KUSHAN PERIOD

ABHILASHA JHA
MAP
Capital :Mathura Peshawar ,
Begram
Taxila
Language(s):Pali ,Prakrit,
Bactrian
Sanskrit,Greek
ReligionBuddhism ,Hinduism
, Zoroastrianism,Greco
-Buddhism Ancient
Greekreligion
Government:Monarchy
CurrencyKushan Drachm
INTRODUCTION
 The Kushan Empire originally formed in the
early 1st century AD under “Kujula
Kadphises”. 
 During the 1st and early 2nd centuries AD the
Kushans expanded rapidly across the northern
part of the Indian subcontinent as far
as Saketa and Sarnath near Varanasi.  
INTRODUCTION
Main Kushan rulers :
 Kujula Kadphises (ca 30 – ca 80)
 Vima Taktu or Sadashkana (ca 80 – ca 95)
 Vima Kadphises (ca 95 – ca 127)
 Kanishka I (ca 127 – ca 140)[
 Vāsishka (ca 140 – ca 160)
 Huvishka (ca 160 – ca 190)
 Vasudeva I (ca 190 – ca 230)
COSTUME
FOREIGN KUSHAN
MIXTURE OF FOREIGN & RULER
INDEGINOUS GARMENT

GUARDIANS &
ATTENDENT

FOREIGN GROOMS &

TRADERS
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Kushan costumes were devided in five types….

Men’s costume
Tunic : knee-length, a
Tunic : calf-length and
heavy quilted, with braid fully quilted garment with
at the bottom edge and thick cording at the waist,
mettalic decorative belt neck and hem.
Antariya : worn
in kachcha style up to the
ankles
Chugha : calf-length with a wide
richly embroidered border down
the centre-front opening, hem
and edge of long sleeves
(probably ruched); the material of
the coat has small rosettes and a
V-neck and there is a round motif
on the right sleeve
Women’s costume
Antariya : sari-like,
Uttariya : worn tied in front, while one
across the back and end is passed
over both shoulders, between the legs,
the left end is pleated and tucked in
loosely tucked in at at the back, the other
the waist end is partly pleated
Kayabandh : simple and tucked in at the
sash, twisted in front, then wound
parts around and worn over
the left shoulder
Anatriya : sari-like,
worn in
the kachcha style,
the other end being
taken across the
body and over the
left shoulder
Women’s costume
Antariya : worn
extremely short in Ghagri : simple
kaccha style; the narrow calf-length
end that is passed skirt stitched at the
between the legs centre-front border, it
has been tucked in has either a
at the back; the drawstring through it
other piece is looped to is rolled over a
to mid-thigh in front string; this is an
and the end tucked example of the
in a small looped frill earliest form of a
at the centre stitched lower
Kayabandh : there garment for women
are two : one is a
wide sash tied in a
loop on both sides to
the knees with
steamers at each
side of the hips
hanging to floor
length; the other
iskakshyabandha, a
thick jewelled roll
worn aslant which
has a large clasp at
the left hip
HEADGEAR &HAIRSTYLE:WOMEN
chaplet of leaves
this simple
or turban with a
hairstyle is made
central flower
by parting the hair
worn around the
at the centre,
top knot of hair
drawing it to the
right side and
allowing it to hang
in a loop at the
right shoulder
hair is worn in a
tuft at the centre
rest of the hair is
drawn into a knot
which is
a tuft of hair covers
vertically placed
the line of parting; it
at back centre; a
has been to form a
turban has been
ball; rest of the hair
twisted and
is drawn back,
wound casually
looped and held in
around the hair
position by a clip or

brooch  

Jeweled net ,brooches and decorative hairpins were found in that era. Strings of Ashoka and
mimosa tree were also used to to symbolize love and get protection from evil eye .
HEADGEAR &HAIRSTYLE:MEN
•When bareheaded, the hair
was worn in a topknot or in
the shape of a bow, often
softened by curls on the
forehead or at the nape
especially in the northwest.
•Fillets or bands tied on the
forehead were common.
MAULI
•The Scythian pointed cap
was frequently used as was
the crown or mukuta.
•Men started to have short
hairs.
•The common man used
his kayabandh or uttariya t
o form a casual turban on
the head against the sun
JEWELLARY

DISC TYPE
KUNDALA

PENDENT TYPE

RING TYPE
JEWELLARY
KANTHA
MUKUTA

HARA

VALLAYA (bracelet)
KEYURA(armlet)

ANGULIYA

MEKHALA

NUPURA (anklet)
 MILITARY COSTUME
Antariya : worn in kachchastyle Antariya : transparent calf-length
and worn in the lehngastyle
Armour : chain armour made of Armour : scale armour with V-
scale or rhombus-patterned neck and short sleeves; the skirt
plaques, fastened together with portion is of square-linked design
strings the end of the sleeves, and of mid-thigh length
waist and hem are Tunic : Visible at the hem and
strengthened with cording; the sleeves
skirt portion is made of parallel Equipment : sword belt with flat,
rows of rectangular plaques short sword; strap across the
Mauli : turban made of twisted chest, round shield with patterned
roll of cloth design
Equipment : round shield and
spear Mauli : turban wound several
times and tied at the right side

Tunic : Kushan type with long Antariya : worn in kachchastyle up to

ruched sleeves the ankles

Antariya : could bechalana- Tunic : knee-length, a fully quilted

Kushan loose trousers garment with thick cording at the
waist, neck and hem.
Equipment : carries a long spear
and round embossed shield.
RELIGIOUS PERSON
 Brahmin hermits or ascetics were wearing
the garments made of bark leaves.
 The clothes of the bhiksh were yellow or
red in color and consisted
antaravasaka, uttarasanga, samghati and 
kushalaka , along with a buckled belt
or samkaksika.
 The cloth of their garments was most
probably donated to the monastery by
wealthy merchants
TEXTILE & DYES
 For the first time trade with China was directly
established through the ancient silk route.
 Indian traders settled down in Chinese
Turkestan, which was annexed by Kanishka, the
Kushan King.
 In the northwestern is coarse cotton and wool
were used for making tunics and trousers for
horsemen, hunters, foreigners, and doorkeepers.
 In central India textiles were of lightweight
cotton, TULAPANSI
TEXTILE & DYES
 Antariya were very rarely decorated
somewhere they appear to have been either
embroidered, woven, or printed in diagonal
check designs enclosing small circles.
 Turban cloth for rich women were often
diagonally striped with every third line made of
pearls.
 Jewelled material was also used to cover beds
and seats.
 Geometric patterns of checks, stripes and
triangles were also printed and woven.
TEXTILE & DYES
 List of fabrics recovered from the ancient silk
route & the color found were:
 Bright blue, light blue, dark blue-copper,ull
gold buff, bronze-brown, dark bronze-green,
crimson, pink, crimson brown, rich red, yellow,
yellow-brown, yellow-green, rich dark yellow-
brown.
STYLE
 The Kushans were not originally an artistic
people.
 In Kushan period carvings were more
sophisticated and images were more
flamboyant and sensuous than had been seen
before.
 There are the wall paintings at Kizil in
Afghanistan, where the wiry line of the drawing
with its flat brilliant colors gives a heraldic
appearance like the group of portrait statues
found at Mathura.
STYLE
 In Scythian origin, the metal work displayed in
their horse trappings, hunting gear, and in the
ornamental plaques, which they stitched on
their garments.
 They had lived for many years in Bactria
before entering India and this prepared them
for the role they were to play as great patrons
of the arts, as seen in the development of the
Gandhara art and the evolution of the
indigenous art of Mathura.
PRESENTATION BY:

ABHILASHA JHA

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