Mod 3: Kushana Footprints in Bihar — Coins at Buxar, Chirand, Vaishali and Kumrahar, Mathura Art at Bodh Gaya, Rule or Raid?
Concept
12.5 What the soil of Bihar tells
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Coins, levels and images
Even though the Kushana capitals were far away, Bihar has yielded many signs of Kushana contact — above all copper coins of Kanishka, Huvishka and Vasudeva I. Kushana copper coins were common small change and travelled along the Ganga trade route.
| Site | Find |
|---|---|
| Buxar | Large finds of Kushana copper coins; Buxar lies on the Ganga at the entry to Bihar from the west |
| Chirand (Saran) | Kushana coins and remains in the upper levels of the mound |
| Vaishali | Kushana coins and seals from the Raja Vishal ka Garh area |
| Kumrahar (Patna) | Kushana-period level with coins and terracottas (Altekar–Mishra, 1951–55) |
| Bodh Gaya | Red sandstone Buddhist images in the Mathura style of the Kushana period |
- Kushana copper coins: Buxar, Chirand, Vaishali, Kumrahar; Mathura-style images at Bodh Gaya.
- Question: Which Bihar site on the Ganga is famous for Kushana coins? Answer: Buxar.
MCQs
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Question 4: From which archaeological site in Bihar have extensive caches of Kushan copper coins been unearthed?
[BPSC level] Kushana coins found in Bihar are mostly made of:
[BSSC pattern] Chirand, which has Kushana remains, is in the district of:
[BPSC level] Kushana coins and seals at Vaishali come from the area known as:
[UPSC level] Mathura-style red sandstone Buddhist images of the Kushana period have been found in Bihar at:
[BPSC level] Buxar’s position explains its many coin finds because it lies:
[School] Which of these is a Kushana king whose coins are found in Bihar?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Which Bihar site on the Ganga is famous for Kushana coins?
Buxar.Concept
12.6 Did the Kushanas rule Bihar?
🏫 School level · NCERT Class 6–12 History (the base for UPSC, BPSC, BSSC and other PSC exams)
Weighing the evidence
Did the Kushanas actually rule Bihar, or only raid and trade? Historians weigh three kinds of evidence:
| Evidence | Points to |
|---|---|
| Rabatak inscription names Pataliputra and Champa | Kanishka at least campaigned to and probably held Pataliputra |
| Buddhist tradition of the Ashvaghosha “ransom” | A raid ending in a treaty rather than permanent rule |
| Many copper coins but no Kushana administrative inscription in Bihar | Trade and influence; control perhaps brief or indirect |
Most scholars (e.g. B. N. Mukherjee, Upinder Singh) accept that Kushana power reached the middle Ganga valley under Kanishka, with Mathura as the eastern hub. East of Varanasi, control was probably loose and short-lived; the plentiful copper coins also reflect trade along the Ganga. In eastern India (Odisha, Bengal) local imitations called “Puri-Kushana” coins circulated for long after.
- Rule or raid: Rabatak (rule), Ashvaghosha story (raid), no admin inscription (brief control).
- Puri-Kushana = later local imitations in eastern India.
- Question: What are Puri-Kushana coins? Answer: Local imitations of Kushana copper coins.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[UPSC level] The best evidence that Kanishka’s power reached Pataliputra is:
[UPSC level] Why do some historians think Kushana control of Bihar was brief or indirect?
[BPSC level] “Puri-Kushana” coins are:
[UPSC level] The eastern hub of Kushana power in the Ganga valley was:
[BSSC pattern] The Buddhist story of Ashvaghosha’s removal suggests Kanishka’s Pataliputra campaign ended in a:
[BPSC level] Which historian is associated with major studies on Kushana history and the Rabatak text?
[School] Coins help historians mainly by showing:
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
What are Puri-Kushana coins?
Local imitations of Kushana copper coins.Concept
🎯 UPSC · BPSC · BSSC · State PSC level: PYQs and traps
| Exam | What it asks from this module |
|---|---|
| UPSC | Extent of the Kushana empire; Puri-Kushana coins |
| BPSC | Kushana coins at Buxar, Chirand, Vaishali, Kumrahar |
| BSSC / SSC | Bihar site with Kushana coins |
Kushana coins have been found at which of these Bihar sites? 1. Buxar 2. Chirand 3. Vaishali 4. Kumrahar — (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1, 2 and 3 only (c) 2, 3 and 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
- All four have yielded Kushana copper coins.
- Kushana coins in Bihar are mostly copper; famous Kushana gold coins come mainly from the north-west.
- “Puri-Kushana” = later local imitations from Odisha, not issued by Kanishka.
- Bihar finds are copper; gold coins mostly from the north-west.
- Question: Which Bihar sites yielded Kushana coins? Answer: Buxar, Chirand, Vaishali, Kumrahar.
MCQs
Answer this question, then use Next.
[BPSC level] Which Bihar site is LEAST associated with Kushana coin finds in textbooks?
[UPSC level] Which statement about the Kushanas and Bihar is most accurate?
[BSSC pattern] Kumrahar’s Kushana-period level was found in the excavations of:
[BPSC level] The Rabatak inscription mentions Shri-Champa; this Champa was the capital of ancient:
[UPSC level] The many Kushana copper coins along the Ganga mainly reflect:
[School] Which Bihar city appears in Kanishka’s own Rabatak inscription?
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Which Bihar sites yielded Kushana coins?
Buxar, Chirand, Vaishali, Kumrahar.