Aiyasi Kamuia
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[edit] Aiyasi Kamuia (Kambojaka)
The Mathura Lion Capital Inscriptions discovered in 1896 from Saptarsi mound in the south-eastern part of Mathura city in Uttar Pradesh, India, and presently housed in the British Museum, London, contains an epigraph in Kharoshthi characters, which refers to princess Aiyasi Kamuia as the chief queen (Agra-Mahisi) of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula. Princess Aiyasi was the daughter of the Yuvaraja Kharaostes (Kharaosta) himself a Kamuio (Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol II, part I, p 36 & xxxvi, Dr Stein Konow). See also: [1].
Some scholars interpret the name Aiyasi as a Prakritised version of Indo-Aryan Arya-shri.
Making use of science of linguistics, the scholars have identified the term Kamuia or Kamuio appearing as the last name of princess Aiyasia and her father Kharaostes in the Mathura Lion Capital Inscriptions with the Sanskrit/Pali term Kambojaka or Kambojika [2].
It is also notable that ancient Pali texts, and some times even the Sanskrit literature, use Kambojaka in the same sense as the Sanskrit Kamboja:
(e.g. : Kambojaka jalajeneva assau; Kambojaka assatare sudanne.. etc. [3]; See also: [4]).
The Inscriptions A and E on the Mathura Lion Capital mention Kharaosta as the Yuvaraya Kharaosta. He was the inheritor to the position as King of Kings after king Maues or Moga though, in his own coins, Yuvaraja Kharaosta addresses himself as Kshatrapa (Satrap).
Mathura Lion Capital Inscriptions reveal that princess Aiyasi Kamuia had established the relic of Lord Sakyamuni, a stupa and a Sangharama at the right side of river Yamuna for the order of the four quarters of the Sarvastivadins. The place is now known by the name of Saptarsi Tila. The land for the purpose was granted by Sodasa, son of Rajuvula.
The full size sculpture of gracefully dressed beautiful female was discovered from Mathura and is now located in the Archaeological Museum, Mathura. The sculpture is popularly called Kambojaka (The Catalogue of the Sculptures of Archaeological Museum, Mathura, F. 42, J. P. Vogal).
The sculpture is identified with Aiyasi Kamuia (Kambojaka), the chief queen of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula (See: Sculptures of Mathura and Sarnath, 2002; Ancient Kamboja, People and Country, 1981, p 227-28, 215).
Some people erroneously or ignorantly identify the Kambojaka of the Mathura Museum as a Greek lady and style her as the daughter of Kamboja country! [5].
This interprettation does not seem to be correct.
The Kambojas and Yavanas (Greeks) being close neighbors in the north-west, are documented to have followed identical culture, social customs, dress mode, manners and religion. See also: [6]
Thus, to identify Kambojaka of the Mathura Museum as a Greek lady based on the drapery, ornaments, wreath, hair style etc is not a correct approach.
[edit] Epilogue
[edit] Epilogue 1
The family of king Moga was apparently a Scythianised section of the Trans-Pamirian Kambojas (Parama Kambojas) who had been living in trans-Hindukush Scythian region as neighbors to the Rishikas (MBH II.27.25; MBH 10.14.1-2 etc). The vast Central Asian region lying on the north of Mt Hemodos (Hindukush/Himalayan) was known as Scythia to the classical writers (See: Diodorus II.37). In fact, the classical writers further say that river Ganges rises in the Scythian mountains. This attests that even the Mt Himalayan lied in the Scythian belt of the classical writers (Pliny Hist Nat., VI.22; Indika, Fragment LVI).
The vast trans-Himavantam region, the Scythia of classical writers, was known as Saka-dvipa in ancient Sanskrit literature.
It is understandable that the Parama Kambojas were obviously located in Scythia of the classical writings. And therefore, they have been indiscriminately considered as part of the Scythian population both in the Greek as well as the Chinese writings.
Too all probability, in the wake of great tribal movement of second century BCE occasioned by pressure from Yuezhis, a section of these Parama Kambojas, including family of king Moga, were displaced and consequently moved from the Parama-Kamboja of Transoxiana to south side of Hindukush in Kabol valley. The Kamboja family of king Moga immigrating from the Scythian cultural belt was obviously Irano-Scythian in culture, social customs and manners. This scenario appears to have caused confusion among scholars in attributing Saka identity to king Maues and his family who otherwise belonged to Kamboja lineage as is sufficiently attested by last name Kamuia/Kamuio born by members of Moga's family.
[edit] Epilogue 2
The first five lines of the Mathura Lion Capital have been interpreted by Dr S. Konow in sense different from the older view. According to the older view, the principal donor was Nada Diaka (or Siaka), the chief-queen of Mahakshatrapa Rajuvula, the daughter of Aiyasi Kamusa and mother of Yuvaraja Kharaosta. If the Yuvaraja Kharaosta is identical with Kshatrapa Kharaostes of the coins, as is almost unanimously agreed among the scholars now, it follows from older view that Arta, father of Kharaosta was first husband of Rajuvula's chief queen who married Rajuvula after Arta's death. But according to newer view propunded by Dr S. Konow, the name of the principal donor was Aiyasi Kamuia (Kambojaka, belonging to Kambuja/Kamboja tribe) who was daughter of Yuvaraja Kharaosta, also Kambojaka and the mother of Nada Diaka (or Siaka) (See: Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol II, Part I, p 36 & xxxvi; Comprehensive History of India, 1957, Vol II, p 270, Dr K. A. Nilakanta Sastri; See also: Aspects of Ancient Indian Administration, 2003, p 58, D. K. Ganguli).
The fact that the last name 'Kamuia' (Kambojaka) has been used both by Yuvaraja Kharaosta as well as princess Aiyasi clearly proves that Aiyasi Kamuia was the daughter and not the mother of Yuvaraja Kharaosta Kamuio (Kambojaka), since it is the father's and not mother's lineage which is adopted by their off-springs. Hence, Dr konow's view is more convincing and acceptable.
[edit] External links
- Mathura Lion Capital Inscriptions [7]
- The Early Kushan Kings: New Evidence for Chronology: Para (63) [8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol II, part I, Dr Stein Konow
- Journal of Bihar and Orissa Research society, Vol XVI, 1930, parts III, IV, Dr K. P. Jayswal
- Ancient India, 1956, Dr R. K. Mukerjee
- Comprehensive History of India, 1957, Vol II, Dr K. A. Nilkantha Shastri
- Ancient Kamboja People & Country, 1981, Dr J. L. Kamboj
- Political History of ancient India, 1996, Dr H. C. raychaudhury
- India and the World, 1964, Dr Buddha Parkash
- India and Central Asia, 1929, Dr P.C. Bagchi
- Sculptures of Mathura and Sarnath, 2002, Usha Rani Tiwari (br)
- The Sakas in India, Dr S. Chattopadhyaya
- The development of Kharoshthi Script, Dr C. C. Dasgupta
- Hellenism in Ancient India, G. N. Bannerjee
- Journal of Bihar and Orissa Research Society, Vol Xvi Parts III, IV, 1930.
- Female Images in the Museums of U.P. and their Social Background, P. Upadhyava
