In this section, we will learn about the various foreign rulers that attacked India.
Many foreigners came to India during this period and settle down in India. These foreigners are:
- Indo-Greeks
- Sakas/Scythians
- Parthians
- Kushanas
In some parts of India there were indigenous kingdoms, these were:
- Sungas
- Kanvas
- Satavahanas
Indo-Greek Rulers
- They were the rulers of “Bactria”, a place in Afghanistan. Indo-Greeks were originally called Bactrian Greeks.
- Most important Indo-Greek ruler was:
- Menander also known as Milinda. Prior to Menander, there was another king called, Demetrius who issued gold coins.
- He was a Buddhist king.
- They introduced the System of Curtains in drama.
- Old name of curtain: Yavanika.
Sakas/Scythians
- Original Homeland of Sakas: Central Asia.
- Reason for migration of Sakas towards India:
- “Yu-Chi” tribe in N-W China, lived between Central Asia and N-W China.
- People of this tribe kept entering into China in search of fodder.
- To stop the incursion of these people, Chinese king ordered to build a wall – the ‘Great wall of China’.
- After the construction of wall, Yu-Chi tribe moved to Central Asia and displaced Sakas.
- Sakas then crossed Hindukush mountain and entered India.
- Founder of Sakas/Scythians rule: Moga/Maues (First ruler).
- Most important of Saka kings was: Rudradaman I.
Rudradaman I
- Rudradaman was the gradson of Chastana, the founder of Kshatrapas dynasty.
- He was instrumental in the decline of the Satavahana empire.
- He also conquered the Yaudheya tribes of Haryana.
- He took the title of Maha-kshtrapa (Great Satrap).
- The Sanskrit Junagadh Inscription dated 150 CE credits Rudradaman for supporting the cultural arts and Sanskrit literature and repairing the dam built by the Mauryans.
- It was the first inscription in ‘Sanskrit’ language in India.
- The script used was -> Sharda script which later developed into ‘Devnagiri’.
Parthians
Their original homeland: ‘Persia’.
Most important Parthian ruler was ‘Gondophernes’
During Gondophernes time, for the first time, a new religion came to India – ‘Christianity’.
Christianity was introduced by ‘St. Thomas’
St. Thomas came to India from Palestine.
Kushanas (Old Name: Yu-Chi)
The Kushans were one of the five clans into which the Yu-Chi tribe was divided.
We came across 2 successive dynasties of the Kushanas.
First dynasty was founded by a House-of-Chiefs who were called ‘Khadphises, and ruled for 28 years from about 50 AD. It had 2 kings, namely:
- Kujula Khadphises I
- Vima Khadphises II
- Khadphises I: Issued coins south of Hindukush. He minted the coins as imitation of Roman coins,
- Khadphises II: he issued a large number of gold coins and spread his kingdom in east of the India.
- House of Khadphises was succeeded by that of Kanishka.
Second Dynasty was founded by Kanishka (78 AD).
- Kanishka became ruler in 78 A.D., to mark his coronation, he started a new calendar “Saka Era”.
- Kanishka is known to history for two reasons:
- He started an era in AD 78 (Saka Era) and is still used by the Government of India.
- His whole-hearted patronage to Buddhism.
Read here –> Post-Maurayan Art and Architecture
Impact Of The Foreign Rule
Foreign rulers made a large impact on India, some of which are given below:
Better Cavalry
- Sakas and Kushans introduced better cavalry and the use of the horse-riding on large scale.
- They made common the use of – Reins and Saddles.
- They introduced: Turban, Tunic, Trousers and Heavy-Long coat.
- Sherwani is a successor of the long coat.
- The Central Asian also brought in – Cap, Helmet and Boots, which were used by the warriors.
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