Английская Википедия:Apracharajas
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Infobox former country The Apracharajas (Kharosthi: 𐨀𐨤𐨿𐨪𐨕𐨪𐨗 Шаблон:IAST[1]), also known as Avacarajas (Kharosthi: 𐨀𐨬𐨕𐨪𐨗 Шаблон:IAST[2]), were an Indo-Scythian ruling dynasty of present-day western Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. The Apracharaja capital, known as Apracapura (also Avacapura), was located in the Bajaur district of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Apraca rule of Bajaur lasted from the 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE.
Origins
Before the arrival of the Indo-Greeks and the Indo-Scythians, Apracan territory was the stronghold of the warlike Aspasioi tribe of Arrian, recorded in Vedic Sanskrit texts as Ashvakas. The Apracas are known in history for having offered a stubborn resistance to the Macedonian invader, Alexander the Great in 326 BCE.
The Indo-Scythians of the Apracharajas dynasty were successors of the Indo-Scythian king Azes. It seems that they established their dynasty from around 12 BCE.[3] Their territory seems to have centered in Bajaur and extended to Swat, Gandhāra, Taxila, and parts of eastern Afghanistan.[4]
Buddhism
The Apracharajas embraced Buddhism: they are known for their numerous Buddhist dedications on reliquaries. On their coins Hellenic designs, derived from the coinage of the Indo-Greeks, continued to appear alongside Buddhist ones.
- Vijayamitra (ruled 12 BCE - 15 CE) personally dedicated in his name a Buddhist reliquary, the Shinkot casket.[5][6] Some of his coins bear the Buddhist triratna symbol.
- Indravarman, while still a Prince, personally dedicated in 5-6 CE a Buddhist reliquary, the Bajaur casket, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Numerous Buddhist dedications were made by the rulers of the Apracas:
A recently discovered inscription in Kharoshthi on a Buddhist reliquary, the Bajaur reliquary inscription, gives a relationship between several eras of the period and mentions several Apraca rulers:
This inscription would date to c. 15 CE, according to the new dating for the Azes era which places its inception c. 47 BCE.[8] The rulers seem to have been related to Kharaostes.[9]
The Apraca kings are also mentioned in the Bajaur casket.[10]
Apraca Rulers and their QueensШаблон:Anchor
| Ruler | Image | Filiation | Approx. dates | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vijayamitra | 12 BCE - 15 CE | Queen: Rukhana | ||
| Indravasu | Son of Vijayamitra | c. 20 CE | Queen: Vasumitra | |
| Vispavarma or Visnuvarma | Son of Indravasu | Queen: Śiśirena | ||
| Iṃdravarmo | Son of Vispavarma | Queen: Utara | ||
| Aspo[9] or Aspavarmo | Son of Indravarma | 15 - 45 CE | ||
| Sasan[9] | Contemporary of Kujula Kadphises and Mujatria.[11] |
Family tree
See also
References
- ↑ Richard Salomon, The "Avaca" Inscription and the Origin of the Vikrama Era, Journal of the American Oriental Society Vol. 102, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1982), pp. 59-68.
- ↑ 2,0 2,1 Richard Salomon, An Inscribed Silver Buddhist Reliquary of the Time of King Kharaosta and Prince Indravarman, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 116, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 1996), pp. 418-452
- ↑ Greek Gods in the East, Stančo, Ladislav, Charles University in Prague, Karolinum Press, 2012, p.45 [1]
- ↑ Neelis, Jason, Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks: Mobility and Exchange., Brill, Leiden and Boston. 2011, pp. 117-118. Шаблон:ISBN.
- ↑ "Afghanistan, carrefour en l'Est et l'Ouest" p.373. Also Senior 2003
- ↑ Des Indo-Grecs aux Sassanides, Rika Gyselen, Peeters Publishers, 2007, p.103 [2]
- ↑ Metropolitan Museum of Art notice [3]
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ 9,0 9,1 9,2 Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Loeschner, Hans."Kanishka in Context with the Historical Buddha and Kushan Chronology." In: Glory of the Kushans – Recent Discoveries and Interpretations. Edited by Professor Vidula Jayasval, Aryan Books, New Delhi, 2013, p. 142.
- ↑ Dating and locating Mujatria and the two Kharahostes, Joe Cribb, p.29
