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Q. Consider the following statements with respect to ancient Central Asian Conquerors.

1. Kushan kings called themselves “Sons of god”.

2. The Kushan empire was divided into numerous Strategos

3. The military governors appointed by the Greeks were called as Satrapies.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
Explanation:
  • The Central Asian conquerors imposed their rule on numerous petty native princes. This led to the development of a feudatory organization. The Kushans adopted the pompous title of „king of kings‟, which indicates that they collected tributes from numerous small princes.
  • The Shakas and Kushans strengthened the idea of the divine origin of kingship. Ashoka called himself ‘dear to the gods’, but the Kushan kings called themselves ‘sons of god’. This title was adopted by the Kushans from the Chinese, who called their king the son of heaven. It was naturally used in India to legitimize the royal authority. The brahmanical lawmaker Manu asks people to respect the king even if he is a child because he is a great god ruling in the form of a human being.
  • The Kushans strengthened the satrap system of government adopted by the Shakas. The empire was divided into numerous satrapies, and each placed under the rule of a satrap. Some curious practices such as hereditary dual rule, that is, two kings ruling in the same kingdom simultaneously, were begun, with instances of father and son ruling jointly at the same time.
  • It thus appears that there was less of centralization under these rulers. The Greeks also introduced the practice of military governorship, the governors called strategos. Military governors were necessary to maintain the power of the new rulers over the conquered people.

Thus, Option D is Correct

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