Buddhist Mayana treaties has bestowed blessings on Kashmir for about 200 years .Buddism remained the dominant creed of Kashmir from 400-300 BC up to 500-600 AD. Kashmir happens to be one of the important centres for the spread and development of Buddhism. Buddhism was an important part of the
classical Kashmiri culture.
Surendra is the first Buddhist ruler, who built the first Buddhist religious structure at Soura in Kashmir. He is also credited with having built several Viharas as well as the Buddhist centers of learning in the other parts of Valley. This fact also proves that Buddhism existed as a religion in Kashmir, even before the reign of Ashoka.
I woluld like to present some of my brief research exploration on Kashmir Buddhism so as to make it bit interesting to read ,easy to remember and precise for criticle analysis.
1) According to Samyuktavastu (chapter xi) : The Holy Buddha is reported as saying that Kashmir is best land for meditation and leading Religious life .
According to Rajtarangni population of Kashmir was not entirely brahmins ,Nishads,,darads,bhauttas ,bhikshas ,dhamaras ,tantrins constantly gave trouble to brahmins .
2) HuenTsiang and O Reng mention arrival of 5000 monks who were settled in Kashmir by King Ashoka of Maghdah
3) Monk majjantika introduced budhism in Kashmir
4) According to Pandit Bamzai , Jaluka an ardent shiavite was anti buddhist and destroyed buddhist monastaries viharas.He is known as vanquisher of the kashmiri Buddhist .( Bamzai ,History of Kashmir pp.71)
According to many kashmiri historian like Fida Hassnain while patronizing Shiavism ,he built many temple on the Buddhist sites.He couldn’t tolerate even Buddhist hymns on the pretext that these disturbed his sleep and on this excuse ,he demolished all the Buddhist viharas of Kashmir ( fidahassnain.myasa.net )
5) Genocide of kashmiri buddhist: In 502 C.A kusan ruler Miharakula ,a stauch fundamental ust Hindu by religion wiped Kashmiri Buddhist .Buddhist Historian like Grousset ,Rutgers remember him as “Terrible Prosecutor of Buddhist
according to Pandit Gwasha Lal Koul ,History of Kashmir pp.24 .
6 )Mahayana buddism was born in Kashmir moreover second Buddhist council of the world was held at Patlipura Kashmir .
7) Damodra was decendent of Ashoka founded a city on a plataeu and named it Damodra udder ( yidar) . According to mythology Damodra became snake as is believed to roam even to this day .this site constitute Srinagar Air field .
8) Buddhist monuments relics for religious tourism which were destroyed by “Butshikan “Jaluka are :
- A) Narendrabhavana vihara in Sowura Srinagar
- B) Surasavihara in anchar
- C) Dharmaranyavihara in verinag
D)Krtyasramvihara in village kishtom,varmul .
- E) JUSHKAPURAVIHARA,AMRITABHAVANA in places like sopre ,norwor,huskapur,chatabal
F)Jayendravihara Vihara of Chatabal Srinagar tragedy :
JAYENDRAVIHARA:
Jayendra, the material uncle of Parvarasena II is reported to have built a Vihara known as Jayendravihara. With a colossal statue of the Buddha installed in it. Hiuen Tsiang has mentioned it as Che-ye-in-to-lo and on his arrival in Kashmir, where stayed for some time. This Vihara was burned down by Ksemagupta (husband of Hindu queen Dida Rani )and its Buddha statue was melted down by him to make a statue of Shiva. Location of this Vihara requires to be searched either at Chattabal, Srinagar or at Ushkar in Baramulla. Attached villages of the Vihara, being given to the Khasa chief, indicate Ushkur as the correct alternative
BUDDHIST HERITAGE exhibition in Kashmir MUSEUM :- As mentioned earlier Most of our Buddhist heritage stands lost to us due to vandalism of the Hindu kings like Ksemagupta, Durbha-Vardhana, Avantivarman, and Shankravarman,Miharakuka and Miharakuka wiped out the entire Buddhist population by loot, arson and fire. They also destroyed several hundred Viharas, Stupas and other Buddhist structures, by converting them into Shiva temples and utilizing their building material for construction of their own temples. However, some part of our Buddhist heritage is still alive and in safe hands, which needs to be exhibited to the people in the newly constructed S.P.S. Museum, Srinagar. The details are as under:
- i) Tooth of Buddha: Hiuen Tsiang points out, that Kashmir used to possess a miraculous tooth of the Buddha, preserved in a Sangharama or zabarwan or pandrethan or near hariniwas .
ii)STUPA AT KHANMOH: – Hieun Tsianginforms about a famous Stupa near Khanmoh where there existed a huge statue of Avalokiteshwara Bodhisattva and another Vihara which housed the tooth of Buddha. Unfortunately, most of these Buddhist shrines were converted into the Shiva temples by the Hindu Kings of Kashmir (519-1320 AD.).
iii) Tiles of Harwan:- The tiles, from the courtyard and platform discovered by R.C. Kak and shown by him in his Ancient Monuments of Kashmir at page XIX to XXIII have been uplifted by the Archaeological Survey of India, during the militancy and taken outside Kashmir.it reminds me of a local militant afflitated to mustaq latram party carrying holy relics of a local temple to dehli to sell it .I wasn’t not mature enough then to ask him which religion endorse this shameless action .
iv)Gilgit Manuscripts: These world famous Gilgit manuscripts were sent to the National Archives of India, New Delhi for repairs and renovation during the Tribal raids of 1947. Since then these manuscripts have not been returned to the Oriental Research and Publication Library, University of Kashmir, It is suggested that steps be taken by the Institute of Kashmir Studies, University of Kashmir, to bring back this our Buddhist heritage to in Kashmir, so that the re-editing work he started again, as in the past.
9 ) Kaniska the Buddhist king of Kashmir founded kanispora of Varmul .He held third Buddhist council in Kashmir this council was set for six months and made sternous efforts to bring into scattered saying ,theories and dictims and then king Kaniska caused the treaties of buddism to be written on copper plates when finished he enclosed them in stone boxes ,they still wait to be unearthed by some future archeologist.
10) China ,Korea,Japan,Mongolia and Pacific Island got Buddism from Kashmir Buddhist schloars : Thomas watters Watters, a British scholar of Chinese Buddhism, describes Yuan Chwang’s journey that was accomplished between 626 and 645 C.A says that Buddism was introduced in China by Kashmir based Buddhist . We kashmiris are proud enough for producing Such great scholars .
11) Bemina qamerwari Srinagar : Bemina is named after Abhimanyu son of buddhist vihara broker Ksemaguptta and Dida Rani he founded Bemina in 178 A.D . During the reign of Abhimanyu, which in Kalhana’s chronicle follows that of Kanishka, Buddhist scholars under the guidance of Nagarjuna defeated the Shaivite clergy in debates, encouraging people to choose Buddhism.
Abhimanyu like his father started Anti buddhist drive according to Pandit kalhana and Pandit Bamzai ( History of Kashmir page 104 ) .
12) books on Buddism in Kashmir : Fida hassnain,
Buddhism in Kashmir [Barbara Meistermst, Shankar Thapa, Victoria Lysenko, Nirnala Sharm
,Nalinaksha Dutt.
13) Ashoka founded the city of Srinagar and named it Purandhisthana .
14) Harsha, also Harshadeva, (ruled 1089-1111 AD) was a king of Kashmir. Harsha belonged to the Utpala dynasty, of which he was the last ruler.
According to Pandit Bamzai page 199 ,Harsa destroyed Buddhist viharas .Kalhana wrote during the time of Jayasimha (AD 1127-59).
He destroyed both Hindu and Buddhist temples, and is credited with creating an office of “devotpaatana-nayaka”, destroyer of gods.
15 ) lalityaditya the Buddhist king of Kashmir founded Parishapora ,shadipura ,letapura ,Ushker ,Lokbhawana,martand .
16)The statue at Parihaspura was built by Lalitaditya Muktapida.1203. He made the glorious [statue of] the Great Buddha which reached up to the sky.
Abul-fazl mentions that the temples of Parihasapura were finally destroyed by Muslim extreamist Sikandar Butshikan “Butshikast” (1389–1413) and we lost such a huge archeological site to extreamist interpretation by Sikinder .
17 ) the Buddhist saint Madhyantika introduced saffron cultivation into Pampore Kashmir .
18 )The fourth Buddhist Council was held in Kashmir, under the presidency of Katyayaniputra, in Kanishka’s time. The south Indian Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna lived in Kashmir during the Kushana period in kanispora Varmul.
19 ) According to kashmiri Pandit website Kousa.org : The first organized crusade throughout the Buddhism in Kashmir was made by Raja ‘ Nara.’ It is said that he harassed and terrorised Buddhists to such an extent that famous Buddhist Scholar Nagarjuna had to run away from Kashmir to south. In the sixth century A. D. Mihirkula (or Mihirula) the legendary terrorist king of Kashmir harassed Buddhists here. He devastated Buddhist Viharas, Chaityas and Mathas and killed Buddhists ruthlessly
20 ) Rinchana Shah was buddhist king from Tibet who Reverted to Islam at the hand of Sufi saint Bul Bul shah.
Research Notes from following books : –
- Pandit Kalhana. Rajatarangini. Trans. Stein.
1a) Pandit K N Bamzai- History of Kashmir .
1b) Pandit Gwasha Lal Koul – History of Kashmir
1c) Pandit Jai Lal kilam- History of pandits .
- Jogesh Chander Dutt. Kings of Kashmira. 1879.
- John Hil. Annotated Translation of the Hou Hanshu.
- Gesehtc. Des Buddhimus. Trans. Schiefner.
- Wilson. Hindu History of Kashmir. 1960.
- Chos-hbung-Bu-Ston. Trans. Obemiller. 1932.
- Hiuen Tsiang’s Travels in India. Trans. Walters.
- Taranatha’s Buddhism. Trans.Schiefner.
- Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 1895.
- Journal of Royal Asiatic Society Bengal. Vol. XIV. 1948.
- Jean Nowdou. Les Bouddhistes Kashmiriens an Moyen Age. Trans. Buddhists of Kashmir. 1980.
Note : This compilation is purely academic in nature and can debated about with utmost academic persuit to reach the facts .
The author can be reached at zainlala69@yahoo.com
