Trade · c. 127–150 CE
Kanishka and the Kushan crossroads
Purushapura (Peshawar, Pakistan)
The Kushan Empire, which ruled from Central Asia to northern India between about 30 and 375 CE, reached its peak under Kanishka, who reigned from about 127 to 150 CE from Purushapura (Peshawar) and Mathura. It linked Silk Road caravan routes with Indian Ocean sea trade, and Kanishka, though not himself a convert, patronised Buddhism and both the Gandhara and Mathura schools of Buddhist art.
Why it mattered
Kushan control of the routes between India, Iran and China helped carry Buddhism, especially Mahayana Buddhism, into Central Asia and China.
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