DOI article:
Smagur, Emilia: Vaishnavite influences in the Kushan coinage
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31074#0072
EMILIA SMAGUR
depicts the main deity, Vasudeva-Krishna, emanating the remaining deities, prob-
ably The figurę is four-armed, holding possibly a mace and a conchA
The few preserved sculptures are also evidence that the cult of Varaha was already
practised at that time (MM 65.15).
Eight-armed representations from that period are rare and are interpreted as
Vishnu images. During this period, the deity was depicted in the hieratic (PI. 3, Fig. 5)
or narrative form shown as Vishnu Trivikrama, with his left knee raised (e.g. MM
50.3550, MM 1010)A In both forms, the deity presses an unidentifed object to
his chest with his natural right hand, and in the remaining hands he holds arrows,
a sword and a rock. The left natural hand holds a conchA The other hands are not
preserved in the known depictions. The deity's head is adomed with a three-partite
crown with ribbons flowing down on both sides. The necklace hangs down on his
naked chest.
The coins of Agathocles, the Garuda pillar from Besnagar and the inscription
from Gosundi in Rajasthan confirm the existence of the Vasudeva-Kjrishna cult in
Gandhara in the 2"^ century BCA but there are no sculptural images of this god
from that period. The rare representations of Varaha from Gandhara are dated to
the 4T centuryA Another example is the image from the Julian Sherrier Collection,
described by Samad^ as a depiction of Vishnu, which, according to him, is "sty-
listically comparable to the contemporary Buddhist sculptures of Gandhara, which
datę to 3^- 4"" century AD". The style of the chakra standing by his left leg is "un-
usual with the spokes shown in a lotus leaves pattern" (this chakra resembles the
one on MM 18.16). Samad points out that the shape of the outline of the damaged
object held by the deity in his upper left hand resembles a conch. Vishnu's head is
surrounded by a halo, and on his left Samad notices something that "seems to be
a lion's head". He remarks, however, that his observation is based on the photo of
the deity. He considers the representation from the Taxila Museum to be its ana-
logy, as here the lion's head was placed to the left of Vishnu's head surrounded
by a halo. He believes that both representations show Vishnu Narasimha. Indeed,
a smali lion's head is visible on the lef of Vishnu, but on his right another head,
possibly of a boar (like in the case of some Vasudeva-Krishna statues) or a buli,
now broken off, might have been placed.
" STASZCZYK2012: 121.
^ SRINIVASAN 1997: 249; STASZCZYK20I2: 125.
M ASTHANA and GUPTA 1999: 89; STASZCZYK 2012: 125; SRINIVASAN 1997: 249; IDEM 2011:
251; IDEM 1989: 387.
6" SAMAD 2010: 72-74; DESAI 1973: 4-5.
66 SAMAD 2010: 79-80.
66 75;<7ew: 83-85.
depicts the main deity, Vasudeva-Krishna, emanating the remaining deities, prob-
ably The figurę is four-armed, holding possibly a mace and a conchA
The few preserved sculptures are also evidence that the cult of Varaha was already
practised at that time (MM 65.15).
Eight-armed representations from that period are rare and are interpreted as
Vishnu images. During this period, the deity was depicted in the hieratic (PI. 3, Fig. 5)
or narrative form shown as Vishnu Trivikrama, with his left knee raised (e.g. MM
50.3550, MM 1010)A In both forms, the deity presses an unidentifed object to
his chest with his natural right hand, and in the remaining hands he holds arrows,
a sword and a rock. The left natural hand holds a conchA The other hands are not
preserved in the known depictions. The deity's head is adomed with a three-partite
crown with ribbons flowing down on both sides. The necklace hangs down on his
naked chest.
The coins of Agathocles, the Garuda pillar from Besnagar and the inscription
from Gosundi in Rajasthan confirm the existence of the Vasudeva-Kjrishna cult in
Gandhara in the 2"^ century BCA but there are no sculptural images of this god
from that period. The rare representations of Varaha from Gandhara are dated to
the 4T centuryA Another example is the image from the Julian Sherrier Collection,
described by Samad^ as a depiction of Vishnu, which, according to him, is "sty-
listically comparable to the contemporary Buddhist sculptures of Gandhara, which
datę to 3^- 4"" century AD". The style of the chakra standing by his left leg is "un-
usual with the spokes shown in a lotus leaves pattern" (this chakra resembles the
one on MM 18.16). Samad points out that the shape of the outline of the damaged
object held by the deity in his upper left hand resembles a conch. Vishnu's head is
surrounded by a halo, and on his left Samad notices something that "seems to be
a lion's head". He remarks, however, that his observation is based on the photo of
the deity. He considers the representation from the Taxila Museum to be its ana-
logy, as here the lion's head was placed to the left of Vishnu's head surrounded
by a halo. He believes that both representations show Vishnu Narasimha. Indeed,
a smali lion's head is visible on the lef of Vishnu, but on his right another head,
possibly of a boar (like in the case of some Vasudeva-Krishna statues) or a buli,
now broken off, might have been placed.
" STASZCZYK2012: 121.
^ SRINIVASAN 1997: 249; STASZCZYK20I2: 125.
M ASTHANA and GUPTA 1999: 89; STASZCZYK 2012: 125; SRINIVASAN 1997: 249; IDEM 2011:
251; IDEM 1989: 387.
6" SAMAD 2010: 72-74; DESAI 1973: 4-5.
66 SAMAD 2010: 79-80.
66 75;<7ew: 83-85.