Untitled Slide

Traders, Kings and Pilgrims

Untitled Slide

• Since the growth of Indus Valley Civilization, India had contacts with outside world mainly through traders, conquerors and missionaries.
• Indian products were in great demand in foreign markets and were exchanged for gold and silver.
• India is protected by high mountains in north and northwest.

The passes in these high mountains linked India with outside world
When the powerful dynasties declined these passes were left unguarded and invited foreign invasions.

The Pilgrims were the English settlers who came to North America on the Mayflower and established the Plymouth Colony in what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts, named after the final departure port of Plymouth, Devon.

Untitled Slide

• Rulers like Ashoka and Kanishka sent oldest missionaries within and outside India to countries like Sri Lanka, China and Central Asia
• In all these regions Buddhism required a large following and many Buddhist monasteries and statues re built

Untitled Slide

• Through the Silk road through which Chinese silk was transported to Mediterranean regoin
• Mahayana Buddhism spread and became very popular in central Asia, China, Korea and Japan.

Untitled Slide

• Theravada spread and became popular in Southeast Asian region of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia etc.
• Buddhism spread to western and southern India were in western Ghats Buddhist hill cave were carved out by merchants and farmers or at Kings or Queens order.

Untitled Slide

• Buddhist monks resided in these caves.
• Buddhist Sangha members traveled within and outside India to spread Buddhism
• Even non Sangha Buddhist members (oopah sokkas) helped in spreading Buddhism.

Untitled Slide

• Buddhist Viharas attracted foreign students from distant who later returned to their homelands to spread Buddhism.

Chinese Buddhist pilgrims visited India to study Buddhist text meet Buddhism scholars and then carry them back to China. They wrote accounts of their journeys to India.

Untitled Slide