A wide range of divine and semi-divine figures were venerated in the Kushān Empire, among them Persian and central Asian deities such as Mithra, the sun god, and Mao, the moon god. Worship frequently involved offerings into a sacrificial fire which was seen as an earthly manifestation of the divine light of the celestial bodies.

The international character of religious life in Kushān times is highlighted by Oesho, the supreme deity of the Kushān pantheon and the focus of an important royal cult. The name Oesho is related to Iśa – the Sanskrit word for ‘lord’ – and one of the epithets of Śiva, the great god of later Hinduism. As the ultimate god of dominion and power, Śiva has long attracted royal worshippers.

Iconographically, Oesho’s trident became a key attribute of Śiva, as does Oesho’s bull, the latter depicted frequently on Kushān coins. Oesho was seen as a figure of virility, qualities highlighted by showing him with a female consort. This consort is the forerunner of Śiva’s wife Pārvatī, the ‘mountain-born goddess’.

Heracles, the Greek mythical hero, was assimilated into the cult of Oesho as one of his several manifestations. Regarded as having attained divine status as a result of his prowess, Heracles enjoyed a cult-following among the military elite.