Buddhism in Pakistan
Buddhism in Pakistan took root in the third century BCE under the Mauryan king Ashoka.[1][2][3] The Major Rock Edicts of Ashoka inscribed on rock boulders in Mansehra and Shahbaz Garhi written in the Kharosthi script recording aspects of the emperor's dharma or righteous law represent some of the earliest evidence of deciphered writing in South Asia, dating to middle of the third century BCE.[4] The Indo-Greek king Menander embraced Buddhism as attested in the Milinda Panha, which dates from sometime between 100 BC and 200 AD, following a dialogue with the monk Nāgasena in Sagala, present-day Sialkot.[5]
Mahayana Buddhism, one of the most prominent branches of Buddhism today, is believed to have been originated in the region of Gandhara, although its total number of confirmed Buddhists is a fraction of what it was.[6][7][8] In the Gandhara region, Greco-Buddhist art and sculptures flourished.[9]
Buddhism thrived until the 6th century, when the religion began to decline after the invasion by Alchon Huns,[10][11][12] until by the end of the 14th century, Buddhism had largely disappeared following the muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent.[13][14][15]
In 2012, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) of Pakistan indicated that the contemporary Buddhist population of Pakistan was minuscule, with 1,492 adult holders of national identity cards (CNICs). The total population of Buddhists is therefore unlikely to be more than a few thousand.[16] In 2017, the number of Buddhist voters was stated to be 1,884, and they were mostly concentrated in Sindh and Punjab.[17]
The only functional Buddhist temple in Pakistan is in the Diplomatic Enclave at Islamabad, used by Buddhist diplomats from countries like Sri Lanka.[18] Recently in 2023, Fo Guang Shan, a large international Buddhist organization has been invited by the Pakistani government to reconnect the local indigenous Buddhist population to the faith by organizing event, reciting prayers and singing hymns to praise the Buddha in the local tongue. [19]
History
Buddhism became prominent in merchant communities and then spread throughout the
In the 2nd century B.C.,
During the two centuries of their rule, the Indo-Greek kings combined the Greek and Indian languages and symbols, as seen on their coins, and blended Greek and Indian ideas, as seen in the archaeological remains.[28] The diffusion of Indo-Greek culture had consequences which are still felt today, particularly through the influence of Greco-Buddhist art.[29]
Following the foundation of the Kushan empire by the invading Yuezhi nomads in the 1st century BCE, the Kushans adopted elements of the Hellenistic culture of the Indo-Greeks.[30] During Kushan rule, Gandharan Buddhism was at the height of its influence and a significant number of Buddhist centers were built or renovated.[31]
The Buddhist art of
Between the 5th and 8th centuries, Chinese scholars traveling through the region, such as Faxian, Xuanzang, Yijing, Hui-sheng, and Sung-Yun, began to speak of a decline of the Buddhist Sangha in the northwestern parts of Indian subcontinent, especially in the wake of the Alchon Hun invasion from Central Asia in the 6th century CE.[11] Xuanzang wrote that numerous monasteries in north-western Indian subcontinent had been reduced to ruins by the Huns.[11][37]
The Alchons apparently undertook the mass destruction of Buddhist monasteries and
Mihirakula in particular is remembered by
According to Peter Harvey, the religion recovered slowly from these invasions during the 7th century, with the "Buddhism of Punjab and Sindh remaining strong".[43]
However, the religion further declined following the Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent.[44] As early as the 8th century, Arab conquerors conquered the southern part of present-day Pakistan. The Buddhist monk Xuanzang observed that Buddhism was already declining in the Sindh region when he visited in the 7th century.[45] While Buddhism declined and ultimately disappeared after Arab conquest mainly due to conversion of almost all of the Buddhist population of Sindh to Islam. Derryl Maclean attributes the decline of Buddhism in Sindh to the socio-economic differences between Hinduism and Buddhism in the region, with Buddhism being mainly urban and mercantile, while Hinduism was rural and non-mercantile.[13] The Arabs attracted and converted the Buddhist classes, but for the rural and non-mercantile parts, they promoted a more decentralized authority and appointed Brahmins for the task.[13]
In a second wave, from the 10th through the 12th centuries, the
Archaeological sites
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Famed for its unique
The monastic complex called Takht-i-Bahi is located in the Mardan district. It was unearthed in the early 20th century, and in 1980, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list as the largest Buddhist remains in Gandhara, along with the Seri Bahlol urban remains that date back to the same period, located about a kilometer south.[47]
Punjab
Most of the archaeological sites of Taxila are located around Taxila Museum. For over 1,000 years, Taxila remained famous as a center of learning Gandharan art of sculpture, architecture, education and Buddhism in the days of Buddhist glory.[53] There are over 50 archaeological sites scattered around Taxila. Some of the most important sites are the Dhamarajika Stupa and Monastery (300 BC – 200 AD), Bhir Mound (600–200 BC), Sirkap (200 BC – 600 AD), Jandial Temple (c.250 BC) and Jaulian Monastery (200 – 600 AD).[54]
A museum comprising various sections with rich archaeological finds of Taxila, arranged in chronological order and properly labeled, has been established close to the site.[54]
Sindh
Buddhist sites in Sindh are numerous but ill preserved in various stages of deterioration. Sites at
Balochistan
Chinese Buddhist traveller Hiuen Tsang reported many Buddhist temples in coastal regions of Makran, Balochistan. The remains of Buddhist cave city called Godrani caves can still be seen today.[56][57][58]
Abū Rayḥān Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Bīrūnī states in his book Alberuni's India that the coast of India begins with Tiz, the capital of Makran.[59]
According to historian Andre Wink:
Further evidence in the
caves of Gondrani, and as their constructions show these caves were undoubtedly Buddhist. Traveling through the Kij valley further west (then under the government of Persia) Hiuen Tsang saw some 100 Buddhist monasteries and 6000 priests. He also saw several hundred Deva temples in this part of Makran, and in the town of Su-nu li-chi-shi-fa-lo - which is probably Qasrqand - he saw a temple of Maheshvara Deva, richly adorned and sculptured. There is thus very wide extension of Indian cultural forms in Makran in the seventh century, even in the period when it fell under Persian sovereignty. By comparison in more recent times the last place of Hindu pilgrimage in Makran was Hinglaj, 256 km west of present-day Karachi in Las Bela.[60]
Wink has recorded Hiuen Tsang's notings on the language and script in use in easternmost Makran (eastern parts of Pakistani Balochistan and Sindh):
Hiuen Tsang considered the script which was in use in Makran to be 'much the same as India', but the spoken language 'differed a little from that of India.'[61]
Gilgit Baltistan
The region has a number of surviving Buddhist archaeological sites, including the
Demographics
The presence of Pakistani Buddhists in modern Pakistan is unclear,[63] although a few Pakistanis have reported themselves as Buddhist. A report mentions that they are only found in the Azad Kashmir region.[64] The Nurbakhshi sect is said to retain some elements of Buddhism.[65]
According to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), there were 1,492 buddhists in holding national identity cards (CNICs) in 2012.[16] In 2017, it increased to 1,884 holders. They are mostly concentrated in Sindh and Punjab regions.[17] According to a report, most of the Baori Buddhists do not have CNIC cards, and the actual Buddhist population could exceed 16,000.[66]
In Punjab, Buddhists live primarily in the outskirts of the Mandi Yazman and Rahimyar Khan of Rohi region. Today, they have around 15 colonies in various villages of Mandi Yazman.[66]
Buddhism in modern Pakistan
Lala Rajoo Raam is the representative of the Baori Buddhists community. He is also a councillor for Chak number 75 DB, Union Council number 88. He also twice contested elections for the Punjab assembly.[66]
Taliban destruction of Buddhist relics
The
Pakistan Buddhist tourism
In March 2013, a group of around 20 Buddhist monks from South Korea made the journey to the monastery of Takht-i-Bahi, 170 kilometers (106 miles) from Islamabad. The monks defied appeals from Seoul to abandon their trip for safety reasons, and were guarded by Pakistani security forces on their visit to the monastery, built of ochre-colored stone and nestled on a mountainside. From around 1,000 years BCE until the 7th century CE, northern Pakistan and parts of modern Afghanistan formed the Gandhara kingdom, where Greek and Buddhist customs mixed to create what became the Mahayana strand of the religion. The monk Marananta set out from what is now northwest Pakistan to cross China and spread Buddhism in the Korean peninsula during the 4th century. The authorities are even planning package tours for visitors from China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea, including trips to the Buddhist sites at Takht-e-Bahi, Swat, Peshawar and Taxila, near Islamabad.[79]
Historical figures
Some Buddhist historical figures who hailed from present-day Pakistan include:
- Khema from Sialkot, 6th century B.C.E[80][81]
- Bhadda Kapilani from Sialkot, 6th century B.C.E[82][83][84]
- Anoja from Sialkot, 6th century B.C.E[85][86]
- Kumaralata from Taxila, 3rd century C.E[87][88][89]
- Asanga from Peshawar, 4th-century C.E.[90][91]
- Oddiyana(Swat), 7th century A.D
- Vasubandhu from Peshawar, 4th to 5th century CE[92][93]
- Padmasambhava from Swat, 8th century CE[94][95][96]
- Tridev Roy, Pakistani Buddhist politician and leader
Gallery
-
Shingardar stupa in Ghalegay
-
Thul Mir Rukan stupa in Sindh
-
Gumbatona stupa, Swat, KPK, a rare example true domed stupa 1st or 2nd century AD
See also
- History of Buddhism
- Gandharan Buddhism
- Hindu and Buddhist architectural heritage of Pakistan
- History of Pakistan
- Mansehra Rock Edicts
- Silk Road transmission of Buddhism
- Decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent
- Index: Buddhism by country
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Works cited
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