Maues and Buddhism
A few of the coins of Maues, struck according to the Indian square standard, seemingly depict a King in a cross-legged seated position. This may represent Maues himself, or possibly one of his divinities. It has been suggested that this might also be one of the first representations of the Buddha on a coin, in an area where Buddhism was flourishing at the time.
Also, Maues struck some coins incorporating Buddhist symbolism, such as the lion, symbol of Buddhism since the time of the Mauryan king Ashoka.
The symbolism of the lion had also been adopted by the Buddhist Indo-Greek king Menander II. Maues therefore probably supported Buddhism, although whether sincerely or for political motives is unclear. His coins also included a variety of other religious symbol such as the cow of Shiva, indicating wide religious tolerance.
| Preceded by: (In Arachosia, Gandhara and Punjab) Indo-Greek King Archebios (In Paropamisade) Indo-Greek King Hermaeus |
Indo-Scythian Ruler (85–60 BCE) |
Succeeded by: (In Gandhara) Indo-Greek king: Artemidoros (In Punjab) Indo-Greek king: Apollodotus II (In the south) Indo-Scythian ruler: Vonones |
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