2016-10-27 Thu

Tajikistan, a country in Central Asia surrounded by Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, has its history interlinked with that of India. Seems farfetched, doesn’t it?

But most of the modern day Tajikistan has the parts of ancient Kamboja and Parama Kamboja kingdoms of ancient India, which find references in the ancient Indian epics like the Mahabharata! The language spoken in Tajikistan also has some words originating from Sanskrit and Pali. Tajikistan being situated at the confluence of different traditions and the much thriving Silk Route has a rich history with Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Sassanid and many such influences.

One of them was the Kushans, one of the mightiest and strongest of the Indian Empires, which reigned over the North-western regions of the Indian sub-continent from 30 CE to 375 CE. The dynasty reached its paramount under its great king Kanishka I. Under Kanishka’s rule, Kushan controlled a large territory ranging from the Aral Sea through areas that include present-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan into northern India as far east as Benares and as far south as Sanchi. Being a part of Kushan realm this region witnessed the development of culture, a rapid growth of the economy, and trade relations with Eastern Europe, Rome, and China.

Celebrating its rich history, in November 2010, Tajikistan issued a souvenir sheet, with the face value of 9 Tajikistani Somoni, commemorating the coins of two strong dynasties, the Kushans, and the Sassanids.

One stamp of 5 Somoni depicts a gold dinar of Kushan King Vasudeva I and the other 4 Somoni stamp depicts a Sassanid coin with sacred fire.

The coins of the Kushan dynasty are a wonder in their own. The Kushans are also credited to have struck the first ever Indian Gold coins. View the Kushan coins here and for more information about the deities appearing on the Kushan coins click on the links below:

Deities on Kushan coins-Part I

Deities on Kushan coins-Part II