Buddhism in Afghanistan
Buddhism,areligionfounded byGautama Buddha,first arrived in modern-dayAfghanistanthrough the conquests ofAshoka(r. 268–232 BCE), thethird emperorof theMaurya Empire.Among the earliest notable sites of Buddhist influence in the country isa bilingual mountainside inscriptioninGreekandAramaicthat dates back to 260 BCE and was found on the rocky outcrop ofChil ZenanearKandahar.[1]
Many prominentBuddhist monkswere based in Afghanistan during this period:Menander I(r. 165–130 BCE), aGreco-Bactrianking, was a renowned patron of Buddhism and is immortalized in theMilinda Panha,aPali-languageBuddhist text;Mahadharmaraksita,a 2nd-century BCEIndo-Greekmonk, is said to have led 30,000 Buddhist monks from "Alasandra,the city of theYonas"(a colony ofAlexander the Great,located approximately 150 kilometres or 93 miles to the north of modern-dayKabul) toSri Lankafor the dedication of theMahathupainAnuradhapura,according to theMahavamsa(Chap. XXIX);[2]Lokaksema,a 2nd-centuryKushanmonk, travelled to theChinesecapital city ofLuoyangduring the reign of theHan dynasty,and was the first translator ofMahayana Buddhistscriptures into theChinese language.[3]
TheNava Viharamonasteries, located near the ancient city ofBalkhin northern Afghanistan, functioned as the centre ofBuddhist activity in Central Asiafor centuries.
The religion began to decline in Afghanistan afterits conquest by Arab Muslimsfollowing therise of Islamin the 7th century CE; it saw further decline in the region during theMuslim Ghaznavidera of the 10th–12th centuries.[4]Buddhism was eliminated in Afghanistan by the 13th century during theMongol conquests,[5][6]with no further mention of a Buddhist presence in the area past the 14th century.[4]
History[edit]
The territory within the borders of Afghanistan has seen many cultural and religious shifts over the centuries. The geographical position of the area between the Middle East, South Asian, and Central Asian cultures, and the proximity to the famousSilk Road(connecting East Asian and Mediterranean civilizations, and others in between), have been major drivers of local historical and cultural developments. One major influence was the conquest of the area byAlexander the Great,which incorporated the area for a time into the Hellenistic World, and resulted in a strong Hellenistic influence on Buddhist religious art in that region. In 305 BC, theSeleucid Empiremade an alliance with the IndianMaurya Empire.The Mauryans broughtBuddhismfrom India and controlled the area south of the Hindu Kush until about 185 BC when they were overthrown.
Alexander took these away from theAryansand established settlements of his own, butSeleucus Nicatorgave them toSandrocottus(Chandragupta), upon terms of intermarriage and of receiving in exchange 500 elephants.[7]
— Strabo,64 BC – 24 AD
At the time of these developments, most of the area belonged to the kingdoms ofBactriaandSogdiana,including theScythians,followedBuddhismuntil the arrival of Islam.
After theMauryan Empire,Buddhism also flourished under theKushan Empire,when a tribe called theYuezhiconqueredBactriaand entered the region of modern day Afghanistan.[8]Many monuments testify to the Buddhist culture in present-day Afghanistan. Additional historical detail can be researched underPre Islamic Hindu and Buddhist heritage of AfghanistanandHinduism in Afghanistan.
Soon after theSassanianPersian dynasty fell to the Muslims (in 651 AD), the Nava Vihara monastery in Balkh came under Muslim rule (in 663 AD), but the monastery continued to function for at least another century. In 715 AD, after an insurrection in Balkh was crushed by theAbbasid Caliphate,many Persian Buddhist monks fled east along theSilk Roadto the BuddhistKingdom of Khotan,which spoke a relatedEastern Iranian language,and onward into China. Nava Vihara's hereditary administrators, the PersianBarmakids,converted from Buddhism to Islam after the monastery's conquest and became powerful viziers under theAbbasidcaliphsof Baghdad. The last of the family's line of viziers,Ja'far ibn Yahya,is a protagonist in many tales from theArabian Nights.In folktales and popular culture,Ja'farhas been associated with a knowledge of mysticism, sorcery, and traditions lying outside the realm of Islam.
The Buddhist religion survived theIslamic conquest of Afghanistanby theUmayyadsand rule by theAbbasidCaliphate. Buddhism in Afghanistan was effectively destroyed in the 13th century by Mongol armies during theMongol conquests.[6][5]
Archaeological finds[edit]
Bamiyan monastery library[edit]
One of theearly Buddhist schools,theMahāsāṃghika-Lokottaravāda,were known to be prominent in the area of Bamiyan. TheChineseBuddhist monkXuanzangvisited a Lokottaravāda monastery in the 7th century CE, at Bamiyan, Afghanistan, and this monastery site has since been rediscovered by archaeologists.[9]Birchbarkandpalm leaf manuscriptsof texts in this monastery's collection, includingMahāyāna sūtras,have been discovered at the site, and these are now located in theSchøyen Collection.Some manuscripts are in theGāndhārī languageandKharoṣṭhīscript, while others are inSanskritand written in forms of theGupta script.Manuscripts and fragments that have survived from this monastery's collection include the following source texts:[9]
- PratimokṣaVibhaṅgaof the Mahāsāṃghika-Lokottaravāda (MS 2382/269)
- Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra,a sūtra from theĀgamas(MS 2179/44)
- Caṃgī Sūtra,a sūtra from the Āgamas (MS 2376)
- Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra,a Mahāyāna sūtra (MS 2385)
- Bhaiṣajyaguru Sūtra,a Mahāyāna sūtra (MS 2385)
- Śrīmālādevī Siṃhanāda Sūtra,a Mahāyāna sūtra (MS 2378)
- Pravāraṇa Sūtra,a Mahāyāna sūtra (MS 2378)
- Sarvadharmapravṛttinirdeśa Sūtra,a Mahāyāna sūtra (MS 2378)
- Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodana Sūtra,a Mahāyāna sūtra (MS 2378)
- Śāriputrābhidharma Śāstra(MS 2375/08)
Buddhist relics[edit]
In August 2010, it was reported that approximately 42 Buddhist relics have been discovered inMes Aynakof theLogar Provincein Afghanistan, which is south of Kabul. Some of these items date back to the 2nd century according to Archaeologists. Some Buddhist sites were found inGhazni.[10]The items in Logar include twoBuddhist temples(Stupas), Buddha statues, frescos, silver and gold coins and precious beads.[11][12][13]
Buddhist sites[edit]
- Tepe Narenj
- Bamiyan
- Haḍḍa
- Tapa Sardar
- Tapa Shotor
- Takht-i-Rustam
- Mes aynak
- Chakhil-i-Ghoundi Stupa
- Tepe Kafiriyat
Buddhist historical figures from Afghanistan[edit]
- Prajñā,9th-century Buddhist monk from what is nowKabul
- Barmakid family,hereditary monks of theNava Viharamonastery close toBalkhprior to their conversion to Islam
Gallery[edit]
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Cave system, stupa and monastery at Samangan, Takht-i-rustam -
TheBodhisattvaand Chandeka, Hadda, 5th century CE -
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Wardak Vasein British Museum -
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Bamiyan Grotto paintings -
Afghanistan, stupa TK23, hadda site, tapa-kalan monastery, 4th-5th cent -
Afghanistan, capital of stupas, from the site of hadda, chakhil-i-ghoundi monastery, II-III century -
Afghanistan, stairway of stupas, from the site of hadda, chakhil-i-ghoundi monastery, II-III cent -
Court with stupa, after excavation, Ali Masjid -
Shewaki stupa -
General view of Stupa No. 6, with Buddha images -
Reconstitution of the Buddhist monastery ofAhin Posh Tepe,Afghanistan -
Grey schist figure of Buddha, Auckland Museum -
Afghanistan Buddhist art -
Begram Decorative plaque from a chair or throne, ivory, room 13, c.100 BCE
See also[edit]
- Buddhism in Central Asia
- Great Tang Records on the Western Regions
- Jñānagupta
- Kandahar Greek Edicts of Ashoka
- Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription
- Pre-Islamic Hindu and Buddhist heritage of Afghanistan
- Silk Road transmission of Buddhism
- Decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent
- Hinduism in Afghanistan
- Trapusa and Bahalika
References[edit]
- ^Runion, Meredith L. (2007).The history of Afghanistan.Westport: Greenwood Press.ISBN978-0-313-33798-7.
- ^Full text of the MahavamsaClick chapter XXIXArchived5 September 2006 at theWayback Machine
- ^Foltz,Religions of the Silk Road,p. 46
- ^abBerzin, Alexander(December 2006)."History of Buddhism in Afghanistan".Archivedfrom the original on 1 November 2016.Retrieved5 June2016.
- ^abSteven Otfinoski(2004).Afghanistan(illustrated ed.). Infobase Publishing. p. 6.ISBN0-8160-5056-2.Archivedfrom the original on 14 January 2023.Retrieved18 September2011.
- ^abAmy Romano (2003).A Historical Atlas of Afghanistan(illustrated ed.). The Rosen Publishing Group. p.25.ISBN0-8239-3863-8.Retrieved18 September2011.
- ^Nancy Hatch Dupree / Aḥmad ʻAlī Kuhzād (1972)."An Historical Guide to Kabul – The Name".American International School of Kabul. Archived fromthe originalon 30 August 2010.Retrieved18 September2010.
- ^Runion, Meredith L. (2007).The history of Afghanistan.Westport: Greenwood Press. p. 46.ISBN978-0-313-33798-7.
The Yuezhi people conquered Bactria in the second century BCE. and divided the country into five chiefdoms, one of which would become the Kushan Empire. Recognizing the importance of unification, these five tribes combined under the one dominate Kushan tribe, and the primary rulers descended from the Yuezhi.
- ^ab"Schøyen Collection: Buddhism".Archived fromthe originalon 10 June 2012.Retrieved23 June2012.
- ^Embassy of the United States, Kabul.Ghazni 10.26.2011Archived25 June 2016 at theWayback Machine
- ^Embassy of the United States, Kabul.Mes Aynak 10.29.2011Archived16 November 2015 at theWayback Machine
- ^"42 Buddhist relics discovered in Logar".Maqsood Azizi.Pajhwok Afghan News.18 August 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 17 March 2010.Retrieved23 August2010.
- ^"Afghan archaeologists find Buddhist site as war rages".Sayed Salahuddin.News Daily. 17 August 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 18 August 2010.Retrieved16 August2010.
External links[edit]
