NCERT Solutions for Class 7th Social Science Chapter 6 The Emergence of the Kuṣhāṇas — LET'S EXPLORE
Book page 136 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
Carefully observe this massive statue (1.85 m high) and notice the clothing, weapon, and footwear. What does it tell us about this figure?
What the statue shows:
A standing figure 1.85 m high, carved in pale spotted sandstone. The head and both arms below the shoulders are broken away; the body survives from the shoulders down and stands on a dark modern plinth.
It wears a long, heavy stitched coat that falls below the knees, open down the front, with a broad belt at the waist; the cloth hangs in stiff, straight, evenly spaced folds.
Under the coat are loose trousers reaching the ankles.
A long straight sword in its scabbard hangs at the left side; the broken left hand rested on its hilt. At the right side stands a heavy mace — a club with a thick rounded head — its shaft held in the broken right hand.
On the feet are large, thick, soft boots, the toes turned outward; the stance is wide and firmly planted.
Fig. 6.22 (page 136) — the massive statue this question asks about; a photograph, described here. See the textbook for the picture itself.
Answer
Even without its head, the statue tells you almost everything. It is King Kaṇiṣhka, probably the most powerful ruler of the Kuṣhāṇa dynasty — the Brahmi inscription on it reads mahārāja rājadhirāja devaputra kaṇiṣhka, ‘The great king, king of kings, son of God, Kaṇiṣhka'.
What you can see
What it tells us
A long, heavy stitched coat falling below the knees, over trousers
Central Asian dress, not Indian. It suits a cold climate and horseback riding — the Kuṣhāṇas came “originally from central Asia”. He is shown as he was: a ruler of foreign origin, and not ashamed of it
Heavy padded boots with a firm, wide stance
Riding boots — again the dress of a horse people. Feet planted apart: stability, authority, a man standing his ground
A long sword hanging at the left side, and a large mace or short sword held in the right hand
He is a warrior king. The mace is a symbol of command as much as a weapon
Size: 1.85 m — life-size and more
Meant to be seen and looked up to, in a public shrine or hall rather than a private room
The Brahmi inscription on the hem
He used the local script, and Indian royal titles. A foreign ruler presenting himself as an Indian emperor
Simple, unornamented surfaces
Power is shown by clothing and weapons, not by jewellery — very different from the Śhunga figures on page 123
The larger point: the statue is a picture of assimilation in progress. Central Asian coat, boots and sword; Indian stone, Indian script, Indian titles; and the very idea of setting up a royal portrait for people to honour. He did not stop being a Kuṣhāṇa, and he had become an Indian emperor.
Did you know? The head is missing because the statue was damaged long ago — that is why it is famous as the ‘headless' Kaṇiṣhka. It was found at Mat, near Mathura, the very region that gave its name to one of the two great schools of art in this chapter.