Question

Who declared Mahayana Buddhism as the official religion of Kushanas?

• A. Vasudeva I
• B. Asvaghosha
• C. Sushruta
• D. Kanishka

Answer 1

Answer:

D. Kanishka

Kushanas

• After the decline of the Maurya dynasty different groups of people arrived India through its northwest part. The Kushanas were the most important group among them. Kanishka was the notable ruler among the Kushanas. He started the Shaka era in 78 CE.

• Buddhist scholars like Asvaghosha and Vasumitra, adorned his court. The Kushanas were the first to introduce gold coins in India. Charaka and Sushruta were the prominent figures in the field of medicine this period

• During the reign of Kushanas, the sculptores who came to India made many sculptures of Buddha.

• A new style of sculpture emerged as a result of the amalgamation of the style of Greece and Rome with Indian style of sculpture. This is known as the Gandhara sculpture.

• These sculptures were mainly made in Kandahar (Gandharam) regions in Afghanistan. A group of Buddhists known as Mahayana Buddhists worshipped the statues of Buddha.

• Kanishka encouraged Mahayana Buddhism and declared it as the official religion of the empire.