with shorter versions in Greek and Aramaic in eastern
Afghanistan and Taxila. Foundations of large early
stupas at Taxila and at Butkara in the Swat valley prob-
ably belong to the Mauryan period, and may be con-
nected with As ́oka’s patronage. Menander, one of
Alexander’s Indo-Greek successors who ruled the Pun-
jab around 150 B.C.E., was a patron of Buddhism, ac-
cording to Pali and Chinese literary traditions. Saka
(or Indo-Scythian) and Parthian rulers of the North-
west continued to support Buddhist institutions, since
the names and titles of these Iranian rulers appear on
coins and in Buddhist inscriptions and texts of the first
century B.C.E. and first century C.E.
During the Kushan period in the early centuries C.E.,
Buddhism began to expand beyond the northwestern
frontiers of South Asia. The Kushan empire extended
from Bactria to Bengal at the beginning of the second
century C.E. during the reign of Kanishka, who is por-
trayed in Chinese and Central Asian Buddhist litera-
ture as the greatest Buddhist royal patron after As ́oka.
In the post-Kushan period, local rulers and other pa-
trons maintained Buddhist monastic communities
where surplus resources for donations were available.
Buddhist monastic communities in Bamiyan in cen-
tral Afghanistan and Gilgit in northern Pakistan evi-
dently remained connected with Buddhist centers inINDIA, NORTHWEST Kashmir(^)
H I M A L A Y A S
HIND
U K
US
H K
AR
AK
OR
AM
MO
UN
TAI
NS
Kabul Bagra\a\m
Gilgit
Had≥d≥a
BaBa\miyamiya\n
Taxila (Taks≥as;as;êla)
ToC
hin
a
^
^
^
^
(^)
(^)
(^)
!
H I M A L A Y A S
HIND
U K
US
H K
AR
AK
OR
AM
MO
UN
TAI
NS
ToC
hin
a
Mathura\
Kashgar
Khotan
Kabul Bagra\m
Gilgit
Had≥d≥a
Ba\miya\n
Marv
Taxila (Taks≥as;êla)
Sa\rna\th Pa\èaliputra
Bodh Gaya\
Ujjain
Sa\n]cê
Punjab
Kashmir
Bactria
Sogdiana
Margiana
Gandhara ̄
INDIA
PAKISTAN
AFGHANISTAN
T AJIKISTAN
AFGHANISTAN
CHINA
NEPNEPALAL
UZBEKISTAN TAJIKISTAN
TURKMENISTAN
N
0 100 200 mi.
0 100 200 km
India,
Northwest
“Northern route”
(Uttara\patha)
City
Buddhist centers on the “northern route” (uttarapatha). XNR Productions, Inc. Reproduced by permission of the Gale Group.