Kharoshthi Manuscripts from Gandhara
Publisher: M. Nasim Khan
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Peshawar, Pakistan
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 163
ISBN-13: 9789699270024
Description: This book showcases a unique collection of Kharoṣṭhī Buddhist manuscripts probably discovered in the easternmost region of Maha Gandhara—now known as eastern Afghanistan. These manuscripts are among the most significant recent discoveries in Gandharan archaeology. M. Nasim Khan first studied the manuscripts from 1996 to 1999. After being safeguarded and analyzed, the manuscripts were formally published in 2004. They are among the earliest known Mahayana Buddhist texts and provide critical evidence that certain early Chinese Buddhist sutras are translations of Gandhari-language precursors. They establish a direct linguistic and cultural link between Gandhara and China, reflecting the transmission of Buddhism via the Silk Road.