King Suvarnapusa of Kucha, from Cave 69,
Kizil Caves.
Reign
600-625
Predecessor
Sunidie
Successor
Suvarnadeva
Suvarṇapuṣpa (
Sanskrit: 𑀲𑀼𑀯𑀭𑁆𑀡𑀧𑀼𑀱𑁆𑀧,
lit. 'Gold Flower', Swarnabūspe in Tocharian, or directly translated as YsāṣṣaPyāpyo "Golden Flower")[1] was a King of the
Tarim Basin city-state of
Kucha from 600 to 625. He was known in
Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (BHS) as Kucīśvara Suvarṇapuṣpa "Suvarṇapuṣpa, lord of Kucha".[2] He was known in Chinese as Bái Sūfábójué (白蘇伐勃駃, the prefix "白" means "white", possibly pointing to the fair complexion of the Kucheans)[3][4] as he sent an embassy to the court of the
Tang dynasty in 618 CE acknowledging vassalship.[5][6][7]
Suvarṇapuṣpa is known to have ruled between 600 and 625, and his three sons died before 647 CE according to Chinese sources.[5][8][9]
Visit of Xuanzang
When he visited Kucha in 630 CE, the Chinese monk
Xuanzang received the favours of Suvarna-deva (Chinese: 白蘇伐疊 Bái Sūfádié, ruled 625-645 CE), the son and successor of Suvarna-puspa, and king of Kucha.[6]
Xuanzang described in many details the characteristics of Kucha (屈支国, in "大唐西域记" "Tang Dynasty Account of the Western Regions"), and probably visited Kizil:[10][11]
1) "The style of writing is Indian, with some differences"
2) "They clothe themselves with ornamental garments of silk and embroidery. They cut their hair and wear a flowing covering (over their heads)"
3) "The king is of Kuchean race"[12]
4) "There are about one hundred convents (saṅghārāmas) in this country, with five thousand and more disciples. These belong to the
Little Vehicle of the school of the
Sarvāstivādas (Shwo-yih-tsai-yu-po). Their doctrine (teaching of Sūtras) and their rules of discipline (principles of the Vinaya) are like those of India, and those who read them use the same (originals)."
5) "About 40 li to the north of this desert city there are two convents close together on the slope of a mountain".[13]
^
abcde"On the lunette of the front wall is painted a scene of the preaching of the Buddha in the Deer Park. On the left of the Buddha are painted the king and his wife; on the halo of the king is inscribed the dedication, which was interpreted by Pinault in his paper of 1994, 'Temple Constructed for the Benefit of Suvarnapousa by His Son' (this material is referred to in Kezier shiku neirong zonglu p. 2). From Chinese historical records it is known that this king reigned between the years 600 and 625, and his three sons died before 647: to date, this is the most accurate dating for the cave" in Vignato, Giuseppe (2006).
"Archaeological Survey of Kizil: Its Groups of Caves, Districts, Chronology and Buddhist Schools". East and West. 56 (4): 405, note 71.
ISSN0012-8376.
JSTOR29757697.
^Waugh, Daniel (Historian, University of Washington).
"Kizil". depts.washington.edu. Washington University. Retrieved 30 December 2020.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)