Kharahostes
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Obv: King on horseback, with levelled spear. Greek legend XAPAHWCTEI CATPAΠEI ARTAYOY ("Satrap Kharahostes, son of Arta"). Kharoahthi mint mark sam
Rev: Lion. Kharoshthi legend Chatrapasa pra Kharaustasa Artasa putrasa ("Satrap Kharahostes, son of Arta").
Kharahostes was an Indo-Scythian ruler (probably a satrap) in the northern Indian subcontinent around 10 BCE- 10 CE. He is known from his coins, often in the name of Azes II, and from an inscription on the Mathura lion capital.
According to older view, Kharahostes was the father of Nada Diaka (or Siaka) , wife of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula. But according to newer view proposed by Dr S Konow, the chief queen of Rajuvula was Aiyasi Kamuia and she was daughter of Kharahostes (or Kharaosta) who was himself a Kamuio.
Kharohostes' coinage bear a dynastic mark (a circle within three pellets), which is rather similar, although not identical, with the dynastic mark of the Kushan ruler Kujula Kadphises (three pellets joined together), which has led to suggestions that they may have been contemporary rulers.
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[edit] Yuvaraja Kharaosta (Kharaostes) Kamuio (Kambojaka)
Based on the estimates of relative ages of the various personages portrayed in the Mathura Lion Capital Inscriptions, Dr Stein Konow, Dr R. K. Mukerjee, D. K. Ganguli and other noted scholars have concluded that Kharaosta Kamuio (Inscription E1) was the father of princess Aiyasi Kamuia, the chief queen (Agra-Mahisi, Inscription A2, A3) of the great Saka Strap Rajuvula (Ref: Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol II, part I, p 36 & XXXVI, Dr Stein Konow; See also Aspects of Ancient Administration, 2003, p 58, D. K. Ganguli). See also: [2].
Thus, Kharaosta (Kharaostes) was in fact, the father-in-law of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula.
The Inscriptions A and E on the Mathura Lion Capital mention Kharaosta as the Yuvaraya Kharaosta [3]. He is stated to be legitimate inheritor to the position as King of Kings after king Maues or Moga (Political History of ancient India, 1996, p 397, Dr Raychaudhury)
It is agreed unanimously among the scholars that Kharaosta of the Lion Capital Inscriptions is the same Kharaosta whose coins have been studied by Dr Rapson and Dr Luders.
Kharaosta’s known coins are of two types, presenting legends in Greek characters on the obverse and in Kharoshthi in the reverse.
The Kharoshthi legend runs thus:
Kshatrapasa pra Kharaostasa Artasa putrasa (i.e. Kshatrapa Kharaosta, son of Arta).
Some of his coins write Ortas in place of Artas.
The coin evidence shows that Kharaosta was not the son of Rajuvula but that of Arta. This also shows that Kharaosta was heir to some other king than Saka Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula.
In fact, Kharaosta was a legitimate heir to king Moga or Maues. Arta was elder brother of king Moga and is said to have died prior to Moga's death. King Moga is stated to have been issueless, hence, Kharaosta Kamuio, his nephew, was indeed the legitimate inheritor to the position as King of Kings for the kingdom of Gandhara.
The matrimonial alliance of Saka Rajuvula with princess Aiyasi Kamuia of king Moga’s family had considerably enhanced the political clout of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula. It is clear that Moga's kingdom was to be automatically transferred to Rajuvula’s family since Yuvaraja Kharaosta Kamuio also did not have any issue of his own except Aiyasi Kamuia. This fact was obviously not liked by other Saka chiefs. This appears to be the reason as to why the title of Shahanshahi was discontinued from this time onwards and only the titles of Kshatrapa and Mahakshtarpa obtained among the Sakas.
It appears, for some reasons, that Yuvaraja (or Kshatrapa) Kharaosta Kamuio did not avail the position of king of kings after Moga's death, and the vast empire of king Moga went directly to the family of Saka Rajuvula after Moga's death.
It is notable that the real heir to Rajuvula was his own son called Sodasa and not Yuvaraja Kharaosta of the Lion Capital Inscriptions.
[edit] Epilogue
![Coin of the family of Kharahostes (c. 10 BCE?)[1], in the name of Azes. Obv: Horsemounted king holding a whip. Monogram to right with circle within three pellets, and letter in left field. Greek legend. Rev: Goddess standing left. Nandipada symbol in left field. Flower and monogram in right field.](../../../upload/thumb/3/3f/KharahostesCoin.jpg/350px-KharahostesCoin.jpg)
[edit] Epilogue 1
The family of king Moga was apparently a Scythianised section of the Trans-Pamirian Kambojas (Parama Kambojas) who had been living in trans-Hindukush Scythian region as neighbors to the Rishikas (MBH II.27.25; MBH 10.14.1-2 etc). The vast Central Asian region lying on the north of Mt Hemodos (Hindukush/Himalayan) was known as Scythia to the classical writers (See: Diodorus II.37). In fact, the classical writers further say that river Ganges rises in the Scythian mountains. This attests that even the Mt Himalayan lied in the Scythian belt of the classical writers (Pliny Hist Nat., VI.22; Indika, Fragment LVI).
The vast trans-Himavantam region, the Scythia of classical writers, was known as Saka-dvipa in ancient Sanskrit literature.
It is understandable that the Parama Kambojas were obviously located in Scythia of the classical writings. And therefore, they have been indiscriminately considered as part of the Scythian population both in the Greek as well as the Chinese writings.
To all probability, in the wake of the great tribal movement of second century BCE occasioned by pressure from Yuezhis, a section of these Parama Kambojas, including the family of king Moga, were displaced and consequently moved from the Parama-Kamboja of Transoxiana to south side of Hindukush in Kabol valley. The Kamboja family of king Moga immigrating from the Scythian cultural belt was obviously Irano-Scythian in culture, social customs and manners. This scenario appears to have caused confusion among scholars in attributing Saka identity to king Maues and his family who otherwise belonged to Kamboja lineage as is sufficiently attested by last name Kamuia/Kamuio born by members of Moga's family.
[edit] Epilogue 2
The first five lines of the Mathura Lion Capital have been interpreted by Dr S. Konow in sense different from the older view. According to the older view, the principal donor was Nada Diaka (or Nada Siaka), the chief-queen of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula, the daughter of Aiyasi Kamusa and mother of Yuvaraja Kharaosta. If the Yuvaraja Kharaosta is identical with Kshatrapa Kharaostes of the coins, as is almost unanimously agreed among the scholars, it follows that Arta, father of Kharaosta was first husband of Rajuvula's chief queen who married Rajuvula after Arta's death. But according to Dr Konow, however, the name of the principal donor was Aiyasi Kamuia (Kambojaka, belonging to Kambuja/Kamboja tribe) who was daughter of Yuvaraja Kharaosta, also Kambojaka and the mother of Nada Diaka (or Siaka) (See: Comprehensive History of India, 1957, Vol II, p 270, Dr K. A. Nilakanta Sastri; See also: Aspects of Ancient Administration, 2003, p 58, D. K. Ganguli).
The fact that the last name Kamuia (Kambojaka) has been used both by Yuvaraja Kharaosta as well as by princess Aiyasi clearly proves that Aiyasi Kamuia was the daughter and not mother of Yuvaraja Kharaosta Kamuio, since it is the father's and not mother's lineage which is adopted by their off-springs.
| Preceded by: Zeionises |
Indo-Scythian Ruler (10 BCE-10 CE) |
Succeeded by: Hajatria |
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol II, part I, Dr Stein Konow
- Journal of Bihar and Orissa Research society, Vol XVI, 1930, parts III, IV, Dr K. P. Jayswal
- Ancient India, 1956, Dr R. K. Mukerjee
- Comprehensive History of India, 1957, Vol II, Dr K. A. Nilkantha Shastri
- Ancient Kamboja People & Country, 1981, Dr J. L. Kamboj
- Political History of ancient India, 1996, Dr H. C. raychaudhury
- India and the World, 1964, Dr Buddha Parkash
- India and Central Asia, 1929, Dr P.C. Bagchi
- Sculptures of Mathura and Sarnath, 2002, Usha Rani Tiwari
- The Sakas in India, Dr S. Chattopadhyaya
- The development of Kharoshthi Script, Dr C. C. Dasgupta
- Hellenism in Ancient India, G. N. Bannerjee
- Journal of Bihar and Orissa Research Society, Vol Xvi Parts III, IV, 1930.
- Female Images in the Museums of U.P. and their Social Background, P. Upadhyava
