Huvishka rides his elephant while Shiva waves his four arms

Kushan Kingdom. AE tetradrachm. Huvishka (c.158- 195 CE). Obverse: King right on elephant-back facing right, Kharoshti legend around [mostly worn or off flan]. Reverse: Shiva (Oesho) with four arms standing facing left, holding trident, tamgha in left field, ["Oesho" in right field]. MACW 3221-3223. This coin: Purchased from Andy Singer at Baltimore Whitman Coin Expo, November 7, 2025.

(part of historical section is reused)
The Kushans were originally one of five semi-nomadic tribes that constituted the Yuezhi confederation, which lived along the northwestern border of China. During the second century BCE the Yuezhi were forced to migrate west, into Bactria and nearby territories. Eventually, the Kushans conquered the other four tribes to assume leadership. The first true Kushan King is considered Kujula Kadphises (c. 50-90); we know the names of a few earlier Kushan rulers as part of the Yuezhi, but very little of this early history is known except in broad outline. The Kushans would quickly become a wealthy and important kingdom, controlling major trade routes between China, India, and Persia/Rome. They issued an abundant coinage in both gold and in bronze, though after a few scarce issues of the Yuezhi and (according to Joe Cribb) Kujula Kadphises they seem to have not issued silver coins. These coins depict an extensive and very mixed pantheon, including Indian, Iranian, Greek, and Central Asian deities, and even some scarce types depicting both the Shakyamuni Buddha (the historical Buddha) and the Maitreya Buddha (the future Buddha). The Kushan Kingdom broke apart in the 3rd century CE, with multiple independent local Kushan rulers and some territories acquired by the new Sasanian Empire of Persia. The remaining Kushan territories were lost to the Kidarite and Hephthalite Huns in the 5th century CE.

As usual, we know few details about the life of Huvishka. He was the son of the previous king, Kanishka I, and seems to have presided over a fairly stable era for the Kushan kingdom. He heavily patronized Buddhist causes and is thus thought to have subscribed to Buddhism himself. He issued large volumes of gold coinage as well as bronze. The bronze coinage was reduced in weight during his reign, though it's not clear why- the abundant gold issues would argue against economic problems leading to reduced bronze coin size. While most Kushan bronzes feature the king standing and sacrificing over a (tiny) altar, Huvishka issued two main obverse types, one showing him seated cross-legged and this type featuring him riding an elephant. The reverses show the usual panoply of deities, though he did not issue any coins depicting Buddha despite his apparent adherence to Buddhism. The Hindu god Shiva is shown in both four-armed and two-armed versions; the four-armed type seen here seems to be a bit scarcer. This is a fairly worn but still interesting coin, and I was glad to add it to my collection. Please post whatever related coins you have.