Buddhism in Afghanistan

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The area called Gandhara , which comprised parts of what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan , was a center of Buddhism for almost 1,000 years : from the middle of the 3rd century BC to around the time of the conquest of Afghanistan by Muslim soldiers.

Greek soldiers under Alexander the Great marched through Gandhara on their Indian campaign (327/26 BC). They brought the Greek culture to this area, which has been preserved there for several centuries.

Archaeological evidence and manuscripts serve as sources for the spread of Buddhism after Gandhara.

Archaeological evidence for Buddhism in Gandhara

The ruler Aschoka (alternative spelling: Ashoka) (approx. 268–232 BC) promoted Buddhism. From his inscriptions it is clear that he was particularly connected to Buddhism. Aschoka also used Greek and Aramaic for his inscriptions in northwestern India .

In the first centuries AD, local sculptors used Greco-Roman art forms to depict Buddhist subjects and to decorate Buddhist buildings.

The earliest image of the Buddha, which can be time-certain classified found so far, is the Buddha image on the gold coins of a ruler of the Kushan dynasty (alternative spelling: Kushan dynasty), Kanishka (alternative spelling: Kanishka). The name of the Buddha is written on these gold coins in Greek (ΒOΔΔO).

The time of the Kushana dynasty was a heyday of Buddhism in Gandhara. The rulership of the Kushana dynasty comprised northern India and parts of what is now Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and extended into what is now the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China.

The connection between the Silk Road and India led through the territory of the Kushana dynasty. Safe trade routes made long-distance trade between East and West possible. This led to an increase in wealth in Gandhara.

Buddhism was brought to the east and to China via the Silk Road around the 1st century AD. Gandhara Buddhism was the basis for the adoption of Buddhism in East Asia.

In Central Asia, artists created Buddhist artwork in various locations near the Silk Road. These Buddhist works of art are partly in the Greco-Roman style, partly in the Chinese style.

Manuscripts as a source for Buddhism in Gandhara

Buddhist manuscripts prove the importance of Buddhism in Gandhara ( Bamiyan ) around the first century AD.

A significant source for Buddhism in Gandhara are fragments of Mahayana sutras . The Mahayana Sutras are believed by many Buddhists to be authentic speeches by the Buddha. Research has shown, however, that the Mahayana sutras were only written after Buddha. The Mahayana Sutras play a central role in Mahayana Buddhism in Central Asia and East Asia.

The fragments of Mahayana sutras from Gandhara suggest that Buddhism in Gandhara probably played a central role in the emergence of Mahayana Buddhism.

Buddhism in Gandhara after the rule of the Kushana dynasty

Much archaeological evidence shows that the time of the rule of the Kushana dynasty was a heyday of culture, economy and religion in Ghandara. But even after the reign of the Kushana dynasty, Buddhism remained an important cultural element in Ghandara.

The two monumental Buddha statues in Bamiyan , in present-day Afghanistan, are among the most important monuments of Buddhism . The work on these Buddha statues took about a hundred years. The smaller Buddha statue in Bamiyan (35 meters high) was created between around 544 and 592. The larger Buddha statue in Bamiyan (53 meters high) was created between about 591 and 644. The enormous effort for the creation of the two monumental Buddha statues in Bamiyan shows the great importance of Buddhism in Bamiyan in the period from approx. 544 to 644.

From around 632 there are travel reports of Chinese monks who made a pilgrimage to India via the Silk Road in 632. It described the monumental Buddha statues and the Buddhist communities in Bamiyan.

About a hundred years later (around 732) the Korean Hyecho traveled through Bamiyan. His travelogue painted a positive picture of Buddhism in Bamiyan. He also mentioned Buddhist monks and Buddhist monasteries in Bamiyan.

In March 2001, members of the Taliban movement destroyed the two monumental Buddha statues in Bamiyan.

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