A leaf from the Gilgit Manuscript
The Gilgit Manuscripts discovered in the early 1900s in Gilgit are one of the oldest Buddhist Manuscripts discovered in India. Believed to be one of the most revered Buddhist scriptures, it represents the discourse delivered by Buddha towards the end of his life.
Kishtwar is a region in the Jammu division of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Due to its unique location just under the shadow of the Great Himalayas and at the place where the religions and cultures of the Himalayas meet. They give Kishtwar a unique flavor which remains largely unexplored.
Kashmir has over the ages has had a great influence on Tibet in the area of Religion and allied Religious Iconry. Infact Mahayana Buddhism traveled to Tibet from Kashmir via Central Asia after the Fourth Buddhist Council in Kashmir. A large number of artisans and craftsmen were taken from Kashmir to Tibet to decorate the Monasteries as well.
Exploring the remains of the Harwan Buddhist Monastery in Kashmir where the 4 th Buddhist Council was supposed to have been held in the First Century. It was Emperor Kanishka of the Kushan under whose aegis the Council took place and it was after this Council that hundreds of Buddhist Monks went to Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan and Tibet to propagate Mahayana Buddhism.