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The Kashmir Timeline

Kanishka

The Kushan emperor linked by tradition to Buddhism in Kashmir.

Kanishka photograph

Photo: No machine-readable author provided. World Imaging assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Kanishka ruled the Kushan Empire, which stretched from Central Asia into northern India. Buddhist tradition remembers him as a great patron who called a council of monks in Kashmir, and Kalhana mentions towns in the Valley named after Kushan rulers.

Facts

  • His coins show gods from Greek, Iranian and Indian traditions, including one of the earliest images of the Buddha on a coin.
  • The dates of his reign are still debated, with most estimates in the early 2nd century CE.