Tottika (circa 550-600 CE) was a king of the Tarim Basin state of Kucha in the second half of the 6th century CE. He appears in a mural of the Maya Cave of the Kizil Caves, with his wife Svayamprabhā, accompanied by two monks and other attendants. The paintings were brought to Berlin by the Third Turfan expedition (1905-1907), but lost in World War II.[1]
| Tottika | |
|---|---|
| King of Kucha | |
 King Tottika of Kucha with his wife Svayamprabhā, accompanied by two monks, Maya Cave (205), Kizil Caves | |
| Reign | 5??–600 |
| Born | c. 550 |
| Died | 600 (aged 49–50) |
| Spouse | Svayaṃprabhā |
| Religion | Kuchean Buddhism |
The murals of Maya Cave are generally thought to date to the 2nd half of the 6th century, after the 552 Turk conquest following their uprising against the Jou-Jan Qağanate.[2]
![Cataphracts, Maya Cave (224). These follow the events of 552 CE and the subsequent Turk expansion. Kizil Caves, 2nd half of the 6th century CE.[3]](/wiki/File:Kizil_Caves,_cataphracts.jpg)
![Inscription mentioning Anandavarman, found next to the mural of King Tottika.[4]](/wiki/File:Inscription_of_the_King_of_Kucha.jpg)
References edit
- ^ Howard, Angela F. (2015). "On "Art in the Dark" and Meditation in Central Asian Buddhist Caves" (PDF). The Eastern Buddhist. 46 (2): 29. ISSN 0012-8708. JSTOR 26274148.
- ^ Kubik, Adam (2008). "The Kizil Caves as an terminus post quem of the Central and Western Asiatic pear-shape spangenhelm type helmets The David Collection helmet and its place in the evolution of multisegmented dome helmets, Historia i Świat nr 7/2018, 141-156". Historia i Swiat. 7: 148.
- ^ Kubik, Adam (2018). "The Kizil Caves as an terminus post quem of the Central and Western Asiatic pear-shape spangenhelm type helmets The David Collection helmet and its place in the evolution of multisegmented dome helmets, Historia i Świat nr 7/2018, 141-156". Historia i Swiat. 7: 145–148.
- ^ Grünwedel translates it "When Anantavarma, the great king of Kucha, saw the letter of Ilmonis, the dedication and the little container of musk, he had honor done to the Buddha." in German in Grünwedel, Albert. Alt-Kutscha archäologische und religionsgeschichtliche Forschungen an Tempera-Gemälden aus buddhistischen Höhlen der ersten acht Jahrhunderte nach Christi Geburt. p. 41.