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Hvaramira

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Hvaramira
Kings of Kings
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Paratarajas. Hvaramira. Circa AD 165-175
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Hvaramirasa Yolamiraputrasa Pāratarājasa translates to "Of the king of the Paratas, Hvaramira, son of Yolamira"
4th ruler of the Paratarajas
Reign165 CE– 175 CE[1]
PredecessorArjuna
SuccessorMirahvara
Died175 CE
IssueMirahvara
Miratakhma[2]
FatherYolamira
ReligionZoroastrianism

Hvaramira[3][4] was the fourth ruler of Paratarajas. He succeeded his brother Arjuna and ruled areas of modern day Pakistan. He was the youngest son of Yolamira. He ruled for a significant time period before he was succeeded by his son Mirahvara after his death in 175 CE.[5]

Coinage

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"Paratarajas" coins of Hvaramira
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Hvaramira coin, circa 165–175 CE, derived from the Paratarajas.[6] Vertical Brahmi legends from right to left:
Paratarajas the ImageImageImageImageImage Pāratarāja[7]
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The word "Paratarajas" in Brahmi script ImageImageImageImageImageImage Pāratarāja as it appeared on the bottom left corner of Arjuna coins circa 165 CE.[8][9]

Hvaramira's coins can be categorized into three groups. The only exception is the distinctive di-drachm; all of the remaining coins are drachms and no fractional coins of any type have been identified. The drachms from group one, being coins seventeen and eighteen, were likely among the earliest coins and reused the initial die for the production of coin sixteen, the Arjuna die.[10] The first drachm from group two has a closely related style of bust to the Arjuna die from coin sixteen namely, horizontal stripes on the chest but uses a different die.[11]

However, the letter style used on coin twenty is generally primitive compared to the letter styles on coin sixteen. For example, the bottom curve of the letter "ta" on coin twenty is nearly flat compared to the similar bottom curve on coin sixteen.[12] Similar letter styles are found on the didrachm, so it seems logical to place coin nineteen with coin twenty.[13] The Pärata essentially crowned the king after he assumed his position as king, or if the coins were merely meant to honor some king's victory.[14] That might explain why there is a lack of di-drachms from each of the kings; therefore, it stands to reason that several kings lacked di-drachm coinage due to not issuing any during his reign.[15]

Coin 22 denotes a change in the style of letter creation (also shaped by the artist) and is the last of a group of four coins that are classified together on the same basis of style.[16] Both of these coins contain the father's name spelled Yolamira.[17] The use of this die by the successor Mirahvara is what also provides us with the information that this coin belongs at the end of Hvaramira's reign. The similarity in letter formation further strengthens the belief that 21 belongs late in Group 2.[18][19]

Etymology

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The word Hvaramira uses two different roots mira (Mithra) and the new root hvara. The new root hvara is tied to the "glory of the sun."[20] The word hvara likely has some similarity to the Iranian khvareno. As Rosenfield put it, Khvarenah is considered to be "a supernatural gift that can take the form of fire, part of the overall bright heavenly light that all gods share, and that lights the way of a great prince." The personification of Khvarenah in the Kushan religion is called Pharro. Therefore, the name Harva can also be translated as "Mithra the glorious."[10][21][22]

References

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  1. ↑ Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh; Alram, Michael; Daryaee, Touraj; Pendleton, Elizabeth (2016-08-30). The Parthian and Early Sasanian Empires: Adaptation and Expansion. Oxbow Books. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-78570-210-5.
  2. ↑ Tandon, Pankaj. "Figure 6 - from New Light on the Paratarajas". Academia.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  3. ↑ Tandon, Pankaj. "Figure 2 - from Further Light on the Paratarajas: An". Academia.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  4. ↑ "Hvaramira – Numista". en.numista.com. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  5. ↑ "The COININDIA Coin Galleries: Paratarajas or Parata Rajas". coinindia.com. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  6. ↑ "Drachm - Hvaramira, Paratarajas dynasty". en.numista.com. Retrieved 2026-05-23.
  7. ↑ Tandon 2021, p. 5–7.
  8. ↑ Tandon, Pankaj (2009). "An Important New Copper Coin of Gadahara". Journal of the Oriental Numismatic Society (200): 15.
  9. ↑ Tandon, Pankaj (2012). "The Location and Kings of Pāradān". Studia Iranica. 41 (1): 36. doi:10.2143/SI.41.1.2170700. ISSN 1783-1784.
  10. 1 2 Tandon 2007, p. 7.
  11. ↑ Tandon 2021, p. 6.
  12. ↑ Tandon, Pankaj (2019-01-01). "New evidence on Parataraja chronology". Chronicle: 4.
  13. ↑ Tandon 2016, p. 7.
  14. ↑ Tandon 2007, p. 7–8.
  15. ↑ Tandon 2021, p. 6–7.
  16. ↑ Tandon 2016, p. 7–8.
  17. ↑ Bratindra, NM (1972). The Pāradas: A Study in Their Coinage and History. p. 10.
  18. ↑ Tandon 2021, p. 7.
  19. ↑ Tandon 2007, p. 8.
  20. ↑ Tandon 2016, p. 8.
  21. ↑ Falk, H (2007). The Names of the Pāratarājas Issuing Coins with Kharoṣṭhī Legends.The Numismatic Chronicle Vol. 167. p. 172.
  22. ↑ Shankar, G (1998). Ancient Indian Numismatics. A Historiographical Study. p. 121.

Sources

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Further reading

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