DOI article:
Smagur, Emilia: Vaishnavite influences in the Kushan coinage
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31074#0068
EMILIA SMAGUR
BactrianA Some of the coins from the 2"^ phase have been listed by Gobl,'^ ac-
cording to whom the deity depicted with a bow is Heracles.
The third unique coin (PI. 1, Fig. 2) is a golden dinar of Vasudeva I pub-
lished by Robert GóblA On the obverse, there is a four-armed deity accompanied
by an inscription in the Bactrian ianguage BAZOAHO. In his upper left hand he
holds a chakra, in his lower left hand - a conch, in his upper right hand - a bag,
and his lower right hand rests on the handle of a club standing by himA According
to Srivastava,'9 the object kept by the deity in his upper right hand is unidentihed.
This type of a reverse appeared in the hrst issue of the main gold mint in Balkh
together with the depictions of OeshcA and Nana,-' and in the subsequent issues
they were replaced by OeshcA representations. On the obverse we can see a king
that, similarly to Kanishka I (c. 127-150), is making an offering upon the altar, but
he does not have a trident - an attribute that started to appear on the obverses of
the coins of Vasudeva I beginning from the next issue on which the Oesho figurę
replaced other representations A
RELIGIOUS AND ARTISTIC BACKGROUND
The term R7A/777GRAW comes from the name of god Vishnu and refers to the
cult of this god that started some time after this divine hgure appeared in Indian
mythologyA In the early stage of Vaishnavism some independent cults, such as
the Narayana cult, the Vasudeva-Kjrishna cult, the cult of LakshmA and Krishna-
Gopala^ were gradually absorbed by the Vishnu cult. However, the detailed course
of this process remains unclear. It is also difhcult to determine precisely the mo-
ment when the Vasudeva-Krishna cult started. According to Flood,- the beginning
of the Vasudeva cult as a local deity of the tribe called the Vrishnis or Satvatas'^
goes back to the 6"' or 5^ centuiy BC. Panini mentioned it in which
'6 See GÓBL 893 and 894 for bowman; 896.4, 897 and 899 for Nana; 900 for Ardochsho; 901 and 903 for
Oesho; 905.3, 906 and 907 for Oado.
" GÓBL 1993: no. 515A; CB F.G1-I ld(3a).
's CRIBB 2008: 124; see also CR1BB and BRACEY (forthcoming).
'9 SRIVASTAVA 2012: 413.
2" CB F.G1-I ld(la), F.G1-I ld(lb), F.G1-I ld(lc), F.G1-I ld(ld); GÓBL 515.
2' CB F.G1-I ld(2a); GÓBL 514.
22 GÓBL 501-505, 508-510, 640-659, 699-700.
23 CRIBB 1997: 32.
23 DESAI 1973: 2.
23 SINGH 2008: 436, FLOOD 1996: 117.
26FLOOD 1996: 118.
22 7A;'<3'gw: 119-120.
2' See SRIVASTAVA2012: 413; JAISYAL 1981: 62.
BactrianA Some of the coins from the 2"^ phase have been listed by Gobl,'^ ac-
cording to whom the deity depicted with a bow is Heracles.
The third unique coin (PI. 1, Fig. 2) is a golden dinar of Vasudeva I pub-
lished by Robert GóblA On the obverse, there is a four-armed deity accompanied
by an inscription in the Bactrian ianguage BAZOAHO. In his upper left hand he
holds a chakra, in his lower left hand - a conch, in his upper right hand - a bag,
and his lower right hand rests on the handle of a club standing by himA According
to Srivastava,'9 the object kept by the deity in his upper right hand is unidentihed.
This type of a reverse appeared in the hrst issue of the main gold mint in Balkh
together with the depictions of OeshcA and Nana,-' and in the subsequent issues
they were replaced by OeshcA representations. On the obverse we can see a king
that, similarly to Kanishka I (c. 127-150), is making an offering upon the altar, but
he does not have a trident - an attribute that started to appear on the obverses of
the coins of Vasudeva I beginning from the next issue on which the Oesho figurę
replaced other representations A
RELIGIOUS AND ARTISTIC BACKGROUND
The term R7A/777GRAW comes from the name of god Vishnu and refers to the
cult of this god that started some time after this divine hgure appeared in Indian
mythologyA In the early stage of Vaishnavism some independent cults, such as
the Narayana cult, the Vasudeva-Kjrishna cult, the cult of LakshmA and Krishna-
Gopala^ were gradually absorbed by the Vishnu cult. However, the detailed course
of this process remains unclear. It is also difhcult to determine precisely the mo-
ment when the Vasudeva-Krishna cult started. According to Flood,- the beginning
of the Vasudeva cult as a local deity of the tribe called the Vrishnis or Satvatas'^
goes back to the 6"' or 5^ centuiy BC. Panini mentioned it in which
'6 See GÓBL 893 and 894 for bowman; 896.4, 897 and 899 for Nana; 900 for Ardochsho; 901 and 903 for
Oesho; 905.3, 906 and 907 for Oado.
" GÓBL 1993: no. 515A; CB F.G1-I ld(3a).
's CRIBB 2008: 124; see also CR1BB and BRACEY (forthcoming).
'9 SRIVASTAVA 2012: 413.
2" CB F.G1-I ld(la), F.G1-I ld(lb), F.G1-I ld(lc), F.G1-I ld(ld); GÓBL 515.
2' CB F.G1-I ld(2a); GÓBL 514.
22 GÓBL 501-505, 508-510, 640-659, 699-700.
23 CRIBB 1997: 32.
23 DESAI 1973: 2.
23 SINGH 2008: 436, FLOOD 1996: 117.
26FLOOD 1996: 118.
22 7A;'<3'gw: 119-120.
2' See SRIVASTAVA2012: 413; JAISYAL 1981: 62.