th e T u ru s h k a co n q u ero rs.* I t m u s t be n o ticed th a t th e y
a re said to h a v e su p p o rted - th e w o rsh ip o f th e B u d d h a . I t
is fu r th e r s ta te d th a t one o f th e s e so vereigns in th e Bajei-
T a rin g in i is te rm e d K a n ish k a . Now- K a n e rk i, easily m u ta -
b le in to K a n e sh k i a n d K a n ish k a , is a n am e a p p e a rin g on
m a n y o f th e B a c tria n coins. M o re o v e r th e n am e o f K a n
is h k a o c cu rs in th e a n n a ls o f th e B u d d h ists am o n g th e
so v ereig n s who p a tro n ise d a n d p ro te c te d B u d d h ism dütlfhe
n o r th o f In d ia . W e m ay co n clu d e th a t th e T u ru sh k a s o r
T u rk s o f th e P u ra n a s a n d o f th e R h ja T a rin g in i, a re p re c ise ly
th e In d o -S c y th ia n d y n a sty who su cceed ed to th e G re e k s o f
B a c tria n a , a n d wh o se n am e s a n d tiB e s a re -d isp la y e d with*-
th e emb lems o f b a rb a ric w o rsh ip a n d with. G re e k le g e n d s
o n th e n um e ro u s coins d isco v ered in K a b u l. |
T h e h is to ry o f th is T a r ta r d y n a sty b ecome s-th e m o ré imp
o r ta n t as th e e v e n t o f its fin al su b v ersio n iseems 'toieoHnect
its e lf w ith o n e o f th e m o s t c e le b ra te d èp o ch s in th e a trtM s -o f
In d ia . I m e an th e e ra o f V ik ram a d ity a , from w h ic h tim e
h a s e v e r sin c e b een c om p u ted in H in d u s ta n .
V ik ram a d ity a is said to h a v e b e e n a so v e re igm o f Malwa^
a n d to h a v e k e p t h is c o u rt a t U jja y a n i o r Oujéim: h e ex te
n d e d h is p ow e r in to th e n e ig h b o u rin g c o u n trie s a n d
re s to re d th e em p ire o f In d ia to th a t sp le n d o u r w h ich i t h a d
lo s t th r o u g h .a lo n g series o f ca lam ities: I n th e y e a r w h ich
co rre sp o n d s to th e fifty six th b efore th e C h ris tia n e ra h e is
said to h a v e o v ercom e th e Sacas, a b a rb a ro u s d y n a sty who
* Wilson’s Analysis of the R aja Taringini in Asiatic Res., vol. Xv.
Major Tod has cited a passage from the Pnranas which specifies the number
both of the Greek kings of Bactria and of their Indo-Scythian successors :—
“ Pot eight generations the Yavan; for twenty the Turushka; for eighteen the
Gonedd j for eleven the Mauras.” The Turushka of the Hindoos are supposed
to be the Scythians of the Oxus, or the Tochari of Strabo. According to
the learned Tibetan scholar, Csöma Körösi, the doctrinal hooks of the Buddhas
were composed, a part soon after the death of Sakya, part in the time of
Asoka, who resided at Pataliputra in the year of Buddha one hundred and ten,
and part in the year four hundred of the same era under Kanishka, a king in
the north of India. I f we take five hundred and fifty two years before Christ
for the date of Sakya’s death, this trill bring the reign of Kanishka to one hundred
and fifty two years before. Christ. M. de Csoma indeed makes Buddha
more ancient, following the Tibetan chronology,.but the above is allowed to
be the true date.—See Tumour's Examination of the Pali Buddhistical Annals,
Journal of the Asiatic Society óf Bengal, No. 67,1837.
b a d b e ld Ku h d e r th e ir ■ sway m a n y c o u n trie s in th e n o r th -
®este?ST p a rts o f H in d u s ta n , a n d to h a v e p u t an end to tb e ir
d om in io n . T h e se ‘Sao as m u ^ b e co n c lu d e d to h av e b e en th e
s am e ^M & » § ^ th a a n ‘-raoe,i!"called also Sacae, wh o co n q u e red
B a c tria n a a n d o v e rw h e fe ^ 'd lth e M aced o n ian s; > T h e p e rio d
o f their.ext.erminatir©nSh>as|i^d4 ^a^®©lebrated ep o ch , te rm e d
.th e 'S a c a o r S am b a t, o r the? e r a ©f V ik ram a d ity a , from w h ich
e v e n ts were, d a te d . a n d th e i lap se .o fh tim ed n a fte r ag es c om p
u te d .* . vTJms d is tin c tio n w a s ^ n ^ ^ s o p h sh a re d w ith i t by
idie equally?Celebratedi e r a ©ft S^lavahana w h ic h s u c c e e d s to
th a t % V ik ram a d ity a >aftei\ amin^&^va/kf^f o n ly ©n,e h u n d re d
a n d th ir ty five y e a rs . - S a liv a h a n a was aqyripceiDf th e D e k h
a n , who? by some wabeocunts ds sa id to h a v e - o vercome a n d
sla in V ik ram a d ity a a n d h is^ e ra o r Saca-is said '.dated
from?!t*his r e v o lu tio n ; y e t it^ b e g a p s /n o h d ill sev en ty $ ig h t
y e a rs a f te r C h ris t. .
Ch in ese w rite rs haver.jifrQseaWeil, a c co u n ts of, fUto Yem
e n is -am o n g th e . n a tio n s o ffC d h tra l Asia, which lare&sup-
posed to fa ll n frw ith a n d illu s tra te ;thme* passages? o f h is to ry .
They" re c o rd th e descent; ©filnomadic b a n d s u p o n the^cOnn-
tSfelion th e O x u a ^w h o s®;ccfee.ded' i ^ s t a b l i s h a n g a p ow e rfu l (
empire^ in w e s te rn In d ia , a n d as th e d ater o f th e s e e v en ts
^sy n ch ro n ises w i th . th a t of. th e a fe x tin c tio n o f th e G re e k
em p ire in B a c tria , i t b e com e s v e ry p ro b a b le th a t th p j e s n *
g ra n ts from G re a t T a rta ry m e n tio n e d in U th e n ^ h in e s e
a n n a ls, w e r e th e a g e n ts d n > th is c a ta s tro p h e . T h e n om ad ic
Y u e tsh i a re firs t d isco v ered on th e u p p e r H o a ^ ^ E o ^ l d riv e n
th e n c e b y th e H io n g -n u , th e y p ro c e ed ed , a p a r t so u thw a rd
to T ib e t, th e g r e a te r partv ito th e m o u n ta in s ^beyond th e
J a x a r te s : th is e v e n t h a p p e n e d tow a rd s th e e n d o f th e
second c e n tu ry b e fo r e .-th e C h ris tia n e r a ... A d v a n c in g
tow a rd s th e ir fu tu re c o u n try on th e river. Ili, th e y d ro v e
b e fo re th em th e o ld e r in h a b ita n ts n am e d b y C h in e se w rite rs
Szii, Sai, a n d Se. T h e la tte r , su p p o sed to h e th e Sacae o f
E u ro p e a n h is to ria n s, w e re d riv e n acro ss th e J a x a r te s , a n d
■ * The era or ’Saca of Vikramaditya is commonly termed the Sambat : "it is
also designated the1 Saca-bhupa-cala and Sacendracala, which the old scholiast
interprets cc the time when the'barbaric kings called ’Saca were discomfited by
Vikramaditya.”—Cblebrooke’s Essays, vol. 2, p. 475.