Gondophares

Gondophares ('''Gudapharasa''' on his coins) was the first king of the Indo-Parthian Kingdom . He seems to have ruled from 21 CE for at least 26 years. He took over the Kabul valley and the Punjab area from the Kushan king Kujula Kadphises . The extent of his territory is indicated by the distribution of 19th Century finds of his coins. He assumed the Hellenistic title ''autokratôr'' that was adopted by his Arsacid rivals to the West. ST THOMAS Gondophares is connected to St Thomas in early Christian traditions embodied in the '' Acts Of Thomas ''. In that miracle-filled Romance Thomas was sold in Syria to Habban, an envoy of Gondophares, and travelled in slavery by sea to India , was presented to Gondophares, and undertook the erection of the building the king required. Passing on to the realm of another king, named in the Syrian versions as ''"Mazdai"'' (compare Mazda ), he allegedly suffered martyrdom before being redeemed. St Thomas thereafter went to Kerala and baptized the natives, whose descendants form the Saint Thomas Christians . The fanciful legendary material of much of the ''Acts'', which approaches the n conquerors and for Parthia n kings such as Gondophares, who thereby emerged from pious legend into history (Medlycott 1905 ). CHRONOLOGY On the coins of Gondophares, the royal names are Parthian, but the other legends of the coins are in Greek and Kharoṣṭhī . A votive inscription of the 26th year of Gudavhara or Gondophares, is reported to have been found on a stone at Takht-i-Bahi , northeast of Peshawar with a date in the year 103 of an unspecified era reckoning. This era is likely to have been the Malva or Vikrama era, founded in 57 BCE , this would give a date of 20 CE for his ascension (see Hindu Calendar ). The stone was formerly in the museum at Lahore . The point is especially important for those Christians who consider that a germ of history is embedded in the '' Acts Of Thomas ''. The Indo-Parthian kingdom with its capital at Kabul barely lasted one century. It started to fragment under Gondophares' successor Abdagases I . The eastern part was conquered by the Kushans around 75 CE. After that point the kingdom was essentially restricted to Afghanistan. The last Indo-Parthian king, Pakores ( 100 - 135 CE), only ruled Sakastan and Turan . COIN TYPES
	Image:Gondophares20jpgGondophares On Horseback (missing), With Zeus And	"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Vrhbosna/Nike_(mythology)" class="copylinks">Nike standing on right hand
	Image:Gondophares38jpgGondophares On Horseback (missing), With	"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Vrhbosna/Athena" class="copylinks">Athena
	Image:Gondophares39jpgHead Of Gondophares, With	"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Vrhbosna/Athena" class="copylinks">Athena
	Image:Gondophares43jpgKing On Horseback, Nike Flying Behind Him With A Wreath, With	"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Vrhbosna/Shiva" class="copylinks">Shiva
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Gondophares