Mirahvara
Kings of Kings
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Mirahvara[4][5][6] was the fifth ruler of Paratarajas. He succeeded his father Hvaramira and ruled areas of modern day Pakistan. He was the eldest son of Hvaramira. He ruled for a significant time period before he was succeeded by his brother who according to Historian Falk[7] was his son Miratakhma after his death in 185 CE.[8] Mirakhvara's reign is attributed to the years 175–190, while other estimates place it between 175–185 and 200–210.[9]
| Mirahvara | |
|---|---|
| Kings of Kings | |
Paratarajas. Mirahvara. Circa AD 175-185  | |
| 5th ruler of the Paratarajas | |
| Reign | 175 CE–185 CE[1][2] |
| Predecessor | Hvaramira |
| Successor | Miratakhma[3] |
| Died | 185 CE |
| Father | Hvaramira |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Coinage
Paratarajas the
Pāratarāja[11]
Pāratarāja as it appeared on the bottom left corner of Arjuna coins circa 165 CE.[12][13]The drachms produced by Hvaramira are referred to as coins 23 to 26, and they make up the first grouping. These drachms (coins 23 and 26) utilize the Hvaramira die, while coins 24 and 25 (hemi-drachms and quarter drachms respectively) are produced using dies from Yolamira and Arjuna Coin 24, like coin 8 of Yolamira, utilized the hemidrachm die also used by Arjuna on coins 11 and 13, and thus amongst these three mint authorities, we do not have any hemidrachms of Hvaramira. Coin 25 (quarter drachm) utilized the hemi-drachm die from Arjuna's coin 14; therefore again there are no quarter drachms of Hvaramira. It appears that Mirahvara reintroduced fractional coins which had disappeared during the reign of Hvaramira. The coins included in group 1 can be recognized by their commonality in reverse legend letter forms; complex ha's and sa's with serifs that angle sharply upward on sa.[14] The presence of the drachm die coinciding with the drachm of Hvaramira, indicates these coins were minted shortly after this time.[15] Finally, whilst coin 26 is listed last in this group, due to the counter-clockwise turning of the swastika depicted on the reverse of the coin. It is highly probable that the reverse die was produced subsequent to the immediate production of coins 23-25 with the clockwise swastika depicted on their reverses.[16]
Mirahvara's Group 2 coins include a di-drachm, a drachm with completely different dies (coin 28), and hemo-drachms (coins 29-30) which utilize the same obverse die that was first used for the Yolamira and Arjuna coins.[17] All of the coins have the same smooth and stylish letters, the ha is returned to its simple original shape, and the lower stroke for sa is again a smooth curve. The di-drachm utilizes the same di-drachm die that Hvaramira used in the di-drachm coin 19. The swastika on the reverse side also turns left as it did on coin 26; however, the similarities in the letter forms connect the di-drachm with the drachm in coin 28 and the hemo-drachms in coins 29-30 separate the di-drachm from the drachm in coin 26 so it appears that the di-drachm was struck after the coins with the same dies used for the other have been completed, or at least after the other went out of production.[18]
The coins of the third group date from separate periods.[19] The drachm began its creation using the die of the preceding drachm, which was a newly created die of Mirahvara, therefore this group of coins can be dated as late-period due to the die showing a significant seated crack that ran nearly vertically through the die at the time of minting.[20] It also can be associated with the hemi-drachm because they have the same style letters. The hemi-drachm (32nd coin) was produced using the same die used for all of Mirahvara's other hemi-drachms, which were originally from Yolamira and Arjuna.[21]
Etymology
The name Mirahvara is made up of the same two root words as Hvaramira. Whether they have the same meaning is not exactly known; perhaps Mirahvara could be interpreted to mean "the glory of Mithra."[22][23][24]