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where silk was shipped westwards to the Roman made in Mathura. Such statues were also
empire. The gold coins found in the subconti- made in Taxila.
nent, were issued by the Kushanas. The gold g There was also a change in belief in
coins were used by the traders, along the silk Bodhisattvas. A person who attained
route. enlightenment was considered as the
THE SPREAD OF BUDDHISM Bodhisattva. Earlier; he was supposed to
Along with the flourishing trade; Buddhism also live a life of isolation to meditate in peace.
spread during this period. Kanishka was the most But now, they remained along with the
famous Kushana ruler. He made great contribu- people to teach them. The worship of
tions to spread Buddhism to different parts of the Bodhisattva became very popular. This
world. trend spread to Central Asia, China and
There was a famous poet in the court of later to Korea and Japan.
Kanishka. His name was Ashwaghosha. Buddha- Dozens of caves were hollowed out of the hills,
charita; a biography of Buddha was written by for the monks to live in the western and southern
Ashvaghosha. Many writers including Ashva- parts of India, where Buddhism had spread.
ghosha, of that period began to write in Sanskrit. These caves were made on the orders of the
kings and queens, others by farmers and mer-
chants, which were mostly located near the
passes across the Western Ghats. These passes
were of great importance because the roads,
connecting these prosperous parts of the coasts
with the cities in the Deccan, ran through these
passes. It was a safe place for travelers, who
halted in these cave monasteries during their
travel period to and fro.
Buddhism also spread its wings south-east, and
westward, to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and
other parts of south-east Asia, including Indonesia.
Theravada Buddhism, the older form of
Buddhism, was more popular in these areas.
Kanishka
Mahayana Buddhism : A new form of 1. Can you think of how Buddhism spread to
Buddhism developed during this period. This ‘south-east Asian lands’ far and wide?
form of Buddhism is called the Mahayana 2. Who were Bodhisattavas and why did they
Buddhism. It had two distinct features which are decide against during the isolations?
as follows : 3. Why were the caves ordered to be made near
g In the earlier form of Buddhism, Buddha the passes?
was depicted by certain signs and symbols.
THE QUEST OF THE PILGRIMS
In the new form, statues of Buddha were
A person who undertakes a journey for religious
also made. Many of those statues were
purpose is called pilgrim. Many pilgrims also
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