Monday, 13 August 2018

Kishana coins Rudra - shivan

Might have posted it before but posting again with some iconographic comments. Probably the earliest bronze TMK depicting rudra from Kashmir. the four-fold rudra is distinctive but persists in Kashmirian tradition for a long time. The age is unknown but why do I think its among
pic 1

the earliest of the depicting the deity from Kashmir. Note the way rudra is holding the antelope. This has v.ancient Indo-European antecedents but in H iconography is so far first attested with the kuShANa. Note coin with inscription shah-an-shah huviShka kuShaNa showing rudra
Pic 2

Note a further coin of huviShka showing him on an elephant with rudra (going under the syncretic with vAyu Iranian name (vay)oesha, similarly holding an antelope
Pic 3

A further dInAra with inscription: shAH-ano-shAH kanishka kuShANa. Another king. Thus, this style of depicting rudra holding the antelope was popular among the kuShANa-s and not seen commonly thereafter. Hence, we should place this Kashmirian bronze close to the kuShANa age tha
Pic4

That this is an old Indo-European motif can be seen in this yavana coin from Kaulonia in what is now Italy showing Apollo the cognate of rudra with a deer
Pic5

Another early Kaulonian coin showing Apollo the cognate of rudra with the deer and daimon running on his hand. The daimon is the equivalent of the bhutagaNa of rudra and laurel leaf held by him is like the bilva leaf offered to rudra
Pic6

Another style of holding the deer is also seen in yavana iconography of Apollo the cognate of rudra. This is the famous bronze of Apollo from the shrine of Didyma with braided hair (Skt: kapardin) 

Pic7

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