Gurgamoya (

Kharosthi Kharosthi script (), also known as the Gandhari script (), was an ancient script originally developed in the Gandhara Region of modern-day Pakistan, between the 5th and 3rd century BCE. used primarily by the people of Gandhara alongside vari ...

: 𐨒𐨂𐨪𐨿𐨒𐨨𐨆𐨩 ', ') was a king of the

Kingdom of Khotan The Kingdom of Khotan was an ancient Buddhism, Buddhist Saka kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin (modern-day Xinjiang, China). The ancient capital was origina ...

in the 1st century CE. His coins were usually made of bronze and included legends in

and Chinese.''The Silk Road: trade, travel, war and faith''
by

Susan Whitfield Susan Whitfield (born 1960) is a British scholar, currently Professor in Silk Road Studies at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC), University of East Anglia. She previously worked at the British Library in ...

p.28 The Kharoshthi describes the title of the king, while the Chinese give the weight of the coin. The Kharoshti points to relations with northern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, which at that time was ruled by the

Kushan Empire The Kushan Empire (– CE) was a Syncretism, syncretic empire formed by the Yuezhi in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of what is now Afghanistan, Eastern Iran, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbe ...

, with its powerful ruler

Kujula Kadphises Kujula Kadphises (Kushan language: Κοζουλου Καδφιζου, also Κοζολα Καδαφες; Kharosthi: 𐨐𐨂𐨗𐨂𐨫 𐨐𐨯, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ', '; ; r. 30–80 CE, or 40–90 CE accor ...

, who was also known by the Chinese. Gurgamoya is thought to have ruled circa 30-60 CE.

Coins

File:KingGurgamoyaKhotan1stCenturyCE.jpg, Coin of Gurgamoya, king of Khotan. Khotan, 1st century CE.
''Obv:''

Kharoshthi Kharosthi script (), also known as the Gandhari script (), was an ancient script originally developed in the Gandhara Region of modern-day Pakistan, between the 5th and 3rd century BCE. used primarily by the people of Gandhara alongside vari ...

legend "Of the great king of kings, king of Khotan, Gurgamoya.
''Rev:'' Chinese legend: "Twenty-four grain copper coin". File:Kushan134.jpg, Copper coin of the

Tarim Basin The Tarim Basin is an endorheic basin in Xinjiang, Northwestern China occupying an area of about and one of the largest basins in Northwest China.Chen, Yaning, et al. "Regional climate change and its effects on river runoff in the Tarim Basin, Ch ...

, area of

Hotan Hotan (also known by other names) is a major oasis town in southwestern Xinjiang, an autonomous region in Northwestern China. The city proper of Hotan broke off from the larger Hotan County to become an administrative area in its own right i ...

, 1st-2nd century CE.
Obv:: Chinese characters: LUH (六) TCHU TSIEN "Six tchu (of) money"
Rev:: Depiction of a horse.

Prakrit Prakrit ( ) is a group of vernacular classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 5th century BCE to the 12th century CE. The term Prakrit is usually applied to the middle period of Middle Ind ...

legend in

script: GUGRAMAYA. File:Gurgamoya king of Khotan obverse in Kharoshthi Of the great king king of Khotan Gurgamoya Reverse in Chinese 6 grains coin.jpg, Gurgamoya coin. Obverse in

: "Of the great king king of Khotan Gurgamoya". Reverse in Chinese: "6 grains coin".

Notes

{{reflist Central Asian Buddhist kingdoms