Once Upon a Time in Asia: A Travelor Explores the Spread of Buddhism

FRONTLINE
By Benoy K. Behl

Two Kalmyks posing in front of the image of an acharya from Nalanda.

AFGHANISTAN - The way Indian philosophy spread across the continent of Asia in ancient times is amazing. There was a time when there was no country in South and South-East Asia, East Asia and Central Asia where Indic deities, the Buddha, Siva, Vishnu and others, were not revered. Much of this history has been forgotten. A great new Buddhist temple called the ‘Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni' was built in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia (above). It has today become a symbol of the identity of the people of Kalmykia. It is crowded every day with worshippers. Around the temple are seated statues of 17 acharyas of the Nalanda University who developed the philosophical traditions of Buddhism. [link]