Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan

Untitled A coalition of Sasanians and Western Turks defeats the Hephthalites in 565. From the 5th through the 7th century, many Chinese Buddhist pilgrims continue to travel through Afghanistan. The pilgrim Hsüan-tsang (Xüanzang) writes an important account of his travels (several of the religious centers he visits, including Hadda, Ghazna, Konduz, Bamiyan, Shotorak, and Bagram, have been excavated). Under the Hephthalites and Sasanians, many of the Afghan princedoms have come under the influence of Hinduism. The Hindu kings (Shahi) are concentrated in the Kabul and Ghazni areas. Excavated sites of the period include a major Hindu Shahi temple north of Kabul and a chapel in Ghazni that contains both Buddhist and Hindu statuary, indicating that there is a mingling of these two religions.

by Jeff Moran