Buddhism in Afghanistan
Many prominent
The Nava Vihara monasteries, located near the ancient city of Balkh in northern Afghanistan, functioned as the centre of Buddhist activity in Central Asia for centuries.
The religion began to decline in Afghanistan after its conquest by Arab Muslims following the rise of Islam in the 7th century CE; it saw further decline in the region during the Muslim Ghaznavid era of the 10th–12th centuries.[4] Buddhism was eliminated in Afghanistan by the 13th century during the Mongol conquests,[5][6] with no further mention of a Buddhist presence in the area past the 14th century.[4]
History
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 famous Silk 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 by Alexander 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, the Seleucid Empire made an alliance with the Indian Maurya Empire. The Mauryans brought Buddhism from India and controlled the area south of the Hindu Kush until about 185 BC when they were overthrown.
Alexander took these away from the Aryans and established settlements of his own, but Seleucus Nicator gave them to Sandrocottus (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 of
until the arrival of Islam.After the
Soon after the
The Buddhist religion survived the
Archaeological finds
Bamiyan monastery library
One of the
- PratimokṣaVibhaṅga of the Mahāsāṃghika-Lokottaravāda (MS 2382/269)
- Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, a sūtra from the Āgamas(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
In August 2010, it was reported that approximately 42 Buddhist relics have been discovered in Mes Aynak of the Logar Province in Afghanistan, which is south of Kabul. Some of these items date back to the 2nd century according to Archaeologists. Some Buddhist sites were found in Ghazni.[10] The items in Logar include two Buddhist temples (Stupas), Buddha statues, frescos, silver and gold coins and precious beads.[11][12][13]
Buddhist sites
- Tepe Narenj
- Bamiyan
- Haḍḍa
- Tapa Sardar
- Tapa Shotor
- Takht-i-Rustam
- Mes aynak
- Chakhil-i-Ghoundi Stupa
- Tepe Kafiriyat
Buddhist historical figures from Afghanistan
- Prajñā, 9th-century Buddhist monk from what is now Kabul
- Barmakid family, hereditary monks of the Nava Vihara monastery close to Balkh prior to their conversion to Islam
Gallery
-
Cave system, stupa and monastery at Samangan, Takht-i-rustam
-
The Bodhisattva and Chandeka, Hadda, 5th century CE
-
Bimaran Casket
-
Wardak Vase in British Museum
-
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
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Afghanistan, stairway of stupas, from the site of hadda, chakhil-i-ghoundi monastery, II-III cent
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Court with stupa, after excavation, Ali Masjid
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Shewaki stupa
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General view of Stupa No. 6, with Buddha images
-
Reconstitution of the Buddhist monastery of Ahin 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
- 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
- ISBN 978-0-313-33798-7.
- ^ Full text of the Mahavamsa Click chapter XXIX Archived 5 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Foltz, Religions of the Silk Road, p. 46
- ^ a b Berzin, Alexander (December 2006). "History of Buddhism in Afghanistan". Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ^ ISBN 0-8160-5056-2. Archivedfrom the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ ISBN 0-8239-3863-8. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Nancy Hatch Dupree / Aḥmad ʻAlī Kuhzād (1972). "An Historical Guide to Kabul – The Name". American International School of Kabul. Archived from the original on 30 August 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-313-33798-7.
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.
- ^ a b "Schøyen Collection: Buddhism". Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
- ^ Embassy of the United States, Kabul. Ghazni 10.26.2011 Archived 25 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Embassy of the United States, Kabul. Mes Aynak 10.29.2011 Archived 16 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "42 Buddhist relics discovered in Logar". Maqsood Azizi. Pajhwok Afghan News. 18 August 2010. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
- ^ "Afghan archaeologists find Buddhist site as war rages". Sayed Salahuddin. News Daily. 17 August 2010. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
External links