Kucha

Kucha was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the northern edge of what is now the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin and south of the Muzat River. Today, the area where Kucha once stood is part of present-day Aksu Prefecture, in west-central Xinjiang, China. The town of Kuqa serves as the county seat of Aksu Prefecture's Kuqa County.

Kucha was an important stop for travelers and traders moving along the Silk Road. Many Buddhist ideas and artworks passed through this kingdom, making it a key place for sharing cultures and beliefs. The people of Kucha helped connect different parts of the world during ancient times.

Etymology

The name of the ancient place Kucha has many different spellings and forms across many languages and times. In old Chinese records, it was called 龜茲 (Qiūcí). People in different places and times called it by other names, such as Kuché in modern Chinese, Kushan in old Indian scripts, and many more. These different names show how people from various cultures knew and talked about this important place along the Silk Road.

The many names for Kucha come from languages like Turkic, Sanskrit, Sogdian, and Old Uyghur. Even today, we can see these old names in old books and records from places like Tibetan Annals and the work of Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat. These names help us understand the history and importance of Kucha through the centuries.

History

Bronze and Iron Age

Kucha was a busy oasis town in the Tarim Basin. It was an important stop for travelers on the Silk Road, linking many parts of Asia. People from many cultures passed through, sharing art, culture, and religion.

The people of Kucha were Tocharians, who spoke an ancient Indo-European language. They lived near the Ili River and were known to nearby Chinese rulers.

Chinese conquest under the Western Han Dynasty

In ancient times, Kucha was ruled by leaders who paid tribute to powerful nearby empires. Chinese explorers like Zhang Qian traveled through the area but did not write about Kucha specifically.

Later, Chinese generals captured leaders from Kucha and set up military farms nearby. Over time, Kucha’s leaders married into Chinese royal families and sent gifts to Chinese emperors.

Kucha during the Eastern Han Dynasty

During this time, Kucha often switched between being independent and under Chinese control. Sometimes it worked with other groups against China. Eventually, China took control and helped spread Buddhism from Central Asia.

4th- and 5th-century Silk Road

Kucha grew very rich and powerful in the 4th century, becoming a major trade center. The city had strong walls, a beautiful palace, and many Buddhist temples.

Famous monks translated Indian writings in Kucha, and the city became a center for learning. A Chinese general attacked Kucha but later left, allowing the city to keep its culture and traditions.

6th century

Envoys from Kucha visited Chinese courts, and travelers like Xuanzang described the city’s fertile land, mines, and many Buddhist monasteries. Music from Kucha, especially the lute, became popular across Asia.

7th to 13th centuries

After being taken over by the Tang dynasty, Kucha became an important base for Chinese control of the Western Regions. Later, Uyghur people moved into the area, making Kucha a key part of their kingdom.

Modern Kucha

Today, Kucha is part of modern China. It remains a place of interest for historians and tourists, with ancient ruins and cave paintings that show its important past. Scholars from many countries study Kucha to learn more about its history along the Silk Road.

Archaeological investigations of the region

Many important archaeological sites were studied by German explorers in the early 1900s. These sites include the cave site of Achik-Ilek and Subashi, as well as the famous Kizil Caves. These caves once held beautiful Buddhist artwork and artifacts, though many have changed over time.

During these early explorations, artists took paintings from the walls and ceilings of the caves to bring back to Europe. This process was very careful, as the paintings were fragile. Today, the Kizil Caves remain popular for visitors to see, and efforts are being made to protect these important historical sites.

Kucha and Buddhism

Kucha was a very important place for Buddhism from ancient times until the late Middle Ages. Buddhism arrived in Kucha before the end of the 1st century, but it became a major center for the religion in the 4th century. People in Kucha mainly followed a type of Buddhism called Sarvastivada, and later also Mahayana Buddhism.

During the third century, there were almost a thousand Buddhist temples and places of worship in Kucha. Monks from Kucha started traveling to China during this time. The fourth century saw even more growth for Buddhism in the kingdom. The royal palace itself looked like a Buddhist monastery, with carved stone statues of Buddha, and there were many monasteries around the city.

Buddhism stayed the main religion in Kucha for many centuries. After Islamic rulers took over, many Buddhist buildings and artworks slowly disappeared, replaced by Islamic ones. The Kizil Caves in the Kucha area have been dug up by scientists, showing that the city was once a very important Buddhist place for worship.

The Kizil Caves and their artworks connect Kucha to the spread of Buddhism to nearby areas. The Buddhist faith in the city led to the creation of many artworks and buildings, which scientists have studied since the early 1900s. In 2014, these caves were named a world heritage site by UNESCO, showing how important they are to China's history. The caves show influences from Sanskrit Buddhist traditions.

Monks

Monks from Kucha could talk to people from other countries because they knew Sanskrit, a language that connected them to India.

Po-Yen

Between the years 256 and 260, a monk named Po-Yen, who came from a royal family, traveled to the Chinese capital, Luoyang. In 258, he helped change six Buddhist books into Chinese at China's famous White Horse Temple, including the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra, an important book for Pure Land Buddhism.

Po-Śrīmitra

Another monk from Kucha named Po-Śrīmitra went to China between 307 and 312 and helped change three Buddhist books into Chinese.

Po-Yen

There was another monk from Kucha also named Po-Yen. He traveled to a place called Liangzhou, which is now Wuwei, Gansu in China. He was respected but we don’t know if he changed any books into Chinese.

Kumarajiva

One of the most famous monks from Kucha was Kumarajiva, who lived from 344 to 413. He helped change many Buddhist books from Kucha into Chinese. His work made hundreds of Buddhist books available to people in China.

Kumarajiva grew up in Kucha, a busy town where people from many places passed through on the Silk Road. Because Kucha was a center for Buddhism, it shaped his learning and teaching. He became a monk when he was 20 and became a well-known Buddhist teacher and scholar.

Kumarajiva learned about Buddhism and taught it to others he could talk to and translate for. His teaching helped spread Buddhist ideas and beliefs to different parts of China. His work and the teachings found in the Kizil Cave show the influence of Mahayana Buddhism in Kucha.

Tocharian languages

The people of Kucha spoke a language called Kuśiññe, also known as Tocharian B or West Tocharian. This language was part of the Indo-European family. Later, when the area was ruled by the Uighurs, the people of Kucha began speaking a Turkic language instead.

For a long time, the Kuśiññe language was completely forgotten. But in the early 1900s, people found old writings and inscriptions in two related languages in the Tarim Basin. These languages are called Tocharian A and Tocharian B. Tocharian A was spoken in areas like Turpan and Agni, while Kuśiññe was also spoken there.

The Tocharian languages were written using a special script called Brahmi, which was usually used for Indo-Iranian languages. Even though Tocharian languages belong to a group of languages found mainly in Southern and Western Europe, they were spoken in this faraway place. Scholars think the Tocharian texts were written between the 6th and 8th centuries CE, but the people who spoke these languages probably arrived in the region much earlier. Both Tocharian languages disappeared around the year 1000 CE. Today, experts are still working to learn more about these interesting old languages.

Neighbors

The kingdom of Kucha was next to Aksu and Kashgar to the west, and Karasahr and Turpan to the east. Far to the south, across the Taklamakan Desert, was the place called Khotan.

Culture, sights and cityscape

Cityscape

Today, the city of Kucha is split into an old town on the west bank of the river and a new town a few kilometers to the west. Between these two areas was the ancient city of Kucha.

Ancient city (Tang dynasty)

Historical description

In 630 CE, a traveler named Xuanzang visited Kucha and described the ancient city. He wrote that the city was about seventeen or eighteen li around. He mentioned two very tall statues of the Buddha, more than ninety feet high, standing on either side of the road outside the west gate. These statues were where big gatherings happened every five years. Xuanzang also wrote about a special monastery called Āścarya, or “Marvelous” Monastery, located northwest of the meeting place.

Archaeological discoveries

Explorers in modern times found the remains of an old city on the east bank of the Kucha River. They traced parts of the ancient city's wall, which was made of compacted earth blocks and was very thick and tall. Over time, much of the wall has eroded or been washed away by the river.

In 2016, diggers found a well-built pathway made of blue bricks with pretty patterns. They also found parts of the city wall and a big curved moat. Many old items like pottery, tools, and coins were uncovered.

In 2017, more digging at a place called Qiongtayin found houses, a courtyard, places where people made fires, and tombs. The items found included pieces of pottery with designs like clouds and leaves, metal tools, coins, and animal bones. These finds show that the area was busy during the Tang Dynasty.

Sights and architectural heritage

Kucha Great Mosque

The Kucha Great Mosque is found on a raised area called Kegedun, northwest of the old city. It is the second largest mosque in Xinjiang and has an old Islamic court that was used under Islamic law. The mosque was built in 1561 and has been expanded and fixed up many times over the years.

Kucha Royal Palace

The Kucha Royal Palace was built in 1759 to honor local leaders. It mixes Chinese and Islamic styles. The original palace was destroyed, but it was rebuilt in 2004. Today, it includes museums and exhibition halls.

Museums

Wèi and Jìn Tomb Museum

This museum is built at the site of an old tomb group. It shows 15 brick tombs that have been carefully excavated. The tombs were found in 2007 during construction work. Many old items like ceramics, bone tools, and coins were found here.

Kizil Caves

The Kizil Caves are about 70 kilometers northwest of Kucha. According to a local story, they began with a princess and a mason who fell in love. The king wanted the mason to carve 1000 caves to win the princess’s hand. The mason carved 999 caves but died from tiredness. The princess grieved and died too, and her tears are said to be the waterfalls in the caves today.

Main article: Kizil Caves

Coinage

Around the third or fourth century, Kucha started making coins called Wu Zhu (五銖) cash coins. These coins were inspired by older coins from Chinese history. It is likely that Kucha made these coins before the Kaiyuan Tongbao (開元通寳) coins were created. Kucha stopped making its own coins after the year 621 when the Wu Zhu coins were no longer used in China proper. One special coin from Kucha is the "Han Qiu bilingual Wu Zhu coin," which has writing in a language that has not yet been understood.

Rulers

Here are some names of rulers from ancient Kucha, based on old Chinese records:

• Hong (弘) ruled around 16

• Cheng De (丞德) ruled around 36

• Ze Luo (則羅) ruled around 46

• Shen Du (身毒) ruled around 50

• Jiang Bin (絳賓) ruled around 72

• Jian (建) ruled around 73

• You Liduo (尤利多) ruled around 76

• Bai Ba (白霸) ruled around 91

• Bai Ying (白英) ruled from 110 to 127

• Bai Shan (白山) ruled around 280

• Long Hui (龍會) ruled around 326

• Bai Chun (白純) ruled around 349

• Bai Zhen (白震) ruled around 382

• Niruimo Zhunashen (尼瑞摩珠那勝) ruled around 521

• Bai Sunidie (白蘇尼咥) ruled around 562

• Anandavarman (unknown dates)

• Tottika ruled around 550 to 600

• Suvarnapushpa (白蘇伐勃駃 Bái Sūfábókuài) ruled from 600 to 625

• Suvarnadeva (白蘇伐疊 Bai Sufadie) ruled from 625 to 645

• Haripuspa (白訶黎布失畢, Bai Helibushibi) ruled in 647

• Bai Yehu (白葉護) ruled in 648

• Bai Helibushibi (白訶黎布失畢) ruled in 650

• Bai Suji (白素稽) ruled in 659

• Yan Tiandie (延田跌) ruled in 678

• Bai Mobi (白莫苾) ruled in 708

• Bai Xiaojie (白孝節) ruled in 719

• Bai Huan (白環) ruled from 731 to around 789