Kucha

History and Location

Kucha was an ancient Buddhist kingdom on the Silk Road. It was located on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin, near the Muzat River. Today, this area is part of Aksu Prefecture in Xinjiang, China. The town of Kuqa is now the center of Kuqa County.

Importance

Kucha was a key stop for travelers and traders on the Silk Road. Many Buddhist ideas and artworks passed through here, helping to share cultures and beliefs. The people of Kucha played an important role in connecting different parts of the ancient world.

Etymology

The name of the ancient place Kucha has many different spellings and forms. In old Chinese records, it was called 龜茲 (Qiūcí). People called it by other names, such as Kuché in modern Chinese and Kushan in old Indian scripts.

These different names come from languages like Turkic, Sanskrit, Sogdian, and Old Uyghur. We can still see these old names in books and records from places like Tibetan Annals and the work of Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dughlat. These names help us learn about Kucha's history.

History

Bronze and Iron Age

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

The people of Kucha were Tocharians, who spoke an ancient Indo-European language. They lived near the Ili River.

Chinese conquest under the Western Han Dynasty

Kucha was ruled by leaders who paid tribute to powerful empires. Chinese explorers like Zhang Qian traveled through the area.

Later, Chinese generals captured leaders from Kucha. Over time, Kucha’s leaders married into Chinese royal families.

Kucha during the Eastern Han Dynasty

Kucha often switched between being independent and under Chinese control. Eventually, China took control and helped spread Buddhism from Central Asia.

4th- and 5th-century Silk Road

Kucha grew rich and powerful in the 4th century. The city had strong walls and many Buddhist temples.

Famous monks translated writings in Kucha, and the city became a center for learning.

6th century

Envoys from Kucha visited Chinese courts. Travelers like Xuanzang described the city’s fertile land and many Buddhist monasteries. Music from Kucha 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.

Modern Kucha

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

Archaeological investigations of the region

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

During these explorations, artists took paintings from the walls and ceilings of the caves to bring back to Europe. This was done very carefully because the paintings were fragile. Today, the Kizil Caves are still popular for visitors, and people are working 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 and 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. The Kizil Caves in the Kucha area have been studied 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. 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. 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, the people of Kucha began speaking a Turkic language.

For a long time, the Kuśiññe language was forgotten. But in the early 1900s, people found old writings 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, and 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. Both Tocharian languages disappeared around the year 1000 CE. Today, experts are still learning more about these old languages.

Neighbors

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

Culture, sights and cityscape

Cityscape

Today, the city of Kucha has 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. 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 began 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 is still unknown.

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