Buddhism in Margiana: A Morphological Survey

Abstract

Buddhism is a religion without borders. It transcended many geographies and many communities. In the initial diffusion the merchants and monks travelling through the silk route, spread this religion in the oasis cities along the silk route. Along the trade routes the religious tradition entered into Central Asia and China and further in the rest of the east Asia. Thus, the religious tradition of Buddhism has crossed many boundaries; geographical, sociocultural and political. In this research paper an attempt has been made to investigate the traces of Buddhism in the western most limits of the Central Asia. It is the land of ancient Margiana; where three great cultures met and influenced each other. Despite its location on the periphery of the ancient empires, the Merv oasis had nowhere a peripheral existence, as far as its religious landscape is concerned. The cities of the Merv oasis have exerted considerable influence over the cultures of Central Asia and Iran. It greatly influenced the cultural and religious life of the oasis cities and left deep impact on the society.