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VOL. 7, ISSUE 2 (2025)
Spread of buddhism in ancient India: From Magadha to Gandhara
Authors
Naveen Kumar
Abstract
Buddhism is a religion started in the 6th century. BCE in Magadha and
founded by Gautama Buddha as a reformist movement characterized by emphasis on
ethics, spiritual power of meditation, and the release of suffering. Later
monarchs like Bimbisara and Ajatashatru patronized the early development of
Buddhism by offering the required support to establish monastery communities
(Sangha) and spread Buddhist teachings. The diffusion of the religion outside
Magadha came through several pathways: political sanction, strategic trade,
routes that connected India in the north to the north-west parts, and the
aggressiveness of monks as missionaries. Gandhara, to the north in modern
Pakistan and Afghanistan, grew to be an important centre of culture and
religion, where Buddhist ideas interacted with the art of the Hellenistic world
and Central Asia, creating a distinctive sculpture, stupa, and monastic
centres. This paper will follow the pattern of Buddhism's migration to Gandhara
and study the socio-political, economic, and cultural conditions in which the
dissemination of Buddhism was influenced. This historic process is examined
with the help of the methodology based on textual analysis, inscriptions, and
archaeological data.
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Pages:80-83
How to cite this article:
Naveen Kumar "Spread of buddhism in ancient India: From Magadha to Gandhara". International Journal of Social Research and Development, Vol 7, Issue 2, 2025, Pages 80-83
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