Which of the following titles was adopted by the Kadphises Second of Kushan dynasty ?
- (1)Sakari
- (2)Sarvalokeshwar
- (3)Mahakshatrap
- (4)Singh Chandra
Answer
Why
Correct — option (2), Sarvalokeshwar.
Sarvalokeshwar (Sarvaloka-ishvara, 'lord of the whole world') is a title of Kadphises II, the Kushan king known from his coins as Vima (Wema) Kadphises.
The title is on his coins. Percy Gardner's British Museum catalogue (1886) records the Kharoshthi legend 'Maharajasa rajadirajasa, sarvaloga isvarasa mahisvarasa … tradata' and glosses sarvaloga isvarasa as 'prince of all the world'.
H. C. Raychaudhuri's Political History of Ancient India translates the legend: Kadphises II is called 'the great king, the king of kings, lord of the whole world, the Mahisvara, the defender'.
Raychaudhuri adds that Kadphises II began to issue gold coins, that his coinage was bilingual in gold and copper, and that the reverse was given to the worship of Siva.
The idea to remember: Vima Kadphises = Maharaja, Rajadhiraja, Sarvaloka-ishvara, Mahishvara.
Why the others are wrong
- (1)Sakari — Sakari means 'enemy of the Sakas'. D. C. Sircar's Ancient Malwa and the Vikramaditya Tradition (1969) explains that Chandragupta II, who extirpated the Sakas of Ujjayini about the close of the fourth century CE, became famous in tradition as Vikramaditya Sakari.
Sakari belongs to that Vikramaditya tradition, not to a Kushan king.
- (3)Mahakshatrap — Mahakshatrapa, 'great satrap', was a satrap's title, not a Kushan emperor's. Raychaudhuri notes that the Saka ruler Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription of the year 72 says he won the title of Mahakshatrapa for himself.
He also finds a Maha-Kshatrapa, Kharapallana, governing the eastern part of Kanishka's empire. Mahakshatrap would be the answer for Rudradaman, not for Kadphises II.
- (4)Singh Chandra — Raychaudhuri lists Simha Chandra, with Narendra Chandra, Narendra Simha and Simha Vikrama, among the names of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II, and ties Simha Chandra to his Lion-slayer gold coins.
Singh Chandra is therefore a Gupta name, not a Kushan title.
Concept
Early Indian kings announced their power through titles, and coins carried those titles into every market.
The legend on Vima Kadphises' coins stacks several claims: maharaja (great king), rajadhiraja (king of kings), sarvaloka-ishvara, mahishvara and tradata (the defender). R. S. Sharma reads mahishvara as 'the great lord' and sarvaloka-ishvara as 'the lord of the whole world'.
Because titles belong to particular rulers and periods, a title can help place a coin, an inscription or a king.
RPSC's 2024 syllabus lists "Achievements of prominent rulers of major dynasties: Maurya, Kushan, Satavahan, Gupta, Chalukya, Pallava and Chola."
Raychaudhuri follows the Chinese annals in making Vima Kadphises the son and successor of Kadphises I, and writes that he conquered the Indian interior, probably Taxila.
He notes the view of Sten Konow and V. A. Smith that Kadphises II founded the Saka Era of 78 CE, but says there is no direct evidence that he established any era.
Key facts
- Kadphises II is Vima (Wema) Kadphises; Raychaudhuri, following Chinese annals, makes him the son and successor of Kadphises I.
- His Kharoshthi coin legend reads Maharajasa rajadirajasa, sarvaloga isvarasa mahisvarasa … tradata.
- Raychaudhuri translates it as the great king, the king of kings, lord of the whole world, the Mahisvara, the defender.
- Raychaudhuri says Kadphises II began to issue gold coins, with the worship of Siva on the reverse.
- Sircar links the name Sakari to Chandragupta II; Raychaudhuri lists Simha Chandra among Chandragupta II's names.
Sources: Gardner, BM Catalogue (1886); Raychaudhuri, Political History of Ancient India; Sircar (1969).
Study next
Common traps
- Taking Mahakshatrapa for a Kushan king's title: it was a great satrap's title, held by Saka rulers such as Rudradaman and, under Kanishka, by the governor Kharapallana.
- Reading Sakari as a Kushan boast: it means 'enemy of the Sakas' and belongs to the Vikramaditya tradition of Chandragupta II.
- Mixing the two Kadphises: Raychaudhuri gives Kadphises I the titles Yavuga, Maharaja, Rajatiraja and 'Steadfast in the True Faith', not the Sarvaloka-ishvara legend.
A question can give a title and ask which ruler held it, give a ruler and ask for his title, or match titles such as Sarvaloka-ishvara, Sakari and Mahakshatrapa to rulers.
A question can also ask what a ruler's coins show, such as Siva on the reverse of Vima Kadphises' issues.
Related PYQs
UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2023 here once that paper is published on this site.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
According to his Junagadh inscription, which ruler won for himself the title of 'Mahakshatrapa'?
- (a)Rudradaman
- (b)Kanishka
- (c)Gautamiputra Satakarni
- (d)Chandragupta II
Answer(1) — Raychaudhuri notes that the Junagadh inscription of the year 72 says Rudradaman won the title of Mahakshatrapa. Option (2) was a Kushan king, option (3) a Satavahana king and option (4) a Gupta emperor; none is the Mahakshatrapa of that inscription. - practice — not a real PYQ
Which Gupta ruler became famous in Indian tradition as 'Vikramaditya Sakari'?
- (a)Samudragupta
- (b)Chandragupta II
- (c)Kumaragupta I
- (d)Skandagupta
Answer(2) — Sircar writes that Chandragupta II, who extirpated the Sakas of Ujjayini, became famous in tradition as Vikramaditya Sakari. Options (1), (3) and (4) are other Gupta rulers, not the one Sircar names.