DOI Artikel:
Smagur, Emilia: Vaishnavite influences in the Kushan coinage
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31074#0067
VAISHNAVITE INFLUENCES...
lower hand - possibly a club, and in the extended lower right hand - a chakra. The
objects kept in his extended upper left and right hands are unidentihable. It seems
that in the lowest, fourth pair of his hands he hoids stalks of a certain plant that cross
at the level of his knees. According to Cribb and Bracey,^ the deity is "holding in
both lowest hands the stems to right and left of a lotus plant growing between the
god's legs", whereas Khan^ believes that the fourth pair of the god's arms are in fact
the Iow branches of a tree standing behind the god, not very clearly visible, and the
god himself is six-armed. According to the same author, the inscription on the coin
can be read as [+<fA<2v<3&]f On the obverse the king riding an elephant is shown.
The second coin, a copper tetradrachm of Huvishka was discovered in Kash-
mir Smastd° reverse represents the same type as the coin described above; how-
ever, they differ with regard to some details. In the upper extended left hand the
god holds a round object that resembles a chakra. However, as pointed out by
Khan," it may be a sun disc sińce the god holds a crescent in his extended lower
hand. The objects kept in the upper and lower extended right hands are hard to
identify. According to Cribb and Bracey,'^ he may carry a club in his upper hand.
However, Khan believes that it must be a mace, whereas the object in the lower
hand is a wheel or a diadem. He also maintains that in the case of both coins, the
deities with the hands pressed together held at the chest may be performing the
Anjali Mudra gesture expressing worship towards the tree standing before the de-
ity. But it seems morę probable that also in this case the deity holds a conch in both
his hands. Khan'' reads the inscription in Kharoshthi as or
On the obverse, the ruler riding an elephant is depicted.
Both coins were struck during the hrst phase of the Kushan subsidiary copper
mint located in Gandhara, probably at Peshawar according to Cribb and Bracey^,
and have not been listed by Góbl. In addition to the depiction of an eight-armed
deity, in the above-mentioned phase the coins with representations of Ardochsho,
Nana and Oado were also produced. They share the same reverse with the phase
2 production, when coins bearing the representations of Oesho, Pharro (?) and
a god holding a long bow and an arrow were struck. Both phases are distinguished
by the use of the Kharoshti inscription yo<3%(7w?<fe, instead of the deity name in
' CRIBB and BRACEY (forthcoming).
s KHAN 2006: 136.
134.
Fig. i53:3, CB E.C2-i lu(lA/26a).
" KHAN 2006: 134.
CRIBB and BRACEY (forthcoming).
" KHAN 2006: 134.
CRIBB and BRACEY (forthcoming).
lower hand - possibly a club, and in the extended lower right hand - a chakra. The
objects kept in his extended upper left and right hands are unidentihable. It seems
that in the lowest, fourth pair of his hands he hoids stalks of a certain plant that cross
at the level of his knees. According to Cribb and Bracey,^ the deity is "holding in
both lowest hands the stems to right and left of a lotus plant growing between the
god's legs", whereas Khan^ believes that the fourth pair of the god's arms are in fact
the Iow branches of a tree standing behind the god, not very clearly visible, and the
god himself is six-armed. According to the same author, the inscription on the coin
can be read as [+<fA<2v<3&]f On the obverse the king riding an elephant is shown.
The second coin, a copper tetradrachm of Huvishka was discovered in Kash-
mir Smastd° reverse represents the same type as the coin described above; how-
ever, they differ with regard to some details. In the upper extended left hand the
god holds a round object that resembles a chakra. However, as pointed out by
Khan," it may be a sun disc sińce the god holds a crescent in his extended lower
hand. The objects kept in the upper and lower extended right hands are hard to
identify. According to Cribb and Bracey,'^ he may carry a club in his upper hand.
However, Khan believes that it must be a mace, whereas the object in the lower
hand is a wheel or a diadem. He also maintains that in the case of both coins, the
deities with the hands pressed together held at the chest may be performing the
Anjali Mudra gesture expressing worship towards the tree standing before the de-
ity. But it seems morę probable that also in this case the deity holds a conch in both
his hands. Khan'' reads the inscription in Kharoshthi as or
On the obverse, the ruler riding an elephant is depicted.
Both coins were struck during the hrst phase of the Kushan subsidiary copper
mint located in Gandhara, probably at Peshawar according to Cribb and Bracey^,
and have not been listed by Góbl. In addition to the depiction of an eight-armed
deity, in the above-mentioned phase the coins with representations of Ardochsho,
Nana and Oado were also produced. They share the same reverse with the phase
2 production, when coins bearing the representations of Oesho, Pharro (?) and
a god holding a long bow and an arrow were struck. Both phases are distinguished
by the use of the Kharoshti inscription yo<3%(7w?<fe, instead of the deity name in
' CRIBB and BRACEY (forthcoming).
s KHAN 2006: 136.
134.
Fig. i53:3, CB E.C2-i lu(lA/26a).
" KHAN 2006: 134.
CRIBB and BRACEY (forthcoming).
" KHAN 2006: 134.
CRIBB and BRACEY (forthcoming).