Rabatak inscription
Encyclopedia
The Rabatak inscription is an inscription written on a rock in the Bactrian language
and the Greek script, which was found in 1993 at the site of Rabatak, near Surkh Kotal
in Afghanistan. The inscription relates to the rule of the Kushan emperor Kanishka
, and gives remarkable clues on the genealogy of the Kushan dynasty.
from the School of Oriental and African Studies
. He determined it was a probably an inscription similar to the famous one found at Surkh Kotal
by the Delegation Archeologique Francaise en Afghanistan in the 1950s. However he needed better images of the inscription to determine its authenticity and decipher it.
Because of the civil war in Afghanistan years passed before this mission could be accomplished. In April 2000 the English historian Dr. Jonathan Lee, a specialist on Afghan history, travelled with Robert Kluijver, the director of the Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage, from Mazar-i Sharif to Pul-i Khumri, the provincial capital of Baghlan, to locate the stone. It was eventually found in a store at the Department of Mines and Industry. Dr. Lee took photographs which allowed Prof. Sims-Williams to make the translation found below.
In July 2000 Robert Kluijver travelled with a delegation of the Kabul Museum to Pul-i Khumri to retrieve the stone inscription (weighing between 500 and 600 kilograms). It was brought by car to Mazar-i Sharif and flown from there to Kabul. At the time the Taliban had a favorable policy toward the preservation of Afghan cultural heritage, including pre-Islamic heritage. The inscription, whose historical value had meanwhile been determined by Prof. Sims-Williams, became the centrepiece of the exhibition of the (few) remaining artifacts in the Kabul Museum, leading to a short-lived inauguration of the museum on 17 August 2000. Senior Taliban objected to the display of pre-Islamic heritage, which led to the closing of the museum (and the transfer of the Rabatak inscription to safety), a reversal of the cultural heritage policy and eventually the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamyan
and other pre-Islamic statuary (from February 2001 onwards).
Today the Rabatak inscription is again on display in the reopened Afghan National Museum or Kabul Museum.
The Rabatak site, again visited by Robert Kluijver in March 2002, has been looted and destroyed (the looting was performed with bulldozers), reportedly by the local commander at Rabatak.
language".
(although the text is not clear whether Champa was a possession of Kanishka or just beyond it). The Rabatak inscription is significant in suggesting the actual extent of Kushan rule under Kanishka, which would go significantly beyond traditionally held boundaries:
as his great-grandfather, Vima Taktu as his grandfather, Vima Kadphises
as his father, and himself Kanishka:
Note: Nicholas Sims-Williams
gives "Vima Taktu" as the grandfather of Kanishka in lines 11-14. See, for example, "Bactrian Documents from Ancient Afghanistan" at http://www.gengo.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~hkum/bactrian.html. Also see: “Further notes on the Bactrian inscription of Rabatak, with an appendix on the names of Kujula Kadphises and Vima Taktu in Chinese.” Nicholas Sims-Williams. Proceedings of the Third European Conference of Iranian Studies held in Cambridge, 11th to 15th September 1995. Wiesbaden 1998. Edited by Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, pp. 79-93. http://azargoshnasp.net/languages/Sogh/Kanishkainscription.pdf
Bactrian language
The Bactrian language is an extinct Eastern Iranian language which was spoken in the Central Asian region of Bactria. Linguistically, it is classified as belonging to the middle period of the East Iranian branch...
and the Greek script, which was found in 1993 at the site of Rabatak, near Surkh Kotal
Surkh Kotal
Surkh Kotal, alternate names: Chashma-i Shir or Sar-i Chashma is an ancient archaeological site located in the southern part of the region of Bactria, in today's northern Afghanistan, 18 km north of the city of Puli Khumri, the capital of the province Baghlan.It is the location of monumental...
in Afghanistan. The inscription relates to the rule of the Kushan emperor Kanishka
Kanishka
Kanishka ) was an emperor of the Kushan Empire, ruling an empire extending from Bactria to large parts of northern India in the 2nd century of the common era, and famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements...
, and gives remarkable clues on the genealogy of the Kushan dynasty.
Discovery
The Rabatak inscription was found near the top of an artificial hill (actually a Kushan site) along the main Kabul-Mazar highway, to the southeast of the Rabatak pass which is currently the border between Baghlan and Samangan provinces. It was found by Afghan mujahideen digging a trench at the top of the site, along with several other stone sculptural elements such as the paws of a giant stone lion, which have disappeared since. An English relief worker of the Halo Trust demining organization working in this province reported the discovery and filmed the inscription. This film eventually found its way to one of the few people able to read the Greco-Bactrian script, Professor Nicholas Sims-WilliamsNicholas Sims-Williams
Nicholas Sims-Williams is a professor of the School of Oriental and African Studies , University of London, where he is the Research Professor of Iranian and Central Asian Studies at the Department of the Languages and Cultures of Near and Middle East. Sims-Williams is a scholar who specializes in...
from the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
. He determined it was a probably an inscription similar to the famous one found at Surkh Kotal
Surkh Kotal
Surkh Kotal, alternate names: Chashma-i Shir or Sar-i Chashma is an ancient archaeological site located in the southern part of the region of Bactria, in today's northern Afghanistan, 18 km north of the city of Puli Khumri, the capital of the province Baghlan.It is the location of monumental...
by the Delegation Archeologique Francaise en Afghanistan in the 1950s. However he needed better images of the inscription to determine its authenticity and decipher it.
Because of the civil war in Afghanistan years passed before this mission could be accomplished. In April 2000 the English historian Dr. Jonathan Lee, a specialist on Afghan history, travelled with Robert Kluijver, the director of the Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage, from Mazar-i Sharif to Pul-i Khumri, the provincial capital of Baghlan, to locate the stone. It was eventually found in a store at the Department of Mines and Industry. Dr. Lee took photographs which allowed Prof. Sims-Williams to make the translation found below.
In July 2000 Robert Kluijver travelled with a delegation of the Kabul Museum to Pul-i Khumri to retrieve the stone inscription (weighing between 500 and 600 kilograms). It was brought by car to Mazar-i Sharif and flown from there to Kabul. At the time the Taliban had a favorable policy toward the preservation of Afghan cultural heritage, including pre-Islamic heritage. The inscription, whose historical value had meanwhile been determined by Prof. Sims-Williams, became the centrepiece of the exhibition of the (few) remaining artifacts in the Kabul Museum, leading to a short-lived inauguration of the museum on 17 August 2000. Senior Taliban objected to the display of pre-Islamic heritage, which led to the closing of the museum (and the transfer of the Rabatak inscription to safety), a reversal of the cultural heritage policy and eventually the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamyan
Buddhas of Bamyan
The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2,500 meters...
and other pre-Islamic statuary (from February 2001 onwards).
Today the Rabatak inscription is again on display in the reopened Afghan National Museum or Kabul Museum.
The Rabatak site, again visited by Robert Kluijver in March 2002, has been looted and destroyed (the looting was performed with bulldozers), reportedly by the local commander at Rabatak.
Main findings
Religion
The first lines of the inscription describe Kanishka as:- "the great salvation, the righteous, just autocrat, worthy of divine worship, who has obtained the kingship from NanaNana (goddess)Nana was a goddess in the ancient area corresponding to Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Northwest India. She can already be seen on seals of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex, dating to 2500-1500 BCE....
and from all the gods, who has inaugurated the year one as the gods pleased" (Trans. Professor Sims-Williams)
The "Arya language"
Follows a statement regarding the writing of the inscription itself, indicating that the language used by Kanishka in his inscription was self-described as the "AryanAryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
language".
- "It was he who laid out (i.e. discontinued the use of) the Ionian ("ιωνα", YonaYona"Yona" is a Pali word used in ancient India to designate Greek speakers. Its equivalent in Sanskrit, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil is the word "Yavana" and "Jobonan/Jubonan" in Bengali...
, Greek) speech and then placed the Arya ("αρια", AryanAryanAryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
) speech."
Regnal eras
Also, Kanishka announces the beginning of a new era starting with the year 1 of his reign, abandoning the therefore "Great Arya Era" which had been in use, possibly meaning the Azes era of 58 BCE.Territorial extent
Lines 4 to 7 describe the cities which were under the rule of Kanishka, among which four names are identifiable: Saketa, Kausambi, Pataliputra, and ChampaJanjgir-Champa
The district "Janjgir-Champa" is situated in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh and is a small developing district. The District Head Quarter Janjgir of the district Janjgir-Champa is the city of Maharaja Jajawalya Dev of Kulchury dynasty...
(although the text is not clear whether Champa was a possession of Kanishka or just beyond it). The Rabatak inscription is significant in suggesting the actual extent of Kushan rule under Kanishka, which would go significantly beyond traditionally held boundaries:
Succession
Finally, Kanishka makes the list of the kings who ruled up to his time: Kujula KadphisesKujula Kadphises
Kujula Kadphises, reigned was a Kushan prince who united the Yuezhi confederation during the 1st century CE, and became the first Kushan emperor...
as his great-grandfather, Vima Taktu as his grandfather, Vima Kadphises
Vima Kadphises
Vima Kadphises was a Kushan emperor from around 90–100 CE. As detailed by the Rabatak inscription, he was the son of Vima Takto and the father of Kanishka.-Rule:...
as his father, and himself Kanishka:
- "for King Kujula Kadphises (his) great grandfather, and for King Vima Taktu (his) grandfather, and for King Vima Kadphises (his) father, and *also for himself, King Kanishka" (Cribb and Sims-Williams 1995/6: 80)
Full text
Translation by Mukherjee, B.N., "The Great Kushana Testament", Indian Museum Bulletin, Calcutta, 1995:- 1-3
- "The year one of Kanishka, the great deliverer, the righteous, the just, the autocrat, the god, worthy of worship, who has obtained the kingship from NanaNana (goddess)Nana was a goddess in the ancient area corresponding to Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Northwest India. She can already be seen on seals of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex, dating to 2500-1500 BCE....
and from all the gods, who has laid down (i.e. established) the year one as the gods pleased." - 3-4
- "And it was he who laid out (i.e. discontinued the use of) the Ionian speech and then placed the Arya (or Aryan) speech (i.e. replaced the use of Greek by the Aryan or Bactrian language)."
- 4-6
- "In the year one, it has been proclaimed unto India, unto the whole realm of the governing class including Koonadeano (Kaundinya< KundinaKundinaKundina is an ancient Indian city, named as part of Kanishka's territory in the Rabatak inscription. It is thought that is it the locality of Kaundinyapura on the Wardha River in the Amravati Division of Vidarbha, or Berar in Maharashtra, which is an archaeological site identified as a trading city...
) and the city of Ozeno (Ozene, UjjainUjjainUjjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
) and the city of Zageda (Saketa) and the city of Kozambo (Kausambi) and the city of Palabotro (Pataliputra) and so long unto (i.e. as far as) the city of Ziri-tambo (Sri-ChampaJanjgir-ChampaThe district "Janjgir-Champa" is situated in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh and is a small developing district. The District Head Quarter Janjgir of the district Janjgir-Champa is the city of Maharaja Jajawalya Dev of Kulchury dynasty...
)." - 6-7
- "Whichever rulers and the great householders there might have been, they submitted to the will of the king and all India submitted to the will of the king."
- 7-9
- "The king Kanishka commanded Shapara (Shaphar), the master of the city, to make the NanaNana (goddess)Nana was a goddess in the ancient area corresponding to Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Northwest India. She can already be seen on seals of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex, dating to 2500-1500 BCE....
Sanctuary, which is called (i.e. known for having the availability of) external water (or water on the exterior or surface of the ground), in the plain of Kaeypa, for these deities - of whom are Ziri (Sri) Pharo (Farrah) and Omma." - 9-9A
- "To lead are the Lady Nana and the Lady Omma, Ahura Mazda, Mazdooana, Srosharda, who is called ... and Komaro (Kumara)and called Maaseno (Mahasena) and called Bizago (Visakha), Narasao and Miro (Mihara)."
- 10-11
- "And he gave same (or likewise) order to make images of these deities who have been written above."
- 11-14
- "And he ordered to make images and likenesses of these kings: for king Kujula KadphisesKujula KadphisesKujula Kadphises, reigned was a Kushan prince who united the Yuezhi confederation during the 1st century CE, and became the first Kushan emperor...
, for the great grandfather, and for this grandfather Saddashkana (SadashkanaSadashkanaSadashkana or Sadaṣkaṇa was, according to the Rabatak inscription, the son of the Kushan emperor Kujula Kadphises. In the inscription, he is not given the title of king, suggesting that he did not rule directly, but that, instead, his own son Vima Kadphises ruled after the death of Kujula...
), the SomaSomaSoma , or Haoma , from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the subsequent Vedic and greater Persian cultures. It is frequently mentioned in the Rigveda, whose Soma Mandala contains 114 hymns, many praising its energizing qualities...
sacrificer, and for king V'ima KadphisesVima KadphisesVima Kadphises was a Kushan emperor from around 90–100 CE. As detailed by the Rabatak inscription, he was the son of Vima Takto and the father of Kanishka.-Rule:...
, for the father, and for himself (?), king KanishkaKanishkaKanishka ) was an emperor of the Kushan Empire, ruling an empire extending from Bactria to large parts of northern India in the 2nd century of the common era, and famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements...
." - 14-15
- "Then, as the king of kings, the son of god, had commanded to do, Shaphara, the master of the city, made this sanctuary."
- 16-17
- "Then, the master of the city, Shapara, and Nokonzoka led worship according to the royal command."
- 17-20
- "These gods who are written here, then may ensure for the king of kings, Kanishka, the Kushana, for remaining for eternal time healthy., secure and victorious... and further ensure for the son of god also having authority over the whole of India from the year one to the year thousand and thousand."
- 20
- "Until the sanctuary was founded in the year one, to (i.e. till) then the Great Arya year had been the fashion."
- 21
- "...According to the royal command, Abimo, who is dear to the emperor, gave capital to Pophisho."
- 22
- "...The great king gave (i.e. offered worship) to the deities."
- 23
- "..."
Note: Nicholas Sims-Williams
Nicholas Sims-Williams
Nicholas Sims-Williams is a professor of the School of Oriental and African Studies , University of London, where he is the Research Professor of Iranian and Central Asian Studies at the Department of the Languages and Cultures of Near and Middle East. Sims-Williams is a scholar who specializes in...
gives "Vima Taktu" as the grandfather of Kanishka in lines 11-14. See, for example, "Bactrian Documents from Ancient Afghanistan" at http://www.gengo.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~hkum/bactrian.html. Also see: “Further notes on the Bactrian inscription of Rabatak, with an appendix on the names of Kujula Kadphises and Vima Taktu in Chinese.” Nicholas Sims-Williams. Proceedings of the Third European Conference of Iranian Studies held in Cambridge, 11th to 15th September 1995. Wiesbaden 1998. Edited by Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, pp. 79-93. http://azargoshnasp.net/languages/Sogh/Kanishkainscription.pdf
