The Kanishka Stupa: When a Kushan Emperor Built for Buddhism

In this episode of Religion and Empire: How Faith Built Nations, Lucas and Luna explore the monumental reign of Kanishka I, the Kushan emperor who built the Kanishka Stupa near Peshawar — a towering structure that became a global Buddhist pilgrimage site. They discuss Kanishka's role in the Fourth Buddhist Council, his patronage of Gandharan art and the Silk Road, the fusion of Greek and Indian artistic styles in the region's sculpture, and the later destruction of the stupa by Mahmud of Ghazni. The conversation also touches on the mysterious origins of the Kushans (the Yuezhi), the Kushan script and language, and the legacy of Kanishka's coins featuring both Buddhist and Zoroastrian deities. This episode offers a fresh angle on how a non-Indian empire shaped the spread of Buddhism across Asia. #KanishkaStupa #KushanEmpire #BuddhistArchitecture #GandharanArt #SilkRoad #MahmudOfGhazni #FourthBuddhistCouncil #KanishkaI #Gandhara #Peshawar #Yuezhi #Buddhism #Zoroastrianism #Coins #IndianHistory #CentralAsianHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo