Languages and Art, How the Kushans Communicated in an Urban Setting

The Kushans built an empire across South Asia and Central Asia. The rich material culture especially the art works called Gandharan Buddhist art during the period of the first century BCE to the third century CE developed in flourishing urban centers. The rulers from the steppe who did not have a written record but spoke various Central Asian languages entered the lands that not only were rich in agricultural resources, but also was a hub of the Silk Road of multiple cultural heritages. The Kushans employed various local languages—Greek, Bactrian, Gandharan, mid-Indian Prakrit, and Sanskrit to communicate with their diverse subjects. Buddhism established in the region and joined the urban society under the Kushan regime. Monks came from all directions learned to communicate inside the sangha and with residents and visitors in the cities. Buddhists rendered their texts in Sanskrit, a system for foreign followers to learn and to translate Buddhist texts. Meanwhile, monasteries promoted drama and sculptural arts to convey stories that embodied Buddha’s doctrine to the audience who mostly could not comprehend the verbal languages.