Which of the following cities emerged as the second capital of the Kushanas during their empire?

The correct answer is B, Mathura. Mathura on the Yamuna became the second capital of the Kushanas, while Purushapura, today's Peshawar, was the main one. Under Kanishka, the greatest Kushana ruler, whose reign is usually dated from 78 CE, the empire stretched from Central Asia to the Ganga valley, and Mathura served as its eastern seat of power. The Mathura school of sculpture flourished here in red sandstone and made some of the earliest images of the Buddha, alongside the Gandhara school of the north-west. A famous headless statue of Kanishka was found at Mathura. The Kushanas also issued fine gold coins and Kanishka convened the fourth Buddhist council in Kashmir. Option A is wrong because Kannauj was the capital of Harshavardhana in the seventh century. Option C is wrong because Purushpur, or Peshawar, was the first and chief capital, not the second. Option D is wrong because Pataliputra was the Mauryan and later Gupta capital. Exam tip: Kushanas had Purushapura first and Mathura second, with Kanishka starting the Saka era in 78 CE.