The Spread of Buddhism

the spread of buddhism in serindia 89

2.3. Buddhism in Sogdiana and among Sogdians (100 AD–1000 AD)

The  rst datable reference to Buddhism in Sogdiana might be the name

tamsc (wt’ms’c) “Venerator of Gotam” in the third Ancient Letter (313

AD). The puzzling history of Buddhism in Sogdiana is the result of

the blatant discrepancy between the philological and the archaeological

evidence about Sogdian Buddhism.

2.3.1. Buddhism in Sogdiana

As a matter of fact, whereas in Kucha, Turfan and elsewhere in China

numerous Sogdian Buddhist inscriptions and manuscripts, dating from

the seventh to the eleventh century, have been found, archaeology has

brought to light no Buddhist building and only very few inscriptions^64

from Sogdiana. Out of hundreds of paintings (mostly dating from

720–740), only a handful represent Buddha: one in Semireie, three

in PenÌikent^65 , and one in Kar-Namak. Furthermore, there is one

medallion in clay found in Tibet. One of the PenÌikent frescoes, of

small scale, adorned an impost over a door (no prestigious place) in a

private house. In the same house, a wall limned a pair of Mazdean

deities (Xvarnah and AÜi). The fresco also has iconographical mistakes,

so that it is clear that the patron or the painter had but an indirect

knowledge of Buddhism and held Buddha to be a subordinate genius.

Also, in Semireie, where the Sogdians (and later the Turks) were mostly

Christians, the only trace of Buddhism is two gilt bronze plates with

Chinese iconography. One of the plates found in Tokmak shows on the

recto Buddha, on the verso probably a fox-headed Xvarnah and AÜi (both

Mazdean deities).^66 And  nally, the older Buddhist loan-words from

Gndhr in Sogdian are few and pertain only to external phenomena.

They point to a very super cial acquaintance with Buddhism.^67

The history of Buddhism in Sogdiana is thus at  rst glance simple: a

complete failure. During the Chionite and Hephthalite dominion over

Sogdiana (402–560), Buddhists (from Bactria?) seem to have attempted

(^64) Two inscriptions from PenÌikent, one doubtful from Afrasyab, see Vorob’eva-
Desjatovskaja 1984, pp. 47f. nn. 51–53. 65
An impost (Marak 1990, pp. 304f.), a head (Marshak & Raspopova 1997–1998)
and one still unpublished (friendly communication of F. Grenet). 66
Belenizki 1968, p. 140  g. 66f.
(^67) E.g., Pwt “Buddha”, rx’r “vihra”, ws’ntk “fast”. See also Tremblay 2001, pp.
69f. n. 115.
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