Page 73 - SST Class 06

medicine. It is another name for the Greek system
of medicine. The Indians learnt it from the Indo-
Greeks and adopted it.
SHAKAS
The Shakas were a nomadic tribe of Central Asia.
They had been driven out by the Yeuh-Chi tribe of
China. They entered India after the Indo-Greeks
and settled down in western India. The Shaka
rulers called themselves Satraps . They set up many
kingdoms including Taxila, Ujjain, Nasik and
Mathura. The most important ruler of the Shakas
was Rudradaman who assumed the title of
Mahakshtrap . He checked the advance of the
Satvahanas from the south. He also undertook the
repairs of the dam built by Chandragupta Maurya
on the Sudarshan Lake in Kathiawar.
The Shaka calendar was started by the Shaka
rulers of Ujjain. It is 78 years behind the Christian
calendar.
PAHLAVAS (PARTHIANS)
The Pahlavas too were a central Asian tribe from
Parthia. They occupied a large part of the north-
west Afghanistan in the first century AD but could
not rule for a long time. Their famous ruler was
Gondophernes . They were later conquered by the
Kushanas.
F ind Outind Out
During whose reign St. Thomas a follower of Christ
visited India?
KUSHANAS
The Kushanas were a branch of the Yeuh-Chi tribe
of China and lived in the Taklamaken Desert in
China. They first defeated the Greek rulers of
Afghanistan and then the Shakas and thus
occupied the whole of north-western India.
Kanishka was the greatest Kushana king.
Kanishka
Kanishka extended his empire by victory after
victory. He conquered Kashmir, Punjab and
Mathura from the Shakas and even occupied
certain parts of Magadha. His greatest victory was
over China. He defeated Pan
Chiang , a great Chinese general
and annexed Kashgar, Khatan and
Yarkand. He made his capital at
Purushpura (now Peshawar). He
ruled a vast empire right from
Bactria (Bokhara in Iran) in the
north to Ujjain in the south and
from Kashi (Banaras) in the east to The headless statue
of Kanishka
Afghanistan in the west.
Quiz Time
Write True or False :
1. The Indians learnt moulds and dyes from the
Indo-Greeks. ________
2. The most important ruler of the Shakas was
Gondophernes. ________
3. The Shaka calendar was 75 years behind the
Christian calendar. ________
4. Kanishka was the greatest Kushana king.
________
5. The Shakas were not a nomadic tribe of Central
Asia. ________
Kanishka was not only a great warrior, he was also
a great patron of art and science. The scholars of
different fields flourished under his rule. The
famous Buddhist scholars—Ashvaghosh ,
Vasumitra and Parsva lived during his reign. The
famous Buddhist stories, the Jataka Tales were
written during his time. Charak , the famous Indian
physician and Sushruta , the famous Indian
surgeon lived during his rule.
Kanishka got a number of buildings, monasteries
and statues built in the cities of Peshawar,
Mathura and Sarnath. A headless bronze statue of
Kanishka has been found at Mathura. The
Gandhara School of Art and the Mathura School
of Art flourished under his rule.
Kanishka embraced Buddhism and took steps to
spread it in other countries including China, Tibet,
Korea and Japan. During his time, certain reforms
were introduced to Buddhism. Now, it branched
out into two sects—the Mahayana (the greater
vehicle) and the Hinayana (the lesser vehicle).
Conquerors from Distant Lands
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