Colossal statues of Kushana rulers have been found installed in a shrine near __________ .
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Mathura
The Kushanas (c. first century BCE to first century CE) ruled from Central Asia to north-west India, and they claimed high status by identifying themselves with gods. Colossal statues of Kushana rulers have been found in a shrine at Mat near Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), and similar statues in a shrine in Afghanistan. Some historians think this shows that the Kushanas saw themselves as godlike; many of them also took the title devaputra, “son of god”.
NCERT (2025-26): “4.2 Divine kings … One means of claiming high status was to identify with a variety of deities. This strategy is best exemplified by the Kushanas (c. first century BCE – first century CE), who ruled over a vast kingdom extending from Central Asia to northwest India. Their history has been reconstructed from inscriptions and textual traditions. The notions of kingship they wished to project are perhaps best evidenced in their coins and sculpture. Colossal statues of Kushana rulers have been found installed in a shrine at Mat near Mathura (Uttar Pradesh). Similar statues have been found in a shrine in Afghanistan as well. Some historians feel this indicates that the Kushanas considered themselves godlike.…” |