] [3] Only copper mints have been found. [1]
The obverse features a winged Nike, holding a wreath, circumscribed by the Greek legend, ΣAΓAPATOY ΣATPAΠOY AYBIPAKOY; [4] the reverse has a lion / elephant / horse facing a wheel — variably interpreted as the Dharmachakra or Krshna's chakra — [lower-alpha 1] , circumscribed by a Brahmi or Kharoshthi legend, Khaharatasa Khatrapasa Abhirakasa jayatasa Abhirakasa (transl.The Khsaharata Satrap Abhiraka; victory to Abhiraka). [1] [lower-alpha 2]
Overstrikes on coins of Apollodotus II are plenty; besides, coins of Apollodotos II (and others) countermarked with the wheel-and-animal motif, are assumed to have been issued by him, by Senior and other numismatists. [8] [10]
None of the Kshaharata rulers — Yapirajaya, [lower-alpha 3] Higaraka/Higataka, Hospises, Hastadatta, Abhiraka, Bhumaka, and Nahapana — use any date on their coins. The Taxila copper plate, which mentions two other Kshaharatas — Liaka Kusulaka and his son, Patika Kusulaka, both of whose coins are yet to be discovered — was engraved in the 78th year of King Maues, but Maues' regnal span remains uncertain in itself. [12] So, attempts to date the Kshaharatas must rely on circumstantial evidence. Besides, the dynasty appears to have migrated from North to South — while the coins of the latter three rulers are predominantly found in around modern-day Gujarat, the coins of the others are found only further north — and it might have been the case that some of them were contemporaries, ruling across different regions. [3] [13]
Nonetheless, a rough date for Abhiraka might be approached as follows:
Thus, Abhiraka's regnal period comes out to be c. late 1st century BCE. [14] [19]
The Indo-Greek Kingdom, or Graeco-Indian Kingdom, also known as the Yavana Kingdom, was a Hellenistic-era Greek kingdom covering various parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India. It existed from c. 200 BC to c. 10 AD.
The Indo-Scythians were a group of nomadic people of Iranic Scythian origin who migrated from Central Asia southward into the northwestern Indian subcontinent: the present-day South Asian regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Eastern Iran and northern India. The migrations persisted from the middle of the second century BCE to the fourth century CE.
Maues was the first Indo-Scythian king, ruling from 98/85 to 60/57 BCE. He invaded India and established Saka hegemony by conquering Indo-Greek territories.
Artemidorus Anicetus was a king who ruled in the area of Gandhara and Pushkalavati in modern northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Apollodotus II was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in the western and eastern parts of Punjab. Bopearachchi dates him to c. 80–65 BC, and R. C. Senior to c. 85–65 BC. Apollodotos II was an important ruler who seems to have re-established the Indo-Greek kingdom to some extent of its former glory. Taxila in western Punjab was reconquered from nomad Scythian rule.
Zoilus II Soter was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in eastern Punjab. Bopearachchi dates his reign to c. 55–35 BC, a date approximately supported by R. C. Senior. It is possible that some of his coins were issued by a separate king, Zoilus III.
Dionysius Soter was an Indo-Greek king in the area of eastern Punjab.
Strato IISoter also known as Stratha, was an Indo-Greek king. He ruled c. 25 BCE to 10 CE according to Bopearachchi. R. C. Senior suggests that his reign ended perhaps a decade earlier. He may have been supplanted by the Indo-Scythian Northern Satraps, particularly Rajuvula and Bhadayasa, whose coins were often copied on those of the last Indo-Greek kings. Numerous coins of Rajuvula have been found in company with the coins of the Strato group in the Eastern Punjab and also in the Mathura area: for example, 96 coins of Strato II were found in Mathura in conjunction with coins of Rajuvula, who also imitated the designs of Strato II in the majority of his issues.
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The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central parts of India, between 35 and 415 CE. The Western Satraps were contemporaneous with the Kushans who ruled the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, and were possibly vassals of the Kushans. They were also contemporaneous with the Satavahana who ruled in Central India. They are called "Western Satraps" in modern historiography in order to differentiate them from the "Northern Satraps", who ruled in Punjab and Mathura until the 2nd century CE.
Nahapana, was an important ruler of the Western Kshatrapas, descendant of the Indo-Scythians, in northwestern India, who ruled during the 1st or 2nd century CE. According to one of his coins, he was the son of Bhumaka.
Chhachh or Chach is a region located in Punjab, Pakistan between Peshawar and Islamabad at the northern tip of Attock, consisting of an alluvial plain extending from Attock District of Punjab, Pakistan, southwest of Topi and Swabi.
Bhumaka was a Western Kshatrapa ruler of the early 2nd century CE. He was the father of the great ruler Nahapana, according to one of the latter's coins. He was preceded by Abhiraka (Aubhirakes), of whom a few coins are known. some scholars identify him with Ysamotika, the father of Chashtana.
The Taxila copper-plate, also called the Moga inscription or the Patika copper-plate is a notable archaeological artifact found in the area of Taxila, Gandhara, in modern Pakistan. It is now in the collection of the British Museum.
Liaka Kusulaka was an Indo-Scythian satrap of the area of Chukhsa in northwestern India during the 1st century BCE.
Patika Kusulaka was an Indo-Scythian satrap in the northwestern South Asia during the 1st century BCE.
The Nasik inscription of Ushavadata is an inscription made in the Nasik Caves by Ushavadata, a son-in-law of the Western Satraps ruler Nahapana, in the years circa 120 CE. It is the earliest known instance of the usage of Sanskrit, although a rather hybrid form, in western India. It also documents the Indian tradition of dana (charity) to Brahmins, Buddhists and of building infrastructure to serve pilgrims and the general public by the 2nd-century CE.
The Saka-Satavahana Wars were a series of conflicts fought between the Saka ksatraps and the Satavahanas during the 1st-2nd century CE. Both sides achieved success at varying points during the conflicts, but in the end, it was the Satvahanas which prevailed. However, constant wars with the Sakas severely weakened them and was a major contributor in their fall.
Indo-Scythian art developed under the various dynasties of Indo-Scythian rulers in northwestern India, from the 1st century BCE to the early 5th century CE, encompassing the productions of the early Indo-Scythians, the Northern Satraps and the Western Satraps. It follows the development of Indo-Greek art in northwestern India. The Scythians in India were ultimately replaced by the Kushan Empire and the Gupta Empire, whose art form appear in Kushan art and Gupta art.
Western Satraps (1st c. CE - 395 CE) | |||
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