Ganishka

Ganishka's History

Ganishka was born the eldest son of a Kushan king. His mother favored his younger brother and attempted to poison a six-year-old Ganishka to ensure his brother's ascendance to the throne. Surviving the attempt on his life, Ganishka exacted his revenge by killing his own brother, whose death drove his grief-ridden mother to commit suicide some time after.[1]

Though many in the Kushan royalty and aristocracy plotted against him, Ganishka managed to survive the "den of vipers" as he grew into an adult. Upon meeting his father as a young man, he noticed primarily the intense fear and suspicion in the king's eyes; in response, the young prince arranged the king's death and took the throne for himself. After becoming king, Ganishka came to believe that the best way to solidify his sovereignty was through fear and conquest. His campaigns left him no time to spend with his wife and child, the idea of which he came to fear anyhow.[1]

Ganishka is nearly assassinated.

As a young monarch, Ganishka devoted himself to the art of war and became peerless on the battlefield, becoming possessed by his ambition to reign supreme. Returning to his royal palace to attend a banquet several years later, Ganishka was again poisoned, and then nearly assassinated by royal guards at the behest of his fearful son. In a last ditch effort to survive, Ganishka activated a beherit given to him by a stranger some time ago and sacrificed his son in exchange for being reborn as an apostle.