25 Facts About Kanishka

Kanishka is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements.

Falk estimates that Kanishka came to the throne in 127 CE.

The earlier Sten Konow's is that Kanishka came from Khotan, having been summoned as an ethnic ally at the time of troubles after Vima's reign.

Roman Ghirshman's similar theory is that Kanishka was originally king of Kashmir before becoming suzerain of the dynasty as a whole.

Kanishka was of Yuezhi ethnicity and his native language was probably Tocharian.

Kanishka was the successor of Vima Kadphises, as demonstrated by an impressive genealogy of the Kushan kings, known as the Rabatak inscription.

Several coins of Kanishka have been found in the Tarim Basin.

Kushan territories and maximum extent of Kushan dominions under Kanishka, according to the Rabatak inscription.

Kanishka's coins portray images of Indian, Greek, Iranian and even Sumero-Elamite divinities, demonstrating the religious syncretism in his beliefs.

Kanishka wears large rounded boots, and is armed with a long sword as well as a lance.

Kanishka is frequently seen to be making a sacrifice on a small altar.

The lower halfIranian and Indic of a lifesize limestone relief of Kanishka similarly attired, with a stiff embroidered surplice beneath his coat and spurs attached to his boots under the light gathered folds of his trousers, survived in the Kabul Museum until it was destroyed by the Taliban.

In Buddhist tradition Kanishka is regarded as of utmost importance, as he not only believed in Buddhism but encouraged its teachings as well.

Kanishka encouraged both the Gandhara school of Greco-Buddhist Art and the Mathura school of art.

Kanishka personally seems to have embraced both Buddhism and the Persian attributes but he favored Buddhism, proven by his devotion to Buddhist teachings and prayer styles depicted in various books related to kushan empire.

Kanishka is said to have been particularly close to the Buddhist scholar Ashvaghosha, who became his religious advisor in his later years.

The Buddhist coins of Kanishka are comparatively rare.

Kanishka has an abundant topknot covering the usnisha, often highly stylised in a curly or often globular manner, visible on later Buddha statues of Gandhara.

Kanishka has an abundant topknot covering the ushnisha, and a simple or double halo, sometimes radiating, surrounds his head.

Whether Kanishka's deities are all shown from the side, the Buddhas only are shown frontally, indicating that they were copied from contemporary frontal representations of the standing and seated Buddhas in statuary.

The text is signed by the maker, a Greek artist named Agesilas, who oversaw work at Kanishka's stupas, confirming the direct involvement of Greeks with Buddhist realisations at such a late date: "The servant Agisalaos, the superintendent of works at the vihara of Kanishka in the monastery of Mahasena".

The attribution of the casket to Kanishka has been recently disputed, essentially on stylistic ground.

In Buddhist tradition, Kanishka is often described as an aggressive, hot tempered, rigid, strict, and a bit harsh kind of King before he got converted to Buddhism of which he was very fond, and after his conversion to Buddhism, he became an openhearted, benevolent, and faithful ruler.

Additionally, the arrival of Kanishka was reportedly foretold or was predicted by the Buddha, as well as the construction of his stupa:.

The account describes how Kanishka came to raise his stupa:.