RAS question
Kushan gold coins are notable for depicting deities from which religious traditions?
Correct answer: (C) Buddhist, Hindu, Zoroastrian, and Greek.
Kushan gold coins are notable for depicting deities from Buddhist, Hindu, Zoroastrian and Greek religious traditions.
Explanation
Kushan coinage is important because it records the empire's syncretic religious world rather than a single sectarian identity. Sarmaya says Kushana currency represented deities from Greek, Brahmanical, Buddhist and Zoroastrian pantheons, including Buddha and Maitreya for Buddhism, Shiva and Skanda for Hindu tradition, Mithra and Atar for Zoroastrianism, and Herakles for the Greek tradition. Sarmaya also notes that Vima Kadphises issued gold coins extensively, making Kushan gold coinage a major source for understanding political power, trade and religious affinity. The range of deities is therefore the key point: these coins reflect cultural assimilation and religious tolerance under Kushan rulers.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Only Buddhist is too narrow because Sarmaya includes Hindu or Brahmanical, Zoroastrian and Greek deities as well.
- (B) Only Hindu ignores the Buddhist, Zoroastrian and Greek deities and the broader pantheons described by Sarmaya.
- (D) Only Zoroastrian is wrong because Zoroastrian figures were part of a wider Kushan coin repertoire that also included Buddhist, Hindu or Brahmanical and Greek traditions.
Concept
This tests ancient Indian numismatics, especially how coins are used as evidence for religion, trade and political culture. It recurs in RAS because Kushan coinage links material evidence with themes of cultural contact and religious tolerance.