10-30-2005, 10:50 AM
The Shunga coins: The late Maurya and Shunga period has the square coins of the Ujjain series bearing the image of kumAra. They constructed several idols of kumAra in Mathura (175-50 BC).
The Kushanas: The kumAra coins, especially Huvishka's with the legends: skanda kumAra vishAkha or skanda kumAra mahAsena vishAkha. Constructed ShaShThi and kumAra temples in Mathura (0-100 AD).
The yaudheya republic of Punjab/Haryana was administered by its leaders in the name of brAhmaNya deva, kArttikeya. There are many yaudheya coins with 6 headed kumAra, kumAra and ShaShThi and one headed kumAra (100-330).
ikShvAkus of Andhra: several kings named after kArttikeya namely skandashrI, skandasAgara and skanda-vishAkha. One queen is named ShaShThishrI. Associated with the the ikShvAkus were governors who were also kumAra worshippers. These included: skanda-shItakiraNa of teh hiraNyaka clan, skandagopa of the puShyaskandIya family, senapati kumAra the commander of the army stationed at maNgalAraNaya. Their inscriptions states that they were devotees of mahAsena and were able to build a temple to sharva due to the grace of kArttikeya (270-330 AD).
Gupta empire: kumAra and ShaShThi are shown in several gupta coins. Multiple gupta kings are named kumAragupta (after kumAra) and one skandagupta (skanda), both the first kumAragupta and skandagupta were great heroes of the Hindus, who protected India from the Huns. There is a at least one cave temple of the guptas which contains a giant image of kArttikeya (320-550 AD).
Pallavas: The names of several pallava kings bear the epithets of kumAra. Their early major king was skandavarman the performer of many vedic sacrifices, including the horse sacrifice. His grandson was named skandashishya who expanded the Pallava domain. Following him there are many rulers with names like skandavarman and kumAra-viShNu (275-550 AD).
Kadambas: This brahminical dynasty arose after an arrogant Pallava horseman insulted the brahmin scholar mayUrasharman studying at the university in Kanchi. He took to war against the pallavas and founded his own kingdom in Maharashtra, Andhra and TN. They took their name after the holy tree of kumAra and his female gana lohitAyani-the kadamba plant. Another king of this line had the name kumAravarman (345-565 AD).
Chalukyas: The plates of the chAlukyas chartered by kIrtivarman indicate that kumAra was their patron deity and is said to have provided them with the boon of founding a long-lived dynasty (Mid-500 AD). There are some Chalukya gold coins with kumAra icons known from 600s minted by the king vikramAditya son of pulakeshin II and the famous kumAra temples of Bezwada, Humkarashankari and Chebrole built by Yuddhamalla and other chAlukyas.
After this period kumAra suddenly goes out of vogue, especially in north India, and also over the large part of south India, except for the folk cult in the Dravida country. The early kaumara tantra's development corresponds to the period when there were several royal patrons of kumAra worship. These tantras were largely forgetten and lost there after. The revival of the technical kaumara srotas in South India occurred circa 900-1000 ACE when the kaumAra tantrics from Bengal arrived in Bellary and established the kumAra tapovanas for the worship of the 6-headed deva.
The Kushanas: The kumAra coins, especially Huvishka's with the legends: skanda kumAra vishAkha or skanda kumAra mahAsena vishAkha. Constructed ShaShThi and kumAra temples in Mathura (0-100 AD).
The yaudheya republic of Punjab/Haryana was administered by its leaders in the name of brAhmaNya deva, kArttikeya. There are many yaudheya coins with 6 headed kumAra, kumAra and ShaShThi and one headed kumAra (100-330).
ikShvAkus of Andhra: several kings named after kArttikeya namely skandashrI, skandasAgara and skanda-vishAkha. One queen is named ShaShThishrI. Associated with the the ikShvAkus were governors who were also kumAra worshippers. These included: skanda-shItakiraNa of teh hiraNyaka clan, skandagopa of the puShyaskandIya family, senapati kumAra the commander of the army stationed at maNgalAraNaya. Their inscriptions states that they were devotees of mahAsena and were able to build a temple to sharva due to the grace of kArttikeya (270-330 AD).
Gupta empire: kumAra and ShaShThi are shown in several gupta coins. Multiple gupta kings are named kumAragupta (after kumAra) and one skandagupta (skanda), both the first kumAragupta and skandagupta were great heroes of the Hindus, who protected India from the Huns. There is a at least one cave temple of the guptas which contains a giant image of kArttikeya (320-550 AD).
Pallavas: The names of several pallava kings bear the epithets of kumAra. Their early major king was skandavarman the performer of many vedic sacrifices, including the horse sacrifice. His grandson was named skandashishya who expanded the Pallava domain. Following him there are many rulers with names like skandavarman and kumAra-viShNu (275-550 AD).
Kadambas: This brahminical dynasty arose after an arrogant Pallava horseman insulted the brahmin scholar mayUrasharman studying at the university in Kanchi. He took to war against the pallavas and founded his own kingdom in Maharashtra, Andhra and TN. They took their name after the holy tree of kumAra and his female gana lohitAyani-the kadamba plant. Another king of this line had the name kumAravarman (345-565 AD).
Chalukyas: The plates of the chAlukyas chartered by kIrtivarman indicate that kumAra was their patron deity and is said to have provided them with the boon of founding a long-lived dynasty (Mid-500 AD). There are some Chalukya gold coins with kumAra icons known from 600s minted by the king vikramAditya son of pulakeshin II and the famous kumAra temples of Bezwada, Humkarashankari and Chebrole built by Yuddhamalla and other chAlukyas.
After this period kumAra suddenly goes out of vogue, especially in north India, and also over the large part of south India, except for the folk cult in the Dravida country. The early kaumara tantra's development corresponds to the period when there were several royal patrons of kumAra worship. These tantras were largely forgetten and lost there after. The revival of the technical kaumara srotas in South India occurred circa 900-1000 ACE when the kaumAra tantrics from Bengal arrived in Bellary and established the kumAra tapovanas for the worship of the 6-headed deva.