Page 74 - SST Class 06

T Yarkand Excavations have been
TAJIKISTANAJIKISTAN
Khatan INDIA carried out in Afghanistan,
Empire of Kanishka
KHANDHAR
Herat Kabul KHANDHAR Bactria, Khotan and other
Purushpura
Purushpura KASHMIR in 120-162 A.D.
T
Taxilaaxila countries of Central Asia. A
AFGHANISTAN m ab large number of evidences
Chen
IRAN A N J helu Chenab Beas C H I N A have been found there
i
Rav
S T Sutluj Meerut TIBET proving that India
I
K s G maintained close trade,
A Indu Indraprastha an N E
P Mathura Yamun ga P A BHUTAN political, religious and
L a
a
amb al Sarnath Brahmputr cultural relations with them.
Ch Betwa Kashi SH (As Buddhism spread under
ANGLADESH
B
Prayag Sone BANGLADE
both Ashoka and Kanishka,
MYANMAR a great many marks have
m
Nar ada Ma ha adi
n
T p a i been found there, including
images of the Buddha,
B AY Buddhist stupas, viharas
A R A B I A N od vari G a O F
S E A B E N G A L and monasteries at various
places).
Krishna
Fa-Hein and Hiuen-Tsang,
the two famous Chinese
REFERENCE
Empire of pilgrims too have written
Kave
i r
Kanishka that Buddhism was quite
Present (INDIA) ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS popular in Central Asia. The
International Indian religion and art had
Boundary
(INDIA)
much influence there. This
SRI
LAKSHADWEEP
LANKA was the reason that many
MALDIVES
I N D I A N O C E A N people adopted Indian
India showing the empire of Kanishka (120-162 AD) names and titles.
Commenting on the abundance of Indian
The Mahayana sect accepts Buddha as a God and
evidences in Central Asia, Sir Aurel Stein has
worships him and many Bodhisattvas (the Buddha remarked that so complete was the Indianisation
in previous births) and it also worships the images of these parts that it appeared if one was moving
of the Buddha. On the other hand, the Hinayana
in the familiar surroundings of an ancient Indian
was the orthodox sect; it accepted the Buddha as a city in the Punjab.
teacher or guru who attained enlightenment. This
sect does not believe in idol-worship. Activity
The Jataka Tales are moral stories which were
SPREAD OF BUDDHISM TO CENTRAL ASIA written to teach good values to the people. Narrate
one of the story in class.
Due to intensive trade relations, the Indian culture
too spread to the central Asian countries. As
Info Bits
Buddhism was spreading fast, it took its roots in Info Bits
Central Asia also. We find ample proofs of
Buddhism in the countries of this region. The tall During Kanishka’s rule, Buddhism had 18 sects, so
Buddha statue at Bamiyan in Afghanistan is a he convened the Fourth Buddhist Council in order
proof enough of its prestigious past. to settle disputes, and it resulted in two main sects
Unfortunately, the fanatics Taliban have destroyed of Buddhism—the Mahayana and the Hinayana.
it in 2001 AD.
Contemporary Social Science-6
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