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{{quote|([[Skandagupta]]), "by whose two arms the earth was shaken, when he, the creator (of a disturbance like that) of a terrible whirlpool, joined in close conflict with the [[Huna people|Hûnas]]; . . . . . . among enemies | {{quote|([[Skandagupta]]), "by whose two arms the earth was shaken, when he, the creator (of a disturbance like that) of a terrible whirlpool, joined in close conflict with the [[Huna people|Hûnas]]; . . . . . . among enemies | ||
== The Huna Volkerwanderung == | |||
The term '''post-Indic Völkerwanderung''' was first coined by an English historian [[Arnold J. Toynbee]] in the context when [[Gupta Empire]] was quivered to its roots. Considering that their earlier invasions had been repulsed by [[Chandragupta II]] and [[Skandagupta]] but the continuous incursions weakened the empire and trembled its internal affairs so well that they reduced them to a mere vassalage of the [[Hunas]].{{sfn|Goyal|1967|pages=336-337}} | |||
[[File:Greco-BactrianKingdomMap.jpg|thumb|Map of the [[Greco-Bactrian Kingdom]] at its maximum extent, circa 180 BC.]] | |||
[[File:Map of the Shungas.png|thumb|left|Extent of the [[Shunga Empire|Shungas]] after repulsing the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] invasions {{Circa|150 BCE}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schwartzberg |first1=Joseph E. |title=A Historical atlas of South Asia |date=1978 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |page=145, map XIV.1 (c) |isbn=0-226-74221-0 |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/schwartzberg/pager.html?object=182}}</ref>]] | |||
If we look to the archaic and mediaeval periods of [[India]]n history, the greatest compulsion to which the empires of the [[Ganga]] Valley were openly faced, came from the North-Western gates of [[Indian subcontinent]]. As indicated, the [[Indus basin]] was an area of great allurement for the Central and Western Asiatic hordes, who never missed any opportunity to exploit the weakened [[Gangetic]] empires. For instance, the fall of the [[Maurya Empire]] was associated with the successive invasions into the hinterland of the empire made by [[Bactrians]], and the [[Indo-Greeks]]. Although some [[gangetic]] empires endeavoured to impede these foreign aggression, For example, The [[Shungas]] halted the [[Indo-Greek Kingdom|Indo Greek]] invasions but they could not retain the old glory of [[Chandragupta Maurya]], which further resulted in a successive foreign invasions by [[Sakas]], [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]] and [[Huns|Hunnic]] hordes.{{sfn|Goyal|1967|pages=336-341}} | |||
The onslaught of the [[Hunas]] adhered the uniform geographical pattern which had been abided by the [[Indo-Greeks]] in the post-[[Maurya]] era and was to be adhered to by the [[Turkic peoples]] in the medieval dates. Like the [[Indo-Greeks]] and the [[Turkic peoples]], the [[Hunas]] first amalgamated their power in the [[Punjab]]. After the setback endured at the hands of [[Skandagupta]] they had afresh turned the spotlight on [[Persia]]. When they made incursions in 456 A. D. we find [[Yazdegerd II|Yazdegird II]] relentless brawl against them. After his death in 457 A. D., Phiroz became the emperor of the [[Sassanian empire]], but the [[Hephthalite]] king [[Akhshunwar]] thwarted him and coercive him to pay tribute. In 484 A. D. Phiroz ventured a campaign against the [[Hephthalites]], but was defeated and killed. | |||
{{Quote|"This success raised the power of the Huns to its greatest heights, and the end of the fifth century A. D., they ruled over an extensive empire with their ancestral capital at [[Balkh]]".|author=[[Vincent Arthur Smith]], an [[Ireland|Irish]] [[Indologist]]}} | |||
According to Chavannes it visible that in c. 500 A. D. the [[Huns|Hunnic]] empire was [[Tokharistan]], [[Kabulistan]] and [[Zabulistan]] region but no territories of [[India]] were properly amalgamated except [[Gandhara]] and [[Chitral]], which were the north-western fringes of the [[Indian subcontinent]]. | |||
As Sung-Yun tells us: | |||
{{Quote|"This is the country which the Ye-thas destroyed, and afterwards set up a Tch'e-le (a tegin, prince or the member of the royal family) to be the king over the country; since which event two generations have passed."|author=[[Song Yun|Sung-Yun]], A [[China|Chinese]] traveller in [[Gandhara|Gandhar]]}} | |||
It is evident by the statement of [[Song Yun|Sung-Yun]] that extended up to [[Gandhara|Gandhar]] at least two generations before his visit to [[Gandhara|Gandhar]] in c. 520 A.D. Though it's unknown under whom leadership that these [[hunas]] conquered [[Gandhara|Gandhar]] but according to S.R Goyal, it is likely to be Rāmāṇila who subjugated Gandhar whose successor was [[Toramana]].{{sfn|Goyal|1967|p=336-341}} | |||
Later came [[Toramana]] who amalgamated [[Huns|hunnic]] hordes in [[Punjab]] and further extended [[Huns|hunnic]] power up to [[Punjab]]. After consolidating in [[Punjab]] he launched a successive expedition in the [[Gupta Empire|Gupta]] domains when the empire was trembled by the internal strife as many emperors were getting either murdered or sidelined by tributary states. For instance a [[Jain]] work composed in 778 CE tells us that: | |||
{{Quote|"[[Toramana|Toramāṇa]] (written as Torarāya in one manuscript), who enjoyed the sovereignty of the world or Uttarāpatha, lived at Pavvaiyā on the bank of Chandrabhāgā ([[Chenab]])"|author=Kuvalayamālā.}} | |||
Moreover, it tells that Harigupta who claimed to be a scion of the [[Gupta Empire|Gupta family]] was the instructor of Toramāṇa. Devagupta, a pupul of Harigupta is said to have a Rājarishi (Royal sage), the copper coins of [[Ramnagar|Rasool Nagar]] and [[Panchala]] reaffirms the certainty of Harigupta.{{sfn|Goyal|1967|pages=336-341}} | |||
Recent discoveries of the two seals of [[Toramana|Toramāṇa]] from Kaushambhi states that he reached at least up to Kaushambhi. S.R. Goyal agrees with this conjecture and is given a factual reasons for it, from the ancient periods of [[India]]n history the invaders from north-west were always swept down up to [[Ganga]] valley and considering that Toramāṇa could not march up to [[Malwa]] without consolidating Kaushambhi was not possible. As a result, it is feasible that most of the upper Ganga valley had been conquered by Toramāṇa before he advanced as far as [[Eran]].{{sfn|Goyal|1967|pages=336-341}} | |||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||