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Buddhism in Pakistan took root some 2,300 years ago under theMauryan kingAshoka who sent missionaries to the Kashmira-Gandhara region of North West Pakistan extending into Afghanistan, following theThird Buddhist council inPataliputra (modern India).[1][2][3]
Buddhism first reached what is nowPakistan during Ashoka’s reign when he sent a monk fromVaranasi calledMajjhantika to preach inKashmir andGandhara.[4][5][6][7]
TheMajor Rock Edicts of Ashoka inscribed on rock boulders inMansehra andShahbaz Garhi written in theKharosthi script recording aspects of the emperor'sdharma or righteous law represent some of the earliest evidence of deciphered writing in South Asia, dating to middle of the third century BCE.[8] TheIndo-Greek kingMenander embraced Buddhism as attested in theMilinda Panha, which dates from sometime between 100 BC and 200 AD, following a dialogue with the monkNāgasena inSagala, present-daySialkot.[9]
Mahayana Buddhism, one of the most prominent branches of Buddhism today, is believed to have been originated in the region ofGandhara, although its total number of confirmed Buddhists is a fraction of what it was.[dubious –discuss][10][11][12] In the Gandhara region,Greco-Buddhist art and sculptures flourished.[13]
Buddhism thrived until the 6th century, when the religion began to decline after the invasion byAlchon Huns,[14][15][16] until by the end of the 14th century, Buddhism had largely disappeared following themuslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent.[17][18][19]
In 2012, theNational Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) ofPakistan indicated that the contemporaryBuddhist 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.[20] In 2017, the number of Buddhist voters was stated to be 1,884, and they were mostly concentrated inSindh andPunjab.[21]
The only functional Buddhist temple in Pakistan is in the Diplomatic Enclave atIslamabad, used by Buddhist diplomats from countries likeSri Lanka.[22] 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.[23]
Buddhism first reached the Gandhara region of Pakistan following theThird Buddhist Council where Ashoka sent missionaries to the region.[3] As per Buddhist tradition, a monk from Varanasi in India calledMajjhantika is held to be the first monk to travel to Kashmir andGandhara to spread Buddhism under the orders ofAshoka.[4]
Buddhism became prominent in merchant communities and then spread throughout theMauryan empire through commercial connections and along trade routes.[24][25] In this way, Buddhism also spread through thesilk route intoCentral Asia.[26]Ashoka's embrace ofBuddhism and sponsorship of Buddhist missionaries allowed for the expansion of that faith intoSri Lanka, Northwestern India, and Central Asia.[27][28] Mauryan control over the northwestern frontier is attested from theRock Edicts left by Ashoka in Mansehra andShahbaz Garhi.
In the 2nd century B.C.,Demetrius I invaded the Indian Subcontinent, establishing theIndo-Greek kingdom. One of the most famous Indo-Greek kingsMenander, converted to Buddhism following a dialogue with the monkNāgasena inSagala, present-daySialkot.[9][29] Direct cultural exchange is described by a dialogue called the Debate of King Milinda (Milinda Pañha) which recounts the discussion betweenMenander and the Buddhist monkNāgasena, who was himself a student of the Greek Buddhist monkMahadharmaraksita. Upon Menander's death, the honor of sharing his remains was claimed by the cities under his rule, and they were enshrined instupas, in a parallel with the historic Buddha.[30] Several of Menander'sIndo-Greek successors inscribed "Follower of the Dharma," in theKharoṣṭhī script, on their coins.[31]
During the two centuries of their rule, the Indo-Greek kingscombined the Greek and Indian languages and symbols, as seen on their coins, and blended Greek and Indian ideas, as seen in the archaeological remains.[32] The diffusion of Indo-Greek culture had consequences which are still felt today, particularly through the influence ofGreco-Buddhist art.[33]
Following the foundation of theKushan empire by the invadingYuezhi nomads in the 1st century BCE, the Kushans adopted elements of the Hellenistic culture of the Indo-Greeks.[34] During Kushan rule,Gandharan Buddhism was at the height of its influence and a significant number of Buddhist centers were built or renovated.[35]
The Buddhist art ofGandhara was a synthesis ofHellenistic and Indian elements.[37] TheGandhāran Buddhist texts also date from this period. Written inGāndhārī Prakrit, they are the oldest Buddhist manuscripts yet discovered (c. 1st century CE).[38] According to Richard Salomon, most of them belong to theDharmaguptaka school.[39] EmperorKanishka is particularly known for his support of Buddhism. During his reign, stupas and monasteries were built in the Gandhāra.[40] Kushan royal support and the opening of trade routes allowed Gandharan Buddhism to spread along theSilk Road toCentral Asia, theTarim Basin and thus to China.[40]
Between the 5th and 8th centuries, Chinese scholars traveling through the region, such asFaxian,Xuanzang,Yijing, Hui-sheng, and Sung-Yun, began to speak of a decline of the BuddhistSangha in the northwestern parts of Indian subcontinent, especially in the wake of theAlchon Hun invasion from Central Asia in the 6th century CE.[15] Xuanzang wrote that numerous monasteries in north-western Indian subcontinent had been reduced to ruins by the Huns.[15][41]
The Alchons apparently undertook the mass destruction of Buddhist monasteries andstupas atTaxila, a high center of learning, which never recovered from the destruction.[42][43] Virtually all of the Alchon coins found in the area ofTaxila were found in the ruins of burned down monasteries, where apparently some of the invaders died alongside local defenders during the wave of destructions.[42] It is thought that theKanishka stupa, one of the most famous and tallest buildings in antiquity, was destroyed by them during their invasion of the area in the 460s CE. TheMankiala stupa was also vandalized during their invasions.[44]
Mihirakula in particular is remembered byBuddhist sources to have been a "terrible persecutor of the religion".[14] During the reign ofMihirakula, over one thousand Buddhist monasteries are said to have been destroyed.[45] In particular, the writings of Chinese monkXuanzang from 630 CE explained that Mihirakula ordered the destruction ofBuddhism and the expulsion of monks.[46] Indeed, the Buddhist art of Gandhara, in particularGreco-Buddhist art, becomes essentially extinct around that period. When Xuanzang visited Gandhara inc. 630 CE, he reported that Buddhism had drastically declined, and that most of the monasteries were deserted and left in ruins.[16]
According toPeter Harvey, the religion recovered slowly from these invasions during the 7th century, with the "Buddhism of Punjab and Sindh remaining strong".[47]
However, the religion further declined following theMuslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent.[48] As early as the 8th century, Arab conquerorsconquered 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.[49] 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.[17] 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.[17]
In a second wave, from the 10th through the 12th centuries, theGhaznavids overtook Gandhara and Punjab. The Persian travellerAl Biruni's memoirs suggest Buddhism had vanished from the medievalPunjab region by the early 11th century.[18] By the end of the twelfth century, Buddhism had further disappeared, with the conquest of theGhaznavids.[50] Buddhism survived confined in the northern region ofGilgit Baltistan until 13–14th century, perhaps slightly longer in the nearbySwat Valley.[19]
Famed for its uniqueGandharan style of art which is heavily influenced by the classical Greek and Hellenistic styles, Gandhara attained its height from the 1st century to the 5th century CE under theKushan Empire, who had their capital atPeshawar (Puruṣapura).
The monastic complex calledTakht-i-Bahi is located in theMardan 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 theSeri Bahlol urban remains that date back to the same period, located about a kilometer south.[51]
Oddiyana was a small region in present-daySwat District.[52][53][54] It is ascribed importance in the development and dissemination ofVajrayāna Buddhism. It was also called as “the paradise of theḌākinīs”.[55]Padmasambhava, the eighth-century Buddhist master who was instrumental in theintroduction of Buddhism to Tibet, was believed to have been born in Oddiyana.[56]
Most of the archaeological sites ofTaxila are located aroundTaxila 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.[57] There are over 50 archaeological sites scattered around Taxila. Some of the most important sites are theDhamarajika Stupa and Monastery (300 BC – 200 AD),Bhir Mound (600–200 BC),Sirkap (200 BC – 600 AD),Jandial Temple (c.250 BC) andJaulian Monastery (200 – 600 AD).[58]
A museum comprising various sections with rich archaeological finds ofTaxila, arranged in chronological order and properly labeled, has been established close to the site.[58]
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Buddhist sites in Sindh are numerous but ill preserved in various stages of deterioration. Sites atBrahmanabad (Mansura) include a Buddhist stupa atMohenjo-daro;Sirah-ji-takri nearRohri,Sukkur;Kahu-Jo-Daro atMirpur Khas,Nawabshah;Sudheran-Jo-Thul near Hyderabad;Thul Mir Rukan stupa;Thul Hairo Khan Stupa; Bhaleel-Shah-Thul square stupas (5th–7th century A.D) atDadu, and Kot-Bambhan-Thul buddhist tower nearTando Muhammad Khan. Many terracotta tiles from Kaho-Jo-Daro and Buddha statues are exhibited inChatrapati Shivaji Museum, Mumbai.[59]
Chinese Buddhist travellerHiuen Tsang reported many Buddhist temples in coastal regions ofMakran, Balochistan. The remains of Buddhist cave city calledGodrani caves can still be seen today.[60][61][62]
Abū Rayḥān Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Bīrūnī states in his bookAlberuni's India that the coast ofIndia begins withTiz, the capital of Makran.[63]
According to historianAndre Wink:
Further evidence in theChachnama makes perfectly clear that many areas of Makran as ofSindh had a largelyBuddhist population. WhenChach marched to Armabil, this town is described as having been in the hands of a Buddhist Samani (Samani Budda), a descendant of the agents ofRai Sahiras who had been elevated for their loyalty and devotion, but who later made themselves independent. The Buddhist chief offered his allegiance to Chach when the latter was on his way to Kirman in 631. The same chiefdom of Armadil is referred to byHiuen Tsang O-tien-p-o-chi-lo, located at the high road running through Makran, and he also describes it as predominantly Buddhist, thinly populated though it was, it had no less than 80 Buddhist convents with about 5000 monks. In effect at eighteen km northwest of Las Bela at Gandakahar, near the ruins of an ancient town are thecaves 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 hundredDeva 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 ofMaheshvara 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 ofHindu pilgrimage in Makran wasHinglaj, 256 km west of present-day Karachi inLas Bela.[64]
Wink has recordedHiuen 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.'[65]
The region has a number of surviving Buddhist archaeological sites, including theManthal Buddha Rock—a rock relief of theBuddha at the edge of the village (near Skardu)—and theSacred Rock of Hunza. Nearby are former sites of Buddhist shelters.
The presence of Pakistani Buddhists in modern Pakistan is unclear,[67] although a few Pakistanis have reported themselves as Buddhist. A report mentions that they are only found in theAzad Kashmir region.[68] TheNurbakhshi sect is said to retain some elements of Buddhism.[69]
According to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), there were 1,492 buddhists in holding national identity cards (CNICs) in 2012.[20] In 2017, it increased to 1,884 holders. They are mostly concentrated in Sindh and Punjab regions.[21] According to a report, most of the Baori Buddhists do not have CNIC cards, and the actual Buddhist population could exceed 16,000.[70]
In Sindh and Southern Punjab, there is a community of Buddhists called Baori Buddhists that 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. They used to be nomadic and may have connections to theRoma people[70]
Tridev Roy, the Chakma chief, supported Pakistan during the 1971Bangladesh Liberation War; he then left the Chittagong region and settled in Pakistan. He claimed to represent the Buddhists of Pakistan by founding and chairing the "Pakistan Buddhist Society" from 1996 until his death in 2012.[71] His family stayed behind in Bangladesh.
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.[70]
TheSwat Valley in Pakistan has many Buddhist carvings and stupas, and Jehanabad contains a Seated Buddha statue. Kushan-era Buddhist stupas and statues in Swat valley were demolished by the foreign-funded Taliban and after two attempts by them, the Jehanabad Buddha's face was destroyed by dynamite.[72][73][74] Only the Bamiyan Buddhas were larger than the carved giant Buddha statue in Swat near Mangalore.[75] The government did nothing to safeguard the statue after the initial attempt at destroying it, which did not cause permanent damage, but when the second attack took place on the statue, its feet, shoulders and face were demolished.[76] Islamists such as the Taliban and looters destroyed much of Pakistan's Buddhist artifacts left over from the Buddhist Gandhara civilization, especially in Swat Valley.[77] The Taliban deliberately targeted Gandhara Buddhist relics for destruction.[78] The Christian Archbishop of Lahore Lawrence John Saldanha wrote a letter to Pakistan's government denouncing the Taliban activities in Swat Valley including their destruction of Buddha statues and their attacks on Christians, Sikhs, and Hindus.[79] Gandhara Buddhist artifacts were also looted by smugglers.[80] A group of Italians helped repair the Buddha at Jahan Abad, Swat.[81]
In March 2013, a group of around 20 Buddhist monks from South Korea made the journey to the monastery ofTakht-i-Bahi, 170 kilometers (106 miles) fromIslamabad. 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 monkMarananta 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.[82]
Some Buddhist historical figures who have been speculated to come from present-day Pakistan include:
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{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Buddhism survived in Gilgit and Baltistan until 13-14th Century, perhaps slightly longer in the nearby Swat Valley.
The Taliban destroyed the Buddhist statues and stupas where we played Kushan kings haram Jehanabad Buddha.
The venerable Kumāralāta (labdha) was a native of Takṣaśilā.
Kumāralāta was the founder of the Sautrántika school, and came from Taxila.
Born into a brāhmana family in Puruṣapura (modern-day Peshawar, Pakistan), Asanga originally studied under Sarvāstivāda (possibly Māhiṣasaka) teachers but converted to the Mahāyāna later in life.
Asanga, born in the Gandara region of present-day Pakistan in the city of Purusapura (the modern Peshawar) as the third son of Prasannasila (or Prakasila), was probably active around the fourth or fifth century.
According to tradition Vasubandhu was born in Puruşapura, the capital of Gāndhāra (the modern Peshawar in Western Pakistan).
The principal founders of this school, the brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu, were born in Puruṣapura, today Peshawar in Pakistan, and lived probably in the fourth century.
