First appearance in literary sources The first evidence are gold coins discovered in
Balkh dating from the mid-4th century. The
Kushano-Sasanian ruler
Varahran during the second phase of his reign, had to introduce the Kidarite
tamga () in his coinage minted at
Balkh in
Bactria, circa 340–345. The tamgha replaced the
nandipada symbol which had been in use since
Vasudeva I, suggesting that the Kidarites had now taken control, first under their ruler
Kirada. Then ram horns were added to the effigy of Varahran on his coinage for a brief period under the Kidarite ruler
Peroz, and raised ribbons were added around the crown ball under the Kidarite ruler
Kidara. In effect, Varahran has been described as a "puppet" of the Kidarites. By 365, the
Kidarite ruler
Kidara I was placing his name on the coinage of the region, and assumed the title of Kushanshah. In Gandhara too, the Kidarites minted silver coins in the name of Varahran, until Kidara also introduced his own name there. Archaeological, numismatic, and sigillographic evidence demonstrates the Kidarites ruled a realm just as refined as that of the Sasanians. They swiftly adopted Iranian imperial symbolism and titulature, as demonstrated by a seal; "Lord Ularg, the king of the Huns, the great Kushan-shah, the Samarkandian, of the Afrigan (?) family." Most other data we currently have on the Kidarite kingdom are from Chinese and Byzantine sources from the middle of the 5th century. The Kidarites were the first Huna to bother India. Indian records note that the
Hūna had established themselves in modern
Afghanistan and the
North-West Frontier Province by the first half of the 5th century, and the Gupta emperor
Skandagupta had repelled a
Hūna invasion in 455. The Kidarites are the last dynasty to regard themselves (on the legend of their coins) as the inheritors of the
Kushan empire, which had disappeared as an independent entity two centuries earlier.
Migration into Bactria , circa 425–457. AR Drachm (29mm, 3.76 g, 3h). Mint C in
Gandhara. Crowned bust facing slightly right.
Brahmi legend around the head:
Ki-da-ra Ku-ṣa-ṇa-ṣa/ Fire altar flanked by attendants. The use of the 3/4 portrait is sometimes attributed to the influence of
the coinage of
Byzantine Empire ruler
Arcadius (377–408 CE). Around 350, the Sasanian Emperor
Shapur II (ruled 309 to 379) had to interrupt his conflict with the Romans, and abandon the siege of
Nisibis, The presence of Grumbates alongside Shapur II is also recorded at the successful
Siege of Amida in 359, in which Grumbates lost his son: It is thought that they were in firm possession of the region of Bactria by 360. According to
Priscus, the
Sasanian Empire was forced to pay tribute to the Kidarites, until the rule of
Yazdgird II (ruled 438–457), who refused payment. The Kidarites based their capital in
Samarkand, where they were at the center of
Central Asian trade networks, in close relation with the
Sogdians.
Kafir-kala is an ancient fortress 12 kilometers south of the city center of
Samarkand in
Uzbekistan, protecting the southern border of the Samarkand oasis. It consists in a central citadel built in mud-bricks and measuring 75 × 75 meters at its base has six towers and is surrounded by a moat, still visible today.
Expansion to northwest India gold coin, circa 350–385, derived from the
Kushans. Vertical
Brahmi legends from right to left:
Kushana (
Ku-shā-ṇa)
Kidara (
Ki-da-ra)
Kushana (
Ku-shā-ṇa). Enthroned goddess
Ardoxsho on the back. The Kidarites consolidated their power in Northern Afghanistan before conquering
Peshawar and parts of northwest India including
Gandhara probably sometime between 390 and 410, around the end of the rule of Gupta Emperor
Chandragupta II or beginning of the rule of
Kumaragupta I. It is probably the rise of the Hephthalites and the defeats against the Sasanians which pushed the Kidarites into northern India.
Economy The Kidarites issued gold coins on the model of Kushan coinage, inscribing their own names but still claiming the Kushan heritage by using the title "Kushan". Coins with the title or name
Gadahara seem to be the first coins issued by the invading Kidarites in the
Kushan realm in India.
Religion , possibly belongs to the Kidarite period. It seems
Buddhism was rather unaffected by Kidarite rule, as the religion continued to prosper. , the Buddha of the future (center).
Paitava. The sculptures of Paitava may belong to the period of the Kidarites.
Conflicts with the Gupta Empire , dated to –480, are contemporary of the end of the Kidarite invasion of northwestern India, and some scenes probably received the influence of the Kidarites or the
Hephthalites after them. The Kidarites may have confronted the
Gupta Empire during the rule of
Kumaragupta I (414–) as the latter recounts some conflicts, although very vaguely, in his
Mandsaur inscription. The
Bhitari pillar inscription of Skandagupta, inscribed by his son
Skandagupta (), recalls much more dramatically the near-annihilation of the Gupta Empire, and recovery though military victories against the attacks of the
Pushyamitras and the
Hunas. The Huna invasion are said to have seriously damaged
Indo-Roman trade relations, which the Gupta Empire had greatly benefited from. The Guptas had been exporting numerous luxury products such as
silk, leather goods, fur, iron products,
ivory,
pearl or pepper from centers such as
Nasik,
Paithan,
Pataliputra or
Benares etc. The Huna invasion probably disrupted these trade relations and the tax revenues that came with it. These conflicts exhausted the
Gupta Empire: the gold coinage of Skandagupta is much fewer and of a lesser quality than that of his predecessors. Private collection of Aman ur Rahman. '', or "Vase of plenty". Since the foundation of the Sasanian Empire, its rulers had demonstrated the sovereignty and power of their realm through collection of tribute, particularly from the Romans. However, the Sasanian efforts were disrupted in the early 5th century by the Kidarites, who forced
Yazdegerd I (),
Bahram V (), and/or
Yazdegerd II () to pay them tribute. Although this did not trouble the Sasanian treasury, it was nevertheless humiliating. Yazdegerd II eventually refused to pay tribute, which would later be used as the
casus belli of the Kidarites, who declared war against the ruling Sasanian king
Peroz I in 464. Peroz lacked manpower to fight, and therefore asked for financial aid by the Byzantine Empire, who declined his request. He then offered peace to the king of the Kidarites, Kunkhas, and offered him his sister in marriage, but sent a woman of low status instead. After some time Kunkhas found about Peroz's false promise, and then in turn tried to trick him, by requesting him to send military experts to strengthen his army. When a group of 300 military experts arrived to the court of Kunkhas at Balaam (possibly
Balkh), they were either killed or disfigured and sent back to Iran, with the information that Kunkhas did this due to Peroz's false promise. Around this time, Peroz allied himself with the Hephthalites or the
Alchon Huns of
Mehama, the ruler of Kadag in eastern Bactria. With their help, he finally vanquished Kidarites in 466, and brought Bactria briefly under Sasanian control, where he issued gold coins of himself at Balkh. The style of the gold coin was largely based on the Kidarite coins, and displayed Peroz wearing his second crown. The following year (467), a Sasanian embassy arrived to the Byzantine capital of
Constantinople, where the victory over the Kidarites was announced. The Sasanian embassy sent to the
Northern Wei in 468 may have likewise done the same. , imitating Sasanian king
Bahram IV, in the
Bactrian script. Crowned bust right; tamgha before. Fire altar with attendants. Circa mid 5th century CE. Although the Kidarites still controlled some places such as
Gandhara and
Punjab, they would never be an issue for the Sasanians again. This created a power vacuum, which the
Alchon Huns were then able to fill, allowing them to reclaim the lost territories of the Kidarites. A few gold coins of the Kidarites were also found as far as
Hungary and
Poland in Europe, as a result of Asiatic migrations.
Kidarite successors and
Kashmir. Many small Kidarite kingdoms seem to have survived in northwest India, and are known through their coinage. They were particularly present in
Jammu and
Kashmir, such as king
Vinayaditya, but their coinage was much debased. They were then conquered by the
Alchon Huns, sometimes considered as a branch of the
Hephthalites, during the last quarter of the 5th century.
Ushrushana of the
Principality of Ushrusana, from his coinage, 7th century CE Remnants of the Kidarites in Eastern Sogdiana may have been associated with the
Principality of Ushrusana. This connection may be apparent from the analysis of the coinage, The title
Afshin used by the rulers of Usrushana is also attested in the Kidarite ruler of
Samarkand of the 5th century named
Ularg, who bore the similar title
"Afshiyan" (
Bactrian script: αφϸιιανο). ==Main Kidarite rulers==