Kushanas

The Kushanas of Uttarakhand arrived in India as early as in the first century AD. They owe their ancestry to Yuch-chi tribe of China. Later on they had shifted towards the west. The Kushana Dynasty was founded by Kujula Kadphises, who had been the chief of the Yuch-Chi and who had already made his establishment in Kabul and Kashmir. Vima Kadphises was the name of his son who is known for the Kushana coins which were very similar to those of the Indians.

The most powerful of the Kushana rulers was the great king, Kanishka. He was on the throne from 78 to 120 AD. He was the initiator of the Saka Era which began in the 78 AD.

The capital of the Kushanas was Purushapura or Peshawar. The Kushanas got victory over the rulers of Kashmir. They had also made significant campaign against the then China. The Kushanas under the leadership of Kanishka conquered :

• Khotan
• Yarkhand
• Kashgar

The Kushanas defeated the Saka rulers of Malwa and Gujarat as well.

The great physician Charaka got patronage from the Kushanas. Apart from being a physician, he was a renowned scholar as well. He was the writer of the Charaka Samhita. It is a doctrine of medicines. The work of Charaka gained much popularity in Persia and Arabia.

During the rule of the Kushanas, India witnessed another medical scholar whose name was Susruta. He owes the credit of writing the Susruta Samhita. It is a book on surgery. It has dealt with a wide variety of surgical instruments. The work got immense fame in Arabia and Cambodia.

The Kushana dynasty in Uttarakhand had an immense contribution to the world of Indian sculptures. The style of sculpture that they had followed is known as the Gandhara Art. This sculptures mostly depicts Lord Buddha. There had been a great influence of the Greek on the Kushana art.