Q.On an outline world map, mark the areas to which Buddhism spread. Trace the land and sea routes from the subcontinent to these areas.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Buddhism spread from the Indian subcontinent along two great networks: the northern land route (the Silk Road) through Central Asia to China and Korea, and the southern sea route across the Bay of Bengal to Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka.
To understand how Buddhism spread beyond India, you have to picture the subcontinent not as an isolated landmass but as a hub at the crossroads of ancient trade. From the time of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka (3rd century BCE), Buddhist monks and merchants travelled together, carrying not just goods but ideas. The religion moved along two distinct corridors: one overland through the harsh deserts and mountain passes of Central Asia, and the other across the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
The Northern Land Route (The Silk Road)
This was the great overland highway that linked India to Central Asia, China, and eventually Korea and Japan. The route began in the north-western parts of the subcontinent — in the region of Gandhara (modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan) and the city of Taxila, a major centre of Buddhist learning. From there, travellers moved through the passes of the Hindu Kush mountains into the Tarim Basin (in present-day Xinjiang, China). Key oasis towns like Khotan, Kashgar, and Dunhuang became thriving Buddhist centres, filled with monasteries and cave temples. The route then continued eastward to the Chinese capital at Chang’an (modern Xi’an). From China, Buddhism later crossed the sea to the Korean peninsula and then to Japan.
The NCERT textbook specifically mentions that Khotan was a major centre of Buddhism on the Silk Road. Chinese pilgrims like Faxian and Xuanzang later travelled this same route in reverse to visit Buddhist sites in India.
The Southern Sea Route
The second great corridor was maritime. From ports on the eastern coast of the subcontinent — especially Tamralipti (in present-day West Bengal) and the ports of the Krishna-Godavari delta — ships set sail across the Bay of Bengal. The first major destination was Sri Lanka, where according to tradition, Ashoka’s son Mahinda introduced Buddhism in the 3rd century BCE. From Sri Lanka, the religion spread further east to Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and the islands of Sumatra and Java (in modern Indonesia). The famous Buddhist monument at Borobudur in Java is a testament to this maritime spread. …
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