Pre Islamic Hindu and Buddhist heritage of Afghanistan

Up until the advent of Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, some eastern portions of Afghanistan was ruled by the Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

Kabul Shahi kings. When Xuanzang

Xuanzang

Xuanzang was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period...

visited the region early in the 7th century CE, the Kabul valley region was ruled by a Kshatriya

Kshatriya

*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...

king who is identified as the Shahi Khingal and whose name has been found in an inscription found in Gardēz.

The Hindu Shahi kings of Kabul and Gandhara may have had links to some ruling families in neighboring Kashmir

Kashmir

Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...

and other areas to the east. The Shahis, though Hindu, were rulers of a multi-religious Buddhist

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

, Zoroastrian

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...

, and pagan

Paganism

Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....

population and were thus patrons of numerous faiths, and various artifacts and coins from their rule have been found that display their multicultural domain.

Archeology

Site	Articles Found	Other Information
Hindu Temple at Khair Khana near Kabul Kabul Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...	Marble statues of Surya Surya Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold... the Hindu God of the sun.
Gardēz	Statues of Durga Durga For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion... Mahishasuramardini.	They show, as the Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand... name says, the Indian Goddess Durga, the consort of Shiva Shiva Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a... slaying the buffalo demon.
Hindu Temple at Chaghan Saray in the Kunar Valley Kunar Province Kunar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. It is one of the four "N2KL" provinces... in the Extreme east of Afghanistan .	Temple complex
Tapa Skandar 31 km north of Kabul.	Remains of Settlement dating to the second half of the first millennium AD. Marble statue of Shiva and his wife Parvati Parvati Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
Tapa Sadr near Ghazni Ghazni Province Ghazni is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Babur records in his Babur-Nama that Ghazni is also known as Zabulistan It is in the east of the country. Its capital is Ghazni City... .	Statue of the Parinivana Buddha Parinirvana In Buddhism, parinirvana is the final nirvana, which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained complete awakening... (Buddha lying down at the end of his cycle of rebirths	8th century AD
Gardiz	Śāradā script Sarada script The Śāradā, or Sharada, script is an abugida writing system of the Brahmic family of scripts, developed around the 8th century. It was used for writing Sanskrit and Kashmiri. The Gurmukhī script was developed from Śāradā... engraved on a marble statue on a marble statue of Indian elephant God Ganesh	8th century AD
Nava Vihara Nava Vihara Navbahar was a Buddhist stupa or monastery near the ancient city of Balkh in northern Afghanistan. The temple may have been an old Zoroastrian fire-temple, or it may have been converted to a Zoroastrian temple .-Rise to prominence:Navbahar, the main monastery at Balkh became the center of higher... Balkh Balkh Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
Airtam Near Termez Termez Termez is a city in southern Uzbekistan near the border with Afghanistan.Some link the name of the city to thermos, "hot" in Greek, tracing its name back to Alexander the Great. Others suggest that it came from Sanskrit taramato, meaning "on the river bank". It is the hottest point of Uzbekistan...	A stone slab with a Bactrian Bactrian language The Bactrian language is an extinct Eastern Iranian language which was spoken in the Central Asian region of Bactria. Linguistically, it is classified as belonging to the middle period of the East Iranian branch... Inscription and a carved image of Shiva
Tepe Sardar, Ghazni	Large Buddhist monastery complex	The main Stupa Stupa A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship.... is surrounded by many miniature stupas and shrines, ornamented with clay bas reliefs . There were several colossal statues of the Buddha Buddha In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened... , included one seated and of the Buddha in Nirvana Nirvana Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha... . In one shrine which is in the Hindu style a clay sculpture of Durga slaying a buffalo-demon was found
Homay Qalay Near Qandahar	Buddhist Cave Complex at Homay Qalay
Tepe Sardar Ghazni	Durga Durga For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion... Clay 10th Century	10th Century A D . The cult of Durga was popularised during the Sahi period as several images of this deity are found in Afghanistan.
Various	Coins of the Shahi Shahi The Shahi , Sahi, also called Shahiya dynasties ruled one of the Middle kingdoms of India which included portions of the Kabulistan and the old province of Gandhara , from the decline of the Kushan Empire in the 3rd century to the early 9th century... rulers of Punjab and Afghanistan have been found .	c AD 650-1000 These coins were issued from at least eight mint towns, which suggests a wider range for their circulation
Buddhas of Bamyan Buddhas of Bamyan The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2,500 meters... Bamyan Province Hazarajat Hazarajat The Hazarajat is the original homeland of the Hazara people, and lies in the central highlands of Afghanistan, among the Koh-i-Baba mountains and the western extremities of the Hindu Kush. Its physical boundaries, however, are roughly marked by the Bamiyan Basin to the north, the headwaters of... region		Built during the Shahi Shahi The Shahi , Sahi, also called Shahiya dynasties ruled one of the Middle kingdoms of India which included portions of the Kabulistan and the old province of Gandhara , from the decline of the Kushan Empire in the 3rd century to the early 9th century... Period
Khair Khana Kabul Kabul Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...	Hindu Temple Two marble statues of Shiva Shiva Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
Basawal	Basawal is the site of a Buddhist cave temple complex in eastern Afghanistan. The caves, 150 in all, are partly hewn out in two rows and arranged in seven groups, which presumably correspond to the seven monastic institutions of Buddhist times
Buddhist Cave complex at Homay Qala

Table of Pre Islamic dynasties of Afghanistan up to the advent of Islam in Afghanistan

Dynasty	Period	Domain
Hindu Shahi	Closing years of the 10th and the early 11th century. Jayapala defeated by Mahmud Mahmud of Ghazni Mahmud of Ghazni , actually ', was the most prominent ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty who ruled from 997 until his death in 1030 in the eastern Iranian lands. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which covered most of today's Iran,... in 1013 Kabuls last Shahi ruler	Gandhara Gandhara Gandhāra , is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River... overrun by Mahmud Mahmud of Ghazni Mahmud of Ghazni , actually ', was the most prominent ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty who ruled from 997 until his death in 1030 in the eastern Iranian lands. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which covered most of today's Iran,... .Kabul valley Kabul Province Kābul , situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul City, which is also Afghanistan's capital. The population of Kabul province is 3.5 million people as of 2009, of which almost 80 percent live in the urban areas...
Zunbils Zunbils Zunbils were a dynasty in what is now eastern Afghanistan, related to their contemporaries, the Shahis.-History:-Saffarid and Zunbil Struggles:...	Zunbils deposed by Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari first Saffarid ruler in 870 AD	Zabulistan Zabulistan Zabulistan , also spelled Zabolestan, is a historical region in the border area of today's Iran and Afghanistan.-History of Zabulistan:... Kandahar Kandahar Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level... .

Islamic conquest

Islamic influence prevailed increasingly upon the pre islaimc culture of Afghanistan upon invasion by Islamic conquerors in Afghanisthan over a very wide period of time in different regions of the country.

Region	Conquered by	Date
Ghazni Province Ghazni Province Ghazni is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Babur records in his Babur-Nama that Ghazni is also known as Zabulistan It is in the east of the country. Its capital is Ghazni City...	Saffarid In 683 AD, Arab armies Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the... brought Islam Islam Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~... to the area and attempted to conquer the capital of Ghazni but the local tribes fiercely resisted. Its resistance was so famed that Yaqub Saffari Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar or Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari was the founder of the Saffarid dynasty in Sistan, with its capital at Zaranj . He ruled territories that are now in Iran and Afghanistan, as well as portions of West Pakistan... (840-879) from Zaranj Zaranj Zaranj or Zarang is a border town in south-western Afghanistan, with a population of approximately 49,851 people as of 2004. It is the capital of Nimruz province and is situated next to Milak, Iran. It is linked by highways with Lashkar Gah to the east, Farah to the north and Zabol in Iran to the... made an example of Ghazni when he ranged the vast region conquering in the name of Islam. The city was completely destroyed by the Saffarids in 869 AD.	869
Balkh Balkh Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...	Samanids take Balkh	900 AD
Ghor	Mahmud of Ghazni Mahmud of Ghazni Mahmud of Ghazni , actually ', was the most prominent ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty who ruled from 997 until his death in 1030 in the eastern Iranian lands. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which covered most of today's Iran,... defeats Ibn Suri	1010
Zamindawar Zamindawar Zamindawar is a historical district of Afghanistan, situated on the right bank of the Helmand River to the northwest of Kandahar bordering the road which leads from Kandahar to Herat via Farah....		Late 9th early 10th century
Bamian		Late 9th and again late 10th centuries
Kandahar Kandahar Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...		10th and early 11th
Entire Afghanistan		1218-1221
Nuristan Province		19th century

External links

Professor Abdul Hai Habibi See article The Cultural, Social And Intellectual State Of The People Of Afghanistan In The Era Just Before The Advent Of Islam by eminent Afghan historian Abdul Hai Habibi
Shahi Coins in the Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-2000 By Colin R. Bruce, Thomas Michael Page 35
Afghan caves contain world's first oil paintings
Buddhist Sites in Afghanistan and Central Asia

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Archeology

Table of Pre Islamic dynasties of Afghanistan up to the advent of Islam in Afghanistan

Islamic conquest

See also

External links