Vaishnavite Influences in the Kushan Coinage
Vaishnavite Influences in the Kushan Coinage

Summary/Abstract: Three coins minted by Huvishka and Vasudeva I bear iconographic features which are unique for the Kushan coinage. The deities depicted on them are multi-armed and hold attributes such as a conch, a chakra or a lotus,which are common in the sculptural representations of Vasudeva-Krishna andVishnu. However, it is not clear if these attributes were the elements that allowedthe Kushans to identify a given representation as Vaishnavite. This paper constitutesan attempt to present and explain the iconography of these coins comparing itwith the Mathura and Gandharan sculpture as well as with the pre-Kushan coinage.It seems that the deity depicted on the reverses of the coins of Huvishka is Vishnu,and on the coin of Vasudeva I – Vasudeva-Krishna.

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