Volume 03 Issue 07-2023
40
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2222)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
07
P
AGES
:
40-44
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
713
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
ABSTRACT
This article is devoted to the religions and cults of the Kushan Kingdom. The study of the Kushan Supreme gods is
complicated by the complex religious picture in the Kushan state, where there were different religions and cults. The
article deals with artifacts found during archaeological excavations: architectural decoration, sculpture, including
terracotta statuettes, and paintings. The article also notes the connection of Kushan art with religious cults.
KEYWORDS
Northern Bactria, Kushans, religion, cult, gods, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Buddha, Ahura Mazda, Farro, culture, art.
INTRODUCTION
As in all ancient countries, religious views played an
important role in the social and spiritual life of the
people of Northern Bactria. It is known that religious
concepts have been formed in the thinking of the
ancient inhabitants of Central Asia since time
immemorial. During the period of the first statehood,
the cult of the sun and fire as its reflection, that is, the
belief in fire worship, was formed. The inhabitants of
the Bronze Age of Northern Bactria believed in the
religion of fire worship, and the temple related to it
was studied at the Jarkutan monument [1]. Certain
religious beliefs and elements reflected in the Avesta,
the holy book of the Zoroastrian religion, fully formed
in the Early Iron Age, were fully reflected in the
Jarqo'ton temple. The inhabitants of Northern Bactria,
who lived in the early Iron and Ahmani periods,
believed in Zoroastrianism, as in all the lands of Central
Asia.
THE MAIN RESULTS AND FINDINGS
After the conquest by Alexander the Great, especially
during the rule of the Greco-Bactrian state, there were
no major changes in the religious beliefs of the local
population. Numismatic, epigraphic and pictorial art
samples testify that the habit of obeying the Greek
religion was widespread among the Chalukians and
Research Article
THE REFLECTION OF ANCIENT RELIGIOUS VIEWS OF NORTHERN
BACTRIA IN FINE ART
Submission Date:
July 20, 2023,
Accepted Date:
July 25, 2023,
Published Date:
July 30, 2023
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ijhps/Volume03Issue07-08
Khumoyun A. Nazarov
Ph.D. International School Of Finance Technology And Science, Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ijhps
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 03 Issue 07-2023
41
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2222)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
07
P
AGES
:
40-44
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
713
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
representatives of the ruling circle of the Greco-
Bactrian state [2].
The Aykhaum settlement temple in Afghanistan is
dedicated to two eastern deities - female and male
deities. In the synagogue, the altar of fire was
considered the main object of worship [3]. The Takhti-
Sangin religious structure, located in Northern Bactria,
near the confluence of the Vakhsh River with the Panj
River, was built by B.A.Litvinsky believed that Vakhsh
(Okhsho) is a temple of the goddess Amudarya [4].
I.I.Korovchinsky, on the other hand, noted that two
goddesses, Nana and Vakhsh (Okhsho), were temples
of Amudarya cults [5]. According to both researchers,
the temple belonged to the water cult and reflected
local religious views.
In the city on the site of Dalvarzintepa, two religious
structures belonging to the cult of local goddesses
were studied, and they were identified by
G.A.Pugachenkova noted as the temple of the goddess
Ordokhsha [6]. In the religious worldview of the
inhabitants of Northern Bactria, belief in the nature
cults of the Zoroastrian religion is widespread, which is
fully reflected in the monuments of material culture.
Based on the images on the backs of coins and some
statues, research scientists who partially studied the
religious views of the ancient times expressed the
opinion that some Greek deities lost their previous
importance and merged with local gods during the
Yuechi and Kushon period. In particular, the Greek
goddess Helios was associated with the local Mithras,
Nika with Vaninda, and Heracles with Okhsho[7].
After the collapse of the Greco-Bactrian state, it was
natural that the socio-political and ethnocultural
processes that took place in the country had an impact
on the religious attitudes of the population.
Nevertheless, the nomadic cattle-breeding tribes
(Saks, Yuechi, et.) who settled in the country kept their
religious beliefs for a certain period of time.
Among the population of the Yuechi tribes who moved
to Northern Bactria, the belief in the worship of the
spirits of ancestors prevailed, and it was valued as a
dynastic cult. The cult of ancestor spirit worship is
reflected in the image of the equestrian ruler on the
reverse of the coins of Geray and Soter Megas, who are
considered to be the first Kushon rulers, and in the
terracotta figurines.
The rulers of the Kushan state, which first arose in
northern Bactria, expanded their territories to the
south of Afghanistan, and later to the lands of India.
During the reign of Kanishka, who turned the Kushan
state into one of the largest empires of the ancient
world, Buddhism was accepted as the state religion in
the country, Buddhism spread in the Northern Bactrian
lands, and its temples were widely built.
T.K.Mkrtychev expressed the opinion that Buddhism
spread in the western and eastern directions [8]. It is
spread in the western direction to the southern lands
of Central Asia. Propagators of this doctrine called the
doctrin
e
“Dharma”
(“Law,
teaching”)
or
“Buddhadharma” (“Buddha's teaching”).
After the death of Siddhartha Gautama, there was a
split between his followers, and two schools emerged
[9]. The first direction it is the Hinayana (little wheel or
narrow path of salvation), which strictly adheres to the
traditional views of Buddhist teachings. The second
direction is the Mahayana (the great wheel or the
broad path of salvation), in which the teachings of the
Buddha were widely reformed, the Buddha was given
a divine character, and the rituals and prayers of the
religion were introduced. In the Hinayana school, the
Buddha is interpreted as a person who has taken many
forms and attained enlightenment, while in the
Volume 03 Issue 07-2023
42
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2222)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
07
P
AGES
:
40-44
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
713
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Mahayana school, the figure of Bodhisattvas (beings
striving for perfection) is put forward. It is based on the
idea that bodhisattvas are celestial beings who have
attained enlightenment and who help humans to attain
enlightenment [10].
There are different views among research scientists on
the issue of the introduction of Buddhist religious
teachings to the lands of Northern Bactria. In particular
B.A.Litvinsky believes that Buddhism came to Northern
Bactria on the eve of or during the formation of the
Kushan state [11]. V.Stavisky, based on the results of
the study of Buddhist religious structures in Old
Termiz, put forward the opinion that this religious
doctrine entered the country during the time of
Kanishka [12]. T.K.Mkrtychev expressed the opinion
that the emergence of the Buddhist religion and the
construction of religious buildings began in the second
half of the 1st century AD. Sh.R.Pidaev was the first to
meet the Buddhist teachings of the Bactrian
population. Dating back to the 1st century BC, he notes
that during the formation of the Kushan kingdom,
there were large propaganda centers of Buddhists [13].
E.V.Rtveladze of the Greco-Bactrian ruler Agafokles
based on the coins minted with the image of a stupa on
the back, the Central Asian peoples with the Buddhist
teachings. He believes that it was known in the II
century BC [14].
It is known that the Buddhist doctrine was originally
kept in mind. At the beginning of AD, the book
“Tipitaka” (or “Tripitaka”, Sanskrit –
“Three baskets of
wisdom”), containing Buddhist rules and moral
principles, appeared.
During the reign of Kanishka I (the first half of the 2nd
century BC), Buddhism developed in the territory of
Northern Bactria, and this region became one of the
main ideological centers. During the rule of the later
dynasties of the Kushans, the status of Buddhism was
strengthened and after it took deep roots, it spread to
the regions of Margyana, Sughd, Eastern Turkestan,
China, and Tibet.
Bactrian monks also made a great contribution to the
spread and development of Buddhism among the
population. Chinese and Tibetan sources mention the
names of Dharmamitara from Tarmita and Ghoshaka
from Takharistan among the propagators of
Buddhism. Apart from the temples of Karatepa and
Fayoztepa from the Kushon era, there are stupas such
as Zurmala and Ayritom in Old Termiz. An inscription in
Indian script on a stupa identified from the site of
Ayritom mentions the name of a person named
Shadiya. E.V.Rtveladze, was the deputy (satrap or
canarang) of the administrative division in Northern
Bactria, which was subordinate to the central authority
and carried out construction works in Ayritom on the
orders of Kushonshah Khuvishka.
The Mahayana branch of Buddhism spread during the
Kushon period in Northern Bactria. Manifestations of
this direction are the founder of the Buddhist religious
doctrine, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who established
the custom of visiting stupas in the Buddhist religious
faith and the youthful image of the Buddha.
A stupa is a temple in the burial place of the Buddha
(“stupa” is Sanskrit for “the embodimen
t of the
universe”, a type of structure on the way up to the
mound of tombs, a place where the corpse is kept).
According to the teachings of Buddhism, Siddhartha
Gautama created his religious teachings under a botchi
tree. Later, he built stupas in his honor and placed a
canopy over them.
The first stupa was built over the Buddha's tomb in
India. Temples in northern Bactrian Kushan cities,
particularly the stupas in the temple complexes of
Volume 03 Issue 07-2023
43
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2222)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
07
P
AGES
:
40-44
SJIF
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FACTOR
(2021:
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(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
713
)
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
Karatepa and Fayoztepa, and the Zurmala and Ayritom
stupas may allude to a visit to the Buddha's tomb [15].
G.A.Pugachenkova according, the majestic Zurmala
stupa symbolizes parinirvana. In Buddhist teachings,
parinirvana is considered the final stage of nirvana,
based on the concept that a person attains
enlightenment after physically leaving the light world.
On the coins of the Kushanshah rulers Kanishka and
Khuvishka, the sun god Mitra (the god of “covenant”
in the Avesta and later in Sugd), the moon god Max,
the wind god Vado, and the fire god Atsho are depicted
more often. Among other deities mentioned in the
Avesta, these coins also represent Pharro, the god of
fame and nobility, while gods such as Ardohsho and
Vakhshu, the goddess of victory depicted in winged
female form, Hwaninda, are directly iconographically
associated with or merged with Nika. Shahrevar, the
god of royal power and metals, Lruvasp (Drvasp in the
Avesta) was considered the guardian of livestock.
Research scholars believe that the Kushon era goddess
Farro is closely related to the one-eyed figure of
Kubera, the god of wealth known as “Kubera
Vaishravana” in Buddhism. The name of Farro's deity
appears in inscriptions found at the Fayoztepa
Buddhist temple and Dalvarzintepa settlements. Farro
was known among the local population even before
the Kushan period, when the Kushan rulers Kanishka
and Khuvishka depicted this deity on their coins [16]
Along with Farro, the goddess Ardoxha is depicted,
and researchers speculate that she may have been
Farro's wife [17].
The 2nd-century gold coins (weight 8.01 g) with the
name of Khuvishka show the bust of the ruler facing
left with a headdress, holding a spear and a scepter. On
the reverse side is a spearman Farro holding fire in his
hand. To the left of the deity is the seal of the ruler
Khuvishka, and to the right is the name of Farro written
in Bactrian [18].
Aredvi-Sura-Anakhita (Nahit) is depicted as the
goddess of water and fertility in the religious views of
the ancient Eastern peoples, especially in the legends
of the peoples of Central Asia. In Avesta, the holy book
of Zoroastrianism, Ardvisura is dedicated to Ardvisur-
Yasht or Abon-Yasht [19].
At first, Ardvi was understood as the source of the
world's waters flowing from the peaks of Mount
Khukaria in the divine kingdom of the world, and later
the water itself, from which all the waters and rivers of
the earth began, began to be called by this name.
Ardvisura is declared to be the daughter of Anahita
Ahuramazda. He was asked to make a sacrifice, to
bestow strength and power like the famous Iranian
and Turanian bahadirs.
CONCLUSION
Anahita is described as an “angel” responsible for the
waters before the creator god, and is also the name of
one of the mythical rivers that descended from the
stars to earth at the command of Ahura Mazda, as cited
in the Abon Yasht.
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Volume 03 Issue 07-2023
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International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
(ISSN
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2771-2222)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
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P
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:
40-44
SJIF
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FACTOR
(2021:
5.
705
)
(2022:
5.
705
)
(2023:
6.
713
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OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
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