Vāsudeva I (
Kushano Bactrian: Βαζοδηο ''Bazodeo'';
Middle Brahmi: 𑀯𑀸𑀲𑀼𑀤𑁂𑀯; ',
Chinese: 波調 ''Bodiao'';
fl.
''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
200
CE) was a
Kushan emperor, last of the "Great Kushans."
Named inscriptions dating from year 64 to 98 of
Kanishka
Kanishka I, also known as Kanishka the Great, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign (–150 CE) the empire reached its zenith. He is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements. A descendant of Kujula Kadp ...
's era suggest his reign extended from at least 191 to 232 CE. He ruled in Northern India and Central Asia, where he minted coins in the city of
Balkh (
Bactria
Bactria (; Bactrian language, Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization in Central Asia based in the area south of the Oxus River (modern Amu Darya) and north of the mountains of the Hindu Kush, an area ...
). He probably had to deal with the rise of the Sasanians and the first incursions of the
Kushano-Sasanians in the northwest of his territory.
The last named inscription of his predecessor,
Huvishka, was in the year 60 of the Kanishka era (187 CE), and the Chinese evidence suggests he was still ruling as late as 229 CE.
His name "Vāsudeva", is that of the popular
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
God
Vāsudeva
Vāsudeva (; ), later incorporated as Vāsudeva-Krishna (, "Krishna, son of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi, Vasudeva"),"While the earliest piece of evidence do not yet use the name Krsna...." in At the time of the Heliodorus pillar dedication to Vāsu ...
, which refers to
Krishna
Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
, and he was the first Kushan king to be named after the Indian God. He converted to
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
during his reign.
[Coins of India](_blank)
Calcutta : Association Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1922 His name reinforces the notion that his center of power was in
Mathura
Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Delhi; and about from the town of Vrindavan. In ancient ti ...
.
Contacts with China
In the Chinese historical chronicle
Sanguozhi (三國志), he is recorded to have sent tribute to the Chinese emperor
Cao Rui
Cao Rui () (204 or 205 – 22 January 239), courtesy name Yuanzhong, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. His parentage is in dispute: his mother, Lady Zhen, was Yuan Xi's wife, but she later remarr ...
of the
Wei in 229 CE (3rd year of Taihe 太和), :
:"The king of the
Da Yuezhi, Bodiao (波調) (Vāsudeva), sent his envoy to present tribute and His Majesty granted him a title of "King of the Da Yuezhi Intimate with
Wei (魏)"." (
Sanguozhi)
He is the last Kushan ruler to be mentioned in Chinese sources.
His rule corresponds to the retreat of Chinese power from
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
, and it is thought that Vasudeva may have filled the power vacuum in that area.
The great expansion of the
Dharmaguptaka
The Dharmaguptaka (Sanskrit: धर्मगुप्तक; ; ) are one of the eighteen or twenty early Buddhist schools from the ancient region of Gandhara, now Pakistan. They are said to have originated from another sect, the Mahīśāsakas f ...
Buddhist group in Central Asia during this period has also been related to this event.
Coinage
The coinage of Vasudeva consisted in
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
dinar
The dinar () is the name of the principal currency unit in several countries near the Mediterranean Sea, with a more widespread historical use. The English word "dinar" is the transliteration of the Arabic دينار (''dīnār''), which was bor ...
s and quarter dinars, as well as
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
coins. Vasudeva almost entirely removed the
pantheon of deities displayed in the coinage of
Kanishka
Kanishka I, also known as Kanishka the Great, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign (–150 CE) the empire reached its zenith. He is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements. A descendant of Kujula Kadp ...
and
Huvishka. Apart from a few coins with the effigies of Mao and Nana, all of Vasudeva's coins feature
Oesho on the reverse, who is generally identified as
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
.
On the obverse, Vasudeva restored the royal imagery of Kanishka, with the standing, making a sacrifice over an altar, although he holds a trident rather than Kanishka's spear and he appears
nimbate. Another trident is sometimes also added over the small sacrificial altar. At the end of his rule, Vasudeva introduced the
nandipada symbol (

) on his coinage.
Sassanid invasion in the northwest
Vasudeva I was the last great Kushan emperor, and the end of his rule coincides with the invasion of the
Sassanian
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
s as far as northwestern India, and the establishment of the
Indo-Sassanians or
Kushanshahs from around 240 CE.
Vasudeva I may have lost the territory of
Bactria
Bactria (; Bactrian language, Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization in Central Asia based in the area south of the Oxus River (modern Amu Darya) and north of the mountains of the Hindu Kush, an area ...
with its capital in
Balkh to
Ardashir I Kushanshah. Thereafter, Kushan rule would be restricted to their eastern territories, in western and central
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
.
File:Ardashir I Kushanshah in the name of Vasudeva circa 230-245 CE.jpg, An imitation of a coin of Vasudeva I, by the Kushano-Sasanian ruler Ardashir I Kushanshah, CE.
Image:Peroz I Kushanshah.jpg, upright=1.5, Gold coin of Peroz I Kushanshah (246-275 CE), imitating the design of Vasudeva I, minted at Balkh.
Statuary

The relatively peaceful reign of Vasudeva is marked by an important artistic production, in particular in the area of statuary.
Several Buddhist statues are dated to the reign of Vasudeva, and are important markers for the chronology of
Buddhist art
Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes Buddha in art, depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas in art, Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, ...
.
An inscription on the base of the
Buddha statue of Vasudeva I is also known from the
Mathura Museum: "In the 93rd year of Maharaja Devaputra Vasudeva...", probably corresponding to , or 220 CE with the more recent definition of the Kanishka era as starting in 127 CE. A
partially preserved Sakyamuni statue, also from Mathura, has the date "Year 94", although without mentioning Vasudeva specifically.
Dedications in the name of Vasudeva, with dates, also appear on Jain statuary discovered in Mathura.
References
Bibliography
* Falk, Harry (2001). "The yuga of Sphujiddhvaja and the era of the Kuṣâṇas." ''Silk Road Art and Archaeology VII'', pp. 121–136.
*Falk, Harry (2004). "The Kaniṣka era in Gupta records." Harry Falk. ''Silk Road Art and Archaeology X'', pp. 167–176.
*Sims-Williams, Nicholas (1998). "Further notes on the Bactrian inscription of Rabatak, with an Appendix on the names of Kujula Kadphises and Vima Taktu in Chinese." ''Proceedings of the Third European Conference of Iranian Studies Part 1: Old and Middle Iranian Studies''. Edited by Nicholas Sims-Williams. Wiesbaden. Pp, 79-93.
External links
Coins of VasudevaVasudeva coin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasudeva 01
Kushan emperors
2nd-century births
3rd-century Indian monarchs
2nd-century Indian monarchs
3rd-century deaths