Arta ( Greek: , ΑΡΤΑΥΟΥ ''Artauou'' (epigraphic); Kharoshthi: ', ') was the elder brother of the well known

Gandhara Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Vall ...

ruler

Maues Maues (Greek: ; (epigraphic); Kharosthi: , , called , on the Taxila copper plate; also called , in the Mathura lion capital inscription,) was the first Indo-Scythian king, ruling from 98/85 to 60/57 BCE. He invaded India and establishe ...

or Moga.

Name

Arta's name is attested in the Greek form () and in the

Kharosthi The Kharoṣṭhī script, also spelled Kharoshthi (Kharosthi: ), was an ancient Indo-Iranian script used by various Aryan peoples in north-western regions of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely around present-day northern Pakistan and ...

form (), which are derived from the

Saka The Saka ( Old Persian: ; Kharoṣṭhī: ; Ancient Egyptian: , ; , old , mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit ( Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples who hist ...

name ', meaning "pious".

Scholarly view

Kharahostes Kharahostes or Kharaosta (Greek: , (epigraphic); Kharosthi: , , , ;) was an Indo-Scythian ruler (probably a satrap) in the northern Indian subcontinent around 10 BCE – 10 CE. He is known from his coins, often in the name of Azes II, a ...

’s own

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

s attest that ''Kshatrapa Kharaostes'' was the son of Arta: :Kshatrapasa pra Kharaostasa Artasa putrasa (i.e. ''Kshatrapa Kharaosta, son of Arta''). Some of Kharaosta's known coins write ''Ortas'' instead of ''Artas''. Scholars state that Yuvaraja Kharaosta Kamuio of the Lion Capital Inscriptions is the same as Kshatrapa Kharaosta, whose coins have been studied by Dr Rapson and Dr Luders. It is now generally agreed that Kshatrapa Kharaosta was son Arta, and that Yuvaraja Kharaosta and Kshatrapa Kharaosta were one and same historical personage. The Inscriptions A and E on the

Mathura Lion Capital The Mathura lion capital is an Indo-Scythian sandstone capital (a part of a pillar) from Mathura in Northern India, dated to the first decade of the 1st century CE (1–10 CE). It was consecrated under the rule of Rajuvula, one of the Norther ...

style Kharaosta as ''Yuvaraya'' Kharaosta Kamuio. Based on the estimates of the relative ages of various personages portrayed in Lion Capital Inscriptions, Dr Stein Konow has determined that Yuvaraja Kharaosta Kamuio (i.e. son of Arta) was the father of

Aiyasi Kamuia The Mathura lion capital is an Indo-Scythian sandstone capital (a part of a pillar) from Mathura in Northern India, dated to the first decade of the 1st century CE (1–10 CE). It was consecrated under the rule of Rajuvula, one of the Northern S ...

, the chief

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

(''Agra-Mahisi'') of

Mahakshatrapa

Rajuvula Rajuvula (Greek alphabet, Greek ; Brahmi script, Brahmi: , ; Kharosthi: , ; , ; , ) was an Indo-Scythian Great Satrap (''Mahākṣatrapa''), one of the "Northern Satraps" who ruled in the area of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura in the northe ...

. See also:

An older view was that Arta, the father of Kharaosta, was the first husband of Rajuvula's chief queen who had married Rajuvula after Arta's death. However, Dr S Konow does not accept this view. The fact that

last name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

''Kamuia'' has been used both by Yuvaraja Kharaosta as well as by princess Aiyasi clearly proves that Aiyasi Kamuia was the daughter and not mother of Yuvaraja Kharaosta Kamuio, since it is the father's and not mother's

lineage Lineage may refer to: Science * Lineage (anthropology), a group that can demonstrate its common descent from an apical ancestor or a direct line of descent from an ancestor * Lineage (evolution), a temporal sequence of individuals, populati ...

which is adopted by their off-springs. It appears that Arta had died before the date of writing of the

inscriptions. Yuvaraja Kharaosta Kamuio, therefore, was the legitimate inheritor to the position as ''King of Kings'' for the kingdom of

after king Moga. Saka governor Rajuvula had married princess Aiyasi Kamuia, daughter of Yuvaraja Kharaosta Kamuio, probably to strengthen his political position and also his claim to the throne (of Taxila). This prospect was obviously not liked by other

chiefs. This appears to be the reason as to why the title of ''Shahanshahi'' was discontinued and only the titles of ''Kshatrapa'' and ''Mahakshtarpa'' obtained among the Sakas from that time onwards. These Sakas later organized a Samgha under Rajuvula and Patika when Rajuvula assumed the title of Maha-Ksatrapa for the first time. It appears, for some reasons, that Yuvaraja Kharaosta Kamuio did not avail the position of ''King of Kings'' after Moga's death. Many scholars including

Sten Konow Sten Konow. Sten Konow (17 April 1867 – 29 June 1948) was a Norwegian Indologist. He was professor of Indic philology at the Christiania University, Oslo, from 1910, moving to Hamburg University in 1914, where he was professor for Indian h ...

, H. W. Bailey, R. K. Mukerjee, K. P. Jaiswal, J. L. Kamboj,

Buddha Prakash Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

and others recognise that the names

Kamuia The Mathura lion capital is an Indo-Scythian sandstone capital (a part of a pillar) from Mathura in Northern India, dated to the first decade of the 1st century CE (1–10 CE). It was consecrated under the rule of Rajuvula, one of the Northern S ...

and

Kamuio The Mathura lion capital is an Indo-Scythian sandstone capital (a part of a pillar) from Mathura in Northern India, dated to the first decade of the 1st century CE (1–10 CE). It was consecrated under the rule of Rajuvula, one of the Northern Sa ...

(q.v) of the

Inscriptions are the Kharoshthi/Prakritic forms of Sanskrit/Pali Kambojika or Kamboja. Hence according to one school of scholars, king Maues, his brother Arta, Kharaosta Kamuio and Kharaosta's daughter Aiyasi Kamuia --- all belonged to the Kambojika or Kamboja clan or lineage.

Mahaksatrapa Arta of the Inscribed Silver Buddhist Reliquary

A recently discovered ''"Inscribed Silver Buddhist Reliquary"'', found from Shinkot in Bajaur (

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

), and edited and published for the first time by Richard Saloman, in ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' (July- September 1996), refers to a king named ''Kharayosta'', believed to belong to the later quarter of first century BCE. According to its editor Dr Richard Salomon (University of Washington), king Kharayosta of the ''"Inscribed Silver Buddhist Reliquary"'', in all probability, is the same Kharaosta who finds reference as ''Yuvaraja Kharosta'' in the

inscriptions as well as, as ''Kharaostasa or Kharahostes'' in the coins.An Inscribed Silver Buddhist Reliquary of the Time of King Kharaosta and Prince Indravarman, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 116, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 1996), pp. 418-452, Richard Salomon

Notes

{{reflist

External links

* Mathura Lion Capital Inscriptions

* The Early Kushan Kings: New Evidence for Chronology: Para (63)''

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 Prabodh Chandra Bagchi ( bn, প্রবোধচন্দ্র-বাগচী) (18 November 1898 – 19 January 1956) or P. C. Bagchi was one of the most notable Sino -Indologists of the 20th century. He was the third Upacharya (Vice-Chan ...

*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
. *An Inscribed Silver Buddhist Reliquary of the Time of King Kharaosta and Prince Indravarman, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 116, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 1996), Richard Salomon Indo-Scythian peoples