page_title: Kushan Empire
section_title: Kushan deities
hierarchical_section_title: Kushan Empire / Kushan deities
caption_attribution_description: English: This artefact resides at the Government Museum, (hi: Rashtriya Sangrahalaya) formerly The Curzon Museum of Archaeology, Museum Road or Murari Lal Rajpal road, Dampier Nagar, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. This museum is administrating by the State Government of Uttar Pradesh of India. Camera location27°&#160;29′&#160;43.97″&#160;N, 77°&#160;40′&#160;45.24″&#160;E&#160;View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap - Google Earth
context_page_description: 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, where inscriptions have been found dating to the era of the Kushan Emperor Kanishka the Great. Emperor Kanishka and the Kushans in general were great patrons of Buddhism, as well as Zoroastrianism. They played an important role in the establishment of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent and its spread to Central Asia and China.
  The Kushans were most probably one of five branches of the Yuezhi confederation, an Indo-European nomadic people of possible Tocharian origin, who migrated from northwestern China and settled in ancient Bactria.
  The Kushans possibly used the Greek language initially for administrative purposes, but soon began to use Bactrian language. Kanishka sent his armies north of the Karakoram mountains. A direct road from Gandhara to China remained under Kushan control for more than a century, encouraging travel across the Karakoram and facilitating the spread of Mahayana Buddhism to China.
context_section_description: The Kushan religious pantheon is extremely varied, as revealed by their coins that were made in gold, silver, and copper. These coins contained more than thirty different gods, belonging mainly to their own Iranian, as well as Greek and Indian worlds as well. Kushan coins had images of Kushan Kings, Buddha, and figures from the Indo-Aryan and Iranian pantheons. Greek deities, with Greek names are represented on early coins. During Kanishka's reign, the language of the coinage changes to Bactrian (though it remained in Greek script for all kings). After Huvishka, only two divinities appear on the coins: Ardoxsho and Oesho (see details below).
  The Iranian entities depicted on coinage include:
  Αρδοχþο (Ardoxsho, Ashi Vanghuhi)
  Aþαειχþo (Ashaeixsho, Asha Vahishta)
  Αθþο (Athsho, Atar)
  Φαρρο (Pharro, Khwarenah)
  Λροοασπο (Lrooaspa, Drvaspa)
  Μαναοβαγο, (Manaobago, Vohu Manah)
  Μαο (Mao, Mah)
  Μιθρο, Μιιρο, Μιορο, Μιυρο (Mithro and variants, Mithra)
  Μοζδοοανο (Mozdooano, Mazda *vana "Mazda the victorious?")
  Νανα, Ναναια, Ναναϸαο (variations of pan-Asiatic Nana, Sogdian Nny, Nana)
  Οαδο (Oado Vata)
  Oαxþo (Oaxsho, "Oxus")
  Ooρoμoζδο (Ooromozdo, Ahura Mazda)
  Οραλαγνο (Orlagno, Verethragna)
  Τιερο (Tiero, Tir)
  Representation of entities from Greek mythology and Hellenistic syncretism are:
  Ηλιος (Helios), Ηφαηστος (Hephaistos), Σαληνη (Selene), Ανημος (Anemos). Further, the coins of Huvishka also portray the demi-god erakilo Heracles, and the Egyptian god sarapo Sarapis
  The Indic entities represented on coinage include:
  Βοδδο (Boddo, Buddha)
  Μετραγο Βοδδο (Metrago boddo, bodhisattava Maitreya)
  Mαασηνo (Maaseno, Mahasena)
  Σκανδo koμαρo (Skando komaro, Skanda Kumara)
  þακαμανο Βοδδο (Shakamano boddho, Shakyamuni Buddha)
  Οηϸο (Oesho), long considered to represent Indic Shiva, but also identified as Avestan Vayu conflated with Shiva.
  Two copper coins of Huvishka bear a 'Ganesa' legend, but instead of depicting the typical theriomorphic figure of Ganesha, have a figure of an archer holding a full-length bow with string inwards and an arrow. This is typically a depiction of Rudra, but in the case of these two coins is generally assumed to represent Shiva.
caption: Shiva Linga worshipped by Kushan devotees, circa 2nd century CE
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