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and one still unpublished (friendly communication of F. Grenet). 66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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