60 siglinde dietz
the rst to offer food to the Buddha after his enlightenment.^68 Whereas
this must be mere legend because Buddhist inscriptions are found there
only from the Kua period onwards,^69 the legend does show that not
only monks but also travelling merchants were presumed to be capable
of spreading Buddhism. Among the rst translators who took the
overland way from West Central Asia we nd the Parthian An Shigao
and the Indo-Scythian Lokak ema (Chin. Zhi Loujiachan
). They both^70 worked in the second century in the Chinese
capital that period, Luoyang. At about the same time (or slightly earlier)
when other Buddhist missionaries reached Chinese Turkestan, Buddhism
was of cially adopted at Kashgar. This may also have been the time at
which Buddhism was adopted in Khotan.
- Zenith and Decline of Buddhism in Central Asia
During the third century the emerging power of the Sassanians in Iran
became a growing threat to the Kuas. Gradually they were driven
back from the west to the east, though the reason why and the time
when the empire fully collapsed are not known. Adherents as they
were of Zoroastrianism, the Sassanians seem to have practiced policy
of relative tolerance towards Buddhism.
After the fall of the Kua empire we nd a collection of little king-
doms, all apparently fairly prosperous and friendly towards Buddhism.
Kings embellished their capitals with temples, monasteries and stpas.
Between the third and fth centuries the beautiful stpa at Jaulin in
Taxila was erected and enlarged, the heavily decorated stpas of Haa
were built, and the cave monasteries were dug into the mountain at
Bamiyan. This was the zenith of Buddhism in Western Central Asia.
It encountered a severe check with the invasion of the White Huns
(the Hephthalites), who conquered Gandhra and Taxila on their way
into India during the second half of the fth century. The White Huns,
however, do not seem to have been quite such ferocious persecutors of
Buddhism as they are depicted by Xuanzang. According to archaeo-
(^68) Cf. Waldschmidt 1952–1962, 2.4.
(^69) Salomon 1998, pp. 153–154.
(^70) An Shigao stayed and worked at Luoyang from 148 until 170, Lokakema between
167 and 186. See Demiéville 1978, s.vv. An Seik and Shi Rukasen; Zürcher 1959, pp.
32–36. For details on An Shigao see below pp. 80; 92–93.