Shamsiddin Kamoliddin (Üzbég Tudományos Akadémia, Taskent)
On the Origin of the Place-name Buxārā
4. rész
Another indication, specifying on connection of this monument with Buddhism, are similar symbols represented on the outside walls of the mausoleum5. This symbol represents the complex geometrical composition consisting of squares built - in each other and a circle in the middle [Pugachenkova, Rempel, 1960, p. 67; Pugachenkova, 1968, p. 121; Bulatov, 1976, p. 85], and personifies a cosmogramme of the decreasing and increasing Universe [Bulatov, 2005, p. 36]. The symbol of the entered squares and disks is presented also in the wall paintings of the early medieval palace in Varakhsha [Rempel, 1961, p. 152]. Precisely same symbol is represented in the wall paintings with subject images of Buddhist legends in the cave complex Dun-hwan, which was one of the largest Buddhist cult centers of the Central and East Asia in early Middle Ages [Аrapov, 2002, p 120 - 125]. In an antiquity ornaments in furnish of buildings had magic character, and served as symbols of durability of a building and well-being of their inhabitants [Аllatkina, 2004, p. 32].
El-tegin (Parmūda) was a follower of Buddhism and with him was connected penetration of this religion to Buxārā [Staviskiy, 1960, p. 115]. In 588 he had been sent as a governor of Kashmir, where he established two Buddhist temples [Chavannes, 1903, p. 157]. The Chinese traveler U-kun, who visited Kashmir and Gandhara between 759 – 764, saw among the Buddhist relics some temples. based in 6th – 7th centuries by Turkic governors, the temple of Ve-li-tele, i.e. Vе-li-tegin or El-tegin, who was a son of the king of the Turks. This building had been constructed one hundred years ago. [Сhavannes, 1903, p. 198, 242 – 245; Litvinskiy, Zeymal, 1971, p. 120]. In the 11th century in the northern and eastern parts of Kashmir some Turks, who worshiped Buddhism still lived [Bīrūnī, 1963, p. 202 – 203].
However, the place name Buxārā for the first time mentioned on the coins of 4th – 5th centuries AD [Smirnova, 1982, p. 143; Мusakaeva, 1985, p. 82; Мusakaeva, 1990, p. 33 – 37; Naymark, 1995, p. 37]. Consequently, there was a Buddhist temple, established in the period of the Xionits or Hephtalits, and the oasis of Buxārā named so after it. Though, time of issue of the earliest coins of Bukhara is not sure and, considering paleographical data of their inscriptions, it was also supposed that they had been issued in early 6th century6. In that case keeps an urgency the hypothesis on appearance of the name Buxar (Puxar) in the period of the Turkic qaghanate in connection with foundation of a Buddhist temple for the Chinese princess in Rāmitan on what informs Narshakhī.
Among the nobles who have arrived in 732 AD in the Orxon Horde of kagan for participation in the funeral of Kul-tigin, is mentioned some Оgul-tarxān, who represented the ulus of Buqara people (buqaraq ulus budun) [Malov, 1951, p. 19 – 20]. Though the word buqaraq here means name of people, instead of the name of the country, it might be the ancient Turkic form of this place-name (buqar). The word ulus, accompanying the word buqaraq in the Turkic text, means also «a residence of Buddha» [Мurzaev, 1984, p. 575].
Buddhism, probably, was not widely spread in the oasis of Buxārā, because the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang, who passed through the lands of Pu-ho (Buxārā) in 630 AD, has not mentioned existence of any Buddhist relics or followers of the Buddhism there [Beal, 1990, p. 45]. The most part of population of early medieval Sogdiana were confessed the Mazdeism. However, data of other textual sources testify on the existence of the followers of some other religions in Bukhara. According to Narshakhī, the inhabitants of pre-Islamic Bukhara were idolaters (būt parast būdand). In 10th century in Bukhara was the market named Bāzār-i Māh, where twice in a year idols sold, which used a great demand among inhabitants of the city. This market has been established in pre-Islamic time by king of Bukhara named the Mäh (Moon) which sat there during fair on the throne for encouragement of trade with idols [Naršhakhī, p. 26 - 27].
From these data follows, that in pre-Islamic time inhabitants of Bukhara were idolaters (būt parast). Idols were also in temples of Paykand, Varakhsha and other cities of Soghd. When Qutayba ibn Мuslim has entered in Paykand, he has found in one of its temples of idolaters (butxāna) a silver idol who has been appreciated in 400 dirhams [Narshakhī, p. 45].
Idolatry which is the earliest in writing certified form of religion in Bukhara [Zuyev, 2002, p. 195], was one of the main distinctive features of the Manichaeism. Followers of Mānī considered humanoid idols as a symbols of divine stars - the Sun and the Moon, last stations on a way to Light - paradise [Бируни, 1963, with. 479]. The name of king Māh can be compared with Mānī, who in the Manichaeic texts was called also as the god of the Moon (Аj tängri) [Zuyev, 2002, p. 194]. Hence, in pre-Islamic time the majority of inhabitants of Bukhara were Manichaeans.
Маnichaeism in the Central Asia during long time coexisted with the Buddhism, and influence of the Buddhism on east branch of the Manichaeism was so strong, that Mānī in the Manichaeic texts was called as the Buddha or Mānī–Buddha [Vostochniy Turkestan, 1992, p. 526]. Hence, the prototype of mausoleum of the Samanids was, most likely, not a Buddhist, but a Manichaean temple, and the king of Bukhara named Māh (El - tegin, Parmūda) was not the Buddhist, but Manichaean.
Some data specify that Supreme qaghans of the Western Turkic qaghanate were Manichaeans. Second name of Tardu-qaghan – Sāwa-shāh (Shāwa, Shāba) occurs from the Middle Persian words syava - "black" or the Sogdian s’w - "black" [Zuyev, 2002, p. 195]. Among the Turks – Manichaeans of the Yetisū region the legend about Turkic king named Shū (from the Sogdian s’w - "black") has been distributed [Кāšγarī, vol. 3, p. 419, vol. 1, p. 117]. In Turkic Manichaeism qara - "black" was the rank and a religious post which owner managed education and training of young pupils in the Manichaean school [Zuyev, 2002, p. 201]. Another name of Таrdu-qaghan – Shīr-i Kishwar (the Lion of the country) or El-Arslan (the Lion of the people) also specifies that he was a Manichaean. An image of a lion (the Persian shīr, the Turkic. аrslān) and its symbols took a special place in Turkic Manichaeism whereas in the Zoroastrianism and the Buddhism it is almost not used [Zuyev, 2002, p. 188, 192 - 193, 203]. Second name Istami-qaghan (Dizavul) was Qarā Chūrīn [Narshakhī, p. 16]. A name-title Qarā-čor also is widely known from the Manichaean texts of the East Turkestan [Zuyev, 2002, p. 200 - 201].
Basing on above mentioned data, it might be supposed that the name of Buxārā originated from a Turkic word buxar, that means «a Buddhist temple». In such case it can be explained impossibility of formation of the form pux’r, fixed in the Sogdian sources, from a Sanskrit word vihara, which, in turn, testifies that name of the city (Buxārā) is formed not on the basis of the Sogdian lexicon, but on the basis of the Turkic one. In that case the Sogdian form Puxar (pwx’r) was transformation not of the Sanskrit word vihara, but the Turkic buxar with the same meaning.
Occurrence of this name might be connected with construction of a Buddhist temple there in the period of the Xionits or Hephtalits. In 6th century AD the Turkic governor of this region Yil-tigin (Barmūda, Nili-xān), the son of Tardu-kagan (Shīr-i Kishwar, Sāwa-shāh), who confessed Buddhism, has established another Buddhist temple there for the Chinese princess. This temple has been located not in the city of Buxārā, but in Rāmitan, where was the residence of El-tigin, and the idols of the Chinese princess, who had brought them from China, have been placed there. Since that time from this temple the city and its area called by this Turkic name Buxār, which was alien to the Sogdian language. After transferring a residence of governors to the city of Numijkath (Bumijkath) this name began to be applied on a new city, where probably was built new temple for idols. At the same time, the old Sogdian name of the city Numilkath or Bumijkath had been in use still in the 10th century AD.
5 All of them 8 – on each side of the building there are 2 symbols, located in the right and left sides above the entrances
6 This information we have got from Dr. A. Musakaeva (Museum of the history of Uzbekistan of the Academy of Sciences), who firstly investigated these coins
