Toramana - The Huna of Eran
The Silk Road will continue to send merchants, travellers, monks, and armies west and east. Some of these people / nomadic tribes / hordes / inhabitants of the grassland Steppes would cross the Oxus, the Pamirs, the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram to move south, roughly in the period 100 BC to 600 AD. This is called the Great Migration (1st to 5th Cen CE). These people / migrants / empire builders / invaders will centre their kingdoms around two major cities of Taxila (Gandhara) and Mathura.
To understand this
migration, let’s look at this brief timeline of people who would come into
India once the Mauryan Empire had declined when Persians, Greek and Central
Asians would swarm the Khyber Pass - a period of roughly 700 years:
Indo-Greeks or Yavanas –
200 BC to 10 CE – after the demise of the Mauryas - did not come from Central
Asia – they would come by sea also as traders to Muziris, the greatest city
that disappeared.
Sakas or Indo-Scythians –
2nd Cen BC to 1st Cen CE (One branch of Sakas would settle in Iran) – ‘Northern
Satraps’ of Mathura – will later become vassals of Kushans
Indo-Parthian Kingdom or
Pahalavas – 1st CE to 226 CE – Sassanians who came from Iran – centred around
Taxila – not much impact in subcontinent
Kushans or Yuezhi – 30 CE
to 275 CE – the most prominent and the most prolific of art lovers
[Gupta Empire – 240 to 579
CE]
Hunas – 4th to 6th Cen CE -
the Alchon Huns (Red Huns?) who succeeded the Kidarites Huns and were succeeded
by Hephthalites (White Huns?) & Nezak Huns
Let us start with the last entrants and the least understood or known – The Huns or Hunas.
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The Huns are believed to have originated from Xiongnu in China. With climate change, the migration began towards the Steppes. One branch went west to challenge the Roman Empire. Another branch will come southwards to India
Now these Huns who came to
India were different. While the earlier people are regarded as migrants and
traders like the Aryans who would bring horses to sell in India, Kushans as
empire builders and who would become patrons of art as both Gandhara and
Mathura would blossom, Huns do not fit into the same mould. Huns are generally
regarded as invaders. This was perhaps a sign of times and what lay ahead for
India. Another branch of Huns would invade Europe. The repeated invasions of
Hunas would weaken and then lead to collapse of Gupta Empire. The downfall of
Guptas would bring about an almost immediate decline of both the Art Schools
and the end of the golden Classical Age. Did the Hunas destroy the cities or
the patronage just stopped? While the Mathura Museum is filled with Kushan
artefacts, there seems to be nothing from the Hunas.
Who were these Hunas? Why do we know so little of them? Where are the temples, the images, the statues (Kanishk got a stately statue built for himself), the seals or coins or did they spend most of their time here fighting and destroying? You go through your Mathura Museum photos and you draw a blank. Maybe there will be little luck in the Central Asian museums and on internet.
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Huna - in the Risthal Inscription
Without going into the origins of Huns since scholars have been arguing and fighting over them for some time now, the Huns who made it to India were called the Alchon Huns. The Alchons would succeed the Kidarite Huns, who earlier they have chased out of Bactria. Too bad for the Kidarites who could have kept running down south to Tamil Nadu. In India, the Alchon Huns will be called Hunas as mentioned in the Risthal inscription. India will see the mostly destructive power of the four Huna kings:
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The inscription find places are okay but are geographically incorrect |
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The Tamgha or Seal or Emblem of Alchons
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Hun King Khingila with the elongated crowning glory
Khingila was the founder of
Alchon Huns around 430 CE. He was called Shengil, King of India
Mehama – 461-493 CE
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King Toramana
Toramana – 493-515 CE – in Indian
context, Toramana’s rule is most influential as he went around conquering
central and western India and then decimated the Guptas from Ganga valley all
the way to Varanasi and Bengal and will turn native and take the name of Prakasaditya
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Mihirakula - its possible he was born here in India and therefore did not get the conical head treatment - not sure why he is scowling though or maybe that's his happy face
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Mihirakula - in the Gwalior inscription
Mihirakula – 515-542 CE –
he is mostly busy in demolition and killings
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Artificial Cranial Deformation seen in Khingila
Oh heck yes! The Hunas ARE different. You are looking at the seal of Khingila whose head is crowned with a well, a conical looking elongated skull. The practice is called Artificial Cranial Deformation and was widely practised across the world from the Mayas to Central Asia to Austronesia. Well, nobody is happy about their looks and Alchons were no different. The Afrosiyab Museum in Samarkand with those remarkable murals from the ancient city of Afrasiab has in its possession some of these elongated skulls. You either missed seeing them or you would like to believe they were not on display that particular day!
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The recreated Hunnic Bow in State History Museum, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
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The Armoury of Huns - State History Museum, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
You will have better luck
in the State History Museum in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Museums abroad are always
pleasant and this one is monumental and beautifully curated. In the gallery of
Great Migration, you will see the reconstructed Bow of the Hunnic time of 2nd
to 3rd CE – the state-of-the-art weapon of choice of a terrific Hun charging
on his horse. The display has a collection of iron arrow heads, armour plates, pieces
of chain mail armour and bone bow linings.
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The march of Hun Cavalry in India
Toramana and his son Mihirakula will have most of the fun during the Gupta Empire as they went around destroying stups, monasteries and killing monks from Kaushambi and perhaps even Pataliputra to Taxila where Kanishk’s huge stupa became a victim. Of course, it is no surprise that the father and son duo would get bad press including Kalhan who would call Mihirakula in his Rajatarigini, a man of violent acts resembling Yama with no compassion and pity and Buddhists calling Mihirakula a terrible persecutor of their religion.
So, while Mihirakula went around demolishing monasteries and stupas, just south of Malwa, their backyard, Vakatakas were busy painting the incredible frescoes on the walls of these dark caves in Ajanta. The Hunas probably unknowingly providing a conduit to the Gandhara art form captured here in Deccan.
Some search on Toraman hits
paydirt. There is connection between him and Eran. Eran of all places! Oh Eran!
Eran is perhaps India’s most understated archaeological wonder – pure and untouched.
Eran, the beauty, the angelic is not for everyone. Eran opens up only to the
few who are willing to make that extra effort to woo that someone special. Hope this never changes.
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Inscription of Toramana – dated about 510 CE in the aftermath of Ist Hunnic War, Eran, Gupta Period, Sagar District, Madhya Pradesh
And here in Eran, the Hunas would leave their mark on the most surreal signpost in Central India. On the banks of River Bina, stands the archaeological site of Eran, an ancient Gupta period town. On a monsoon day, you will find yourself alone with the most incredible collection of images among fields of soyabean. A colossal Varah stands tall and proud under the dark clouds, silent and all observing witness to the vicissitudes of 2000 years.
Hunas, just like you would have been overawed and dumbstruck just looking at this magnificent Vishnu avatar. They might have ransacked the Eran town and possibly destroyed the sanctums here (Cunnigham found broken pillars) but once they were face to face with the Varaha they would just bow to the Lord of Earth benignly and leave this inscription on the boar’s throat.
On its throat is an eight-line inscription in Sanskrit invoking the name of Maharajadhiraja Toramana, perhaps the most powerful Alchon Hun King. This was the site of First Battle of Eran (510 CE) when Toraman defeated the local Governor Bhanugupta and became the King of Malwa. From here Toraman would march to Varanasi, installing a king and then towards Gaur in Bengal. The inscription is believed to date sometime between 510-513 just before Toraman’s death in Varanasi.
Near Mandsaur, MP, the Risthal
inscription was found which announces that Aulikara King Prakashadharma of
Malwa defeated Toramana in Central India. Aulikaras are another interesting and
little-known chapter in Indian history. His son Yashodharman will emulate him
by vanquishing the tyrannical Mihirakula and the Alchons will retreat to
Kashmir and beyond. Yashodharman will raise inscribed twin Vijay Stambh in Sondani
near Mandsaur to commemorate this victory over the Hunas.
Now coming to the existential question!
Did the Hunas join their earlier Central Asian Aryans and Saka brethren and turn into Jats?
Now origins of Jat is again a hot topic of discussion and and never ending arguments. Some say the Jats came from the original Aryans or they were the later Sakas or Scythians. So, by the time Huns came raiding, there would be a sizeable Jat community from Balochistan to Western UP and beyond. The Hunas were in the play for over 100 years. There is a possibility some of these Hunas would have become Jats as they assimilated into local communities. Also, when the Hunas were routed, some Hunas would have stayed back, intermingling and would have become part of Central Asian origin communities like Rajputs, Jats and Gujars.
But yes, given the credentials of the invading race of Huns and the bad press they go,t some Jats might not be amenable to the idea of Jats sharing ancestory with the Huns. But then who can change the history. If the change happened, it happened. You wouldn’t mind having a Hun gene!
And then you come across a video, where the speaker, probably a Jat scholar opines that the Aulikaras are Jats! Before making Mandsaur or Dashpura their capital, they had spent some time in Bharatpur. Now, Bharatpur is historically a well-known Jat stronghold with the only Jat King Suraj Mal holding sway, things have turned interesting. So is it possible that Jats of Scythian ancestry would fight the later migrant brethren from Steppes here in Central India? Yes, all very interesting!
There is another school of thought that says the remaining Huns in Central India could have become the later Gurjar Pratihars? This is quite possible too. All lovely possibilities.
You are just happy that as your Central Asia visits continue (hope there are more – Central Asia is more connected to India then any other region of the world), you chanced upon to dig a little into these migrants when the Eran connection jumped out of the screen. This is sweet serendipity. You have a feeling this is just the beginning.
Related Posts on this Blog
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchon_Huns
- a detailed and informative post
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huna_people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cranial_deformation - the practise of reshaping skull
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eran_boar_inscription_of_Toramana
- the amazing link with Eran that brings the Hunas into mainstream history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C4%ABsthal_inscription
– the first defeat of Hunas at the hands of Aulikara King Prakashadharma
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwalior_inscription_of_Mihirakula - The original inscription was in Surya Temple in Gwalior Fort. The original temple is gone and the inscribed red-sandstone slab found by Cunningham in another temple is presently in Indian Museum – both Toramana and Mihirakula are mentioned in the inscription
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yashodharman - the Aulikara who defeated Mihirakula
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandsaur_Pillar_inscriptions_of_Yashodharman - the second defeat of Hunas – Mihirakula will be routed away to Kashmir
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_Mathura - Mathura School of Art along with Gandhara would collapse overnight with the overthrow of Guptas
The World of Skandapurana
by Hans Bakker – pages 25-37 that cover ‘Twilight of the Gupta Empire’ and ‘Huna
Attacks and Inner Fragmentation’ available on Google Books - https://books.google.co.in/books?id=6p2XCgAAQBAJ&printsec=copyright#v=onepage&q&f=false
Monuments of Hope, Doom and
Glory by Hans Bakker – with some wonderful plates – pdf available on
archive.org
The Alkhan: A Hunnic People in South Asia by Hans Bakker
https://mathura.nic.in/history/ -
Mathura has a chequered past from Lord Krishna to Surasenas, Mauryas, Indo-Greeks,
Mitras, Indo-Scythians, Kushans, to Mahumd Ghazni, Lodhis and Mughals – for a
government site, the post is quite informative
https://www.britannica.com/place/Khyber-Pass - The Gateway into India
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1QW7LXWMaY – a Jat scholar argues the Aulikaras were Jats and that there is no chance Huns were Jats’ ancestors
When Huns conquered Central
and Western India – The Eran Chapter
The Indian Power that
Defeated the Huns : The Aulikaras – Never heard about them!
Who were the Huns that
invaded India?
Coming Invasion of
the Huns – good set of videos on Huns by Jay Vardhan Singh of JNU
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