Vasudeva III was possibly the son of Vasudeva II and a ruler of the Kushan Empire c. 360-365 CE.
Vasudeva II was a Kushan emperor who ruled c. 275–300 AD. He was probably the successor of Kanishka III and may have been succeeded by a king named Shaka Kushan.
The Kushan Empire was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of Afghanistan, and then the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent at least as far as Saketa and Sarnath near Varanasi (Benares), where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the Kushan Emperor Kanishka the Great. Emperor Kanishka was a great patron of Buddhism. He played an important role in the establishment of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent and its spread to Central Asia and China.
By the reign of Vasudeva III, the Kushan Empire had declined into insignificance. In the west the Sasanian Empire was a threat, and in the east local native people had regained their independence. [1]
The Sasanian Empire, or the Neo-Persian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians, was the last kingdom of the Persian Empire before the rise of Islam. Named after the House of Sasan, it ruled from 224 to 651 AD. The Sasanian Empire succeeded the Parthian Empire and was recognised as one of the leading world powers alongside its neighbouring arch-rival, the Roman-Byzantine Empire for a period of more than 400 years.
Existence of Vasudeva III has been disputed, [2] as has been the existence of his supposed father Vasudeva II. [3] No epigraphic evidence supports his existence. [4]
Epigraphy is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the writing and the writers. Specifically excluded from epigraphy are the historical significance of an epigraph as a document and the artistic value of a literary composition.
It has also been proposed, from numismatic evidence, that there may have been another Kushan ruler with the same name and regnal number as Vasudeva III. [5]
Regnal numbers are ordinal numbers used to distinguish among persons with the same name who held the same office. Most importantly, they are used to distinguish monarchs. An ordinal is the number placed after a monarch's regnal name to differentiate between a number of kings, queens or princes reigning the same territory with the same regnal name.
Kanishka I, or Kanishka the Great, an emperor of the Kushan dynasty in the second century, is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements. A descendant of Kujula Kadphises, founder of the Kushan empire, Kanishka came to rule an empire in Bactria extending to Pataliputra on the Gangetic plain. The main capital of his empire was located at Puruṣapura in Gandhara, with another major capital at Kapisa.
Kujula Kadphises was a Kushan prince who united the Yuezhi confederation during the 1st century CE, and became the first Kushan emperor. According to the Rabatak inscription, he was the great grandfather of the great Kushan king Kanishka I. He is considered the founder of the Kushan Empire.
Kanishka II was one of the emperors of the Kushan Empire from around 225–245 CE. He succeeded Vasudeva I who is considered to be the last great Kushan emperor. It is likely he lost part of his empire to the Kushano-Sassanians.
Vima Kadphises was a Kushan emperor from approximately 90–100 CE. According to the Rabatak inscription, he was the son of Vima Takto and the father of Kanishka.
Vima Takto or Vima Taktu was a Kushan emperor who reigned c. 80–90 CE.
Huvishka was the emperor of the Kushan Empire from the death of Kanishka until the succession of Vasudeva I about forty years later. His rule was a period of retrenchment and consolidation for the Empire.
Kanishka III was a Kushan emperor who reigned for a short period around the year 268 CE. He is believed to have succeeded Vasishka and was succeeded by Vasudeva II.
Kharahostes or Kharaostasa was an Indo-Scythian ruler in the northern Indian subcontinent around 10 BCE – 10 CE. He is known from his coins, often in the name of Azes II, and possibly from an inscription on the Mathura lion capital, although another satrap Kharaostes has been discovered in Mathura.
The Western Satraps, Western Kshatrapas, or Kshaharatas were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central part of India. The Western Satraps were contemporaneous with the Kushans who ruled the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and were possibly their overlords, and the Satavahana (Andhra) who ruled in Central India. The power of the Saka rulers started to decline in the 2nd century CE after the Saka rulers were defeated by the south Indian Emperor Gautamiputra Satakarni of the Satavahana dynasty. Later the Saka kingdom was completely destroyed by Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century CE.
Mujatria, previously read Hajatria, is the name of an Indo-Scythian ruler, the son of Kharahostes as mentioned on his coins.
Chhu seems to have been a late Kushan Empire ruler, who ruled from 310 to 325 CE. His coinage is very similar to that of his near-contemporary Vasudeva. His rule corresponds to the last days of the Kushan Empire, before the conquest by Kidara.
Vasudeva IV was reportedly a Kushan King ruling in Kandahar. He was the possible father of Vasudeva of Kabul.
Vāsishka (was a Kushan emperor, who seems to have had a short reign following Kanishka II. His rule is recorded as far south as Sanchi, where several inscriptions in his name have been found, dated to the year 22 and year 28 of a Kushan era. This would place his reign c. 247–265.
An Inscribed Silver Buddhist Reliquary or Apracaraja Indravarman's Silver Reliquary has been found, presumably from Bajaur area of ancient Kapisa. Believed to have been fabricated at Taxila, the silver reliquary consists of two parts—the base and the cover—both being fluted, and the cover being topped by a figure of long horned Ibex. It has been dated to around the eighth or ninth decades of the 1st century BCE and bears six inscriptions written in pointillē style, in Kharoshthi script and Gandhari/north-western Prakrit. In form, the silver vessel is wholly atypical of Buddhist reliquaries and is said to have been a wine goblet, similar to others found in Gandhara and Kapisa regions. The vessel was later reused by Apraca king Indravarman as a Reliquary to enshrine Buddhist relics in a stüpa raised by Indravarman. The inscriptions on the silver reliquary provide important new information not only about the history of the kings of Apraca dynasty themselves but also about their relationships with other rulers of the eastern region of Bactria and its crown jewels, Gandhara and Avacapura, i.e., western Pakistan, around the beginning of Christian era.
Shaka may have been one of the last rulers of the Kushan Empire around 325-345. 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. Unfortunately, we don't know the date of the Allahabad inscription, so the best guess on dating Shaka is c. mid-4th century.
Kipunada was one of the last rulers of the Kushan Empire around 345-375. He is known for his gold coinage. He succeeded Shaka I. He may have been a subject of Samudragupta.
Vasudeva V, or Vasudeva of Kabul was a Kushan ruler circa 300 CE. He was the possible child of Vasudeva IV, ruling in Kabul. His existence is uncertain.
Preceded by Vasudeva II | Kushan Ruler | Succeeded by Vasudeva IV |
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