Buddhist art also flourished during this time.
conversion, however, that gave a huge impetus tO the spreading of the word.
Buddhism flourishes
Dr J.B. Disanayaka, Prof Emeritus at Sri Lanka’s Colombo University and our Gandhara Week guide, explained that “Gandhara was a holy land where the teachings of the Buddha flourished, espedally under the reign ofAsoka the Great.”
“Buddhist art also flourished during this time. It is from Gandhara that the first image of the human form of Buddha emerged.
“Another important contribution Gandhara made was when the town of Taxila was developed into one of the first centres of Buddhist education. Princes from around the region were sent there to study not just philosophy but the sciences, archery, swordsmanship and even magic.”
Taxila was built during the reign of the Kushans, a Turkish people who had moved out from China to take over Gandhara and other parts of present-day Pakistan at about 75CE. This was considered Gandhara’s golden period during which art, particularly sculpture, flourished and the world’s first visual representations of the Buddha emerged (as Prof Disanayaka mentions above).
Under the Kushan king Kanishka (128CE-151CE), Gandhara became one of Buddhism’s holiest lands and attracted pilgrims from all over the world.
As with all Golden Ages, this period was followed by great decline and Gandhara collapsed under the onslaught of Muslim invaders led by Mahmood of Ghazni from the nearby Kabul valley towards the beginning of the 11 th century. Gandhara’s very name was forgotten – though some say Kandahar in A/ghamstan was namea after this ancient Buddhist empire
Reviving past glory makes cents But Pakistan is trying to remedy that and re-introduce Gandhara to the world.
Indeed, Gandhara Week delegates this year were carefully chosen from countries with either a Buddhist majority or a significant Buddhist minority and/or past. Aside from the five Malaysians present, delegates from Sri Lanka, Nepal, China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore were also present. Of course, uncovenng the ancient site’s secrets will also help Pakistan’s tourism industry – which is in sore need of a boost, reckons Sheikh Rashid Ahmed who was speaking in his capadty as Minister of Information (a day before a Cabinet reshuffle made him
Railways Minister).
‘q’ourism is one of the biggest industries in the world, but we are getting peanuts –
we don’t get even 10% of South Asia’s tourism revenue! Tourism can change the shape of our economy.
“Also, because of human rights and security issues, the world has the wrong impression of Pakistan. I believe the attention given by President (General Pervez) Musharaff to boosting our image will improve this situation.”
Indeed, showing that Pakistan, despite being a Muslim nation, is tolerant enough to
celebrate its Buddhist past can do nothing but good for Islam, which seems so embatfled in the West at the moment.
~ FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
what had happened, he had his queen executed – and by a miracle, Prince Kunala’s eyes were restored! Letters from Asoka
~Ol~’S rock edicts at Shahbaz Garhi were a particular thrill as they are among the oldest historical “documents” found on the subcontinent. These are believed to date back to
257BCE.
Asoka was first an immense wamor who conquered much of the subcontinent and then a just king, who repented his violent ways and ruled based on the Buddhist philosophy of dhamma I”the eternal truth as taught by the Buddha”).
Mark of different eras SIRKAP was one of the most important Greek settlements in Gandhara and was founded by the Bactrian Greek Demetrius.
“the Bactria lndo-Greeks (some call them Gandharan-Greeks) had a documented list of 39 kings and four queens who ruled for nearly 200 years an area that stretched from Kabul to Peshawar,” explained Prof Firdaullah.
“Different eras can be traced in the ruins, as the Scythians eventually overthrew the Greeks before they themselves were replaced by Parthians, and then the Kushans from China.”