Kidarites
320–467 CE dynasty of nomads in Central and South Asia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Kidarites, or Kidara Huns,[1] were a dynasty that ruled Bactria and adjoining parts of Central Asia and South Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries. The Kidarites belonged to a complex of peoples known collectively in India as the Huna, and in Europe as the Chionites (from the Iranian names Xwn/Xyon), and may even be considered as identical to the Chionites.[2] The 5th century Byzantine historian Priscus called them Kidarite Huns, or "Huns who are Kidarites".[3][4] The Huna/Xionite tribes are often linked, albeit controversially, to the Huns who invaded Eastern Europe during a similar period. They are entirely different from the Hephthalites, who replaced them about a century later.[4]
Kidarites | |||||||||||||
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320 CE–467 CE | |||||||||||||
Tamga of the Kidarites
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Capital | Bactria, Peshawar, Taxila | ||||||||||||
Common languages | Bactrian (written) | ||||||||||||
Religion | Buddhism Hinduism | ||||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
Kushanshah | |||||||||||||
• fl. 320 | Kidara | ||||||||||||
• fl. 425 | Varhran I | ||||||||||||
• fl. 500 | Kandik | ||||||||||||
Historical era | Late Antiquity | ||||||||||||
• Established | 320 CE | ||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 467 CE | ||||||||||||
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The Kidarites were named after Kidara (Chinese: 寄多羅 Jiduoluo, ancient pronunciation: Kjie-ta-la)[5][6] one of their main rulers. The Kidarites appear to have been a part of a Huna horde known in Latin sources as the "Kermichiones" (from the Iranian Karmir Xyon) or "Red Huna". The Kidarites established the first of four major Xionite/Huna states in Central Asia, followed by the Alchon, the Hephthalites and the Nezak.
In 360–370 CE, a Kidarite kingdom was established in Central Asian regions previously ruled by the Sasanian Empire, replacing the Kushano-Sasanians in Bactria.[7][8] Thereafter, the Sasanian Empire roughly stopped at Merv.[8] Next, circa 390-410 CE, the Kidarites invaded northwestern India, where they replaced the remnants of the Kushan Empire in the area of Punjab.