The very earliest influence of Buddhism in Himachal Pradesh is traced to the
Ashokan period in the 3rd century BC. He had established many stupas, and one of them was traced to the state in the
Kulu valley, as cited in the chronicles of the
Chinese travellers. Mention is also made of a much earlier propagation during Buddha's time itself by Sthavira Angira and Stavira Kanakavatsa, in the
Kailash area and
Kashmir respectively. In the 7th century,
King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet had deputed Thomi Sambota to visit
Buddhist Viharas in India to imbibe more of
Indian Buddhist knowledge. It was in 749 AD that Padmasambhava (hailed as the second Buddha) with his compatriot
Shantarakshita established the
Vajrayana Buddhism in the Western Himalayan region.
Archaeological evidence in Himachal Pradesh offers strong evidence of Buddhist influence.
Numismatic evidence has established the presence of Buddhism in the Kuluta region (upper Beas region of the Kuluta Kingdom) of the state in the 1st century BC and 2nd century AD. On the
Palampur-Malan- Dadh-
Dharamshala road, from Malan rock inscriptions in
Brahmi and
Kharoshti scripts of 3rd and 2nd century BC have been discovered on a single granite rock known as
Lakhina pathar, which are supported by the Buddhist monuments at Chahri; inscribed pedestals of
Vajravarahi (Buddhist
tantric goddess) is dated to 5th or early 6th century. Handa's archaeological explorations have also unearthed a headless stone image of Buddha (now in the
Kangra Museum) at sites of Chetru and Kanhiara villages; Chetru in local lingua is interpreted as
Chaitya in
Sanskrit. Names such as Matth and
Trilokinath and one dozen
maths in Kangra and Mandi districts further point to Buddhist establishments between the 3rd century BC and 6th century AD. Cave type (
guha type) Buddhist monastery at Gandhala has been inferred from a copper lot (pot), chased with
Jataka episode discovered in a monastic cell in
Kullu subdivision of the Kangra division which is dated to the 2nd century AD. Trilokinath and Gandhala (also known as
Guru Ghantal), beyond
Rohtang la pass are considered classical Buddhist shrines of
Indian Buddhism (inferred to predate Padmasmbhava's times by many centuries). Discovery of marble head (7th or 8th century AD) of
Avalokiteshvara at the confluence of
Chandra and Bhagha Rivers support evidence of monastic activities in these remote regions. Archaeological evidence also supports the influence of
Vajrayana Buddhism influence prior to the 8th century in the region east of Sutlej river. Cult powers of Padmasambhava, before he went to Tibet (before 747 AD), are also deciphered from legends at
Nako in Kinnaur, Trilokinath and Gandhala in Lahaul, and Rewalsar in Mandi district. From the mid 8th century (after 747 AD) evidence of Buddhist activities remain obscure till Tibetan Buddhism penetrated the region in the 10th century.
Rinchen Zangpo was urged by Buddhist Guru Shantarakshita from Kashmir, who had already established a monastic order in Tibet, to travel around to spread Buddhism in the trans-Himalayan region. At that time, Zangpo was teaching in Kashmir. He embarked on his campaign to teach Buddhism in the trans-Himalayan region by travelling through Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur valleys of the
Sutlej River valley, in Himachal Pradesh, then to
Ladakh and further on to Tibet,
Nepal,
Sikkim and
Bhutan. He established
Buddhist Dharma in all these regions. This period was called the "Second Coming" of Buddhism in the region since earlier efforts made had not progressed much. Thus, from the 14th century onwards, the monasteries had adopted a fort-like design for its buildings from logistic considerations and built them as "religio-military strongholds"; many of them have disappeared due to invasions but some have survived in Ladakh and Spiti valleys in India. Zangpo's "Classical monasteries" in Western Tibet, in Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh, and in Ladakh have survived and are fairly well preserved for posterity. However, instances of greed and neglect have been reported in some monasteries. The 14th Dalai Lama established his "Government in exile", in 1960 at Mcleod Ganj in the upper part of the town of Dharamshala. This has since become the nerve centre of Tibetan Buddhism with the Tibetan refugees establishing monasteries of their sects, such as the Gelukpa, Sakyapa, Kargyupa, Nyingmapa, Chonangpa and Dragung-Kargyupa; Non-Buddhist of
Bön religion also have established their monastery here. Over 40 monasteries (unofficial records) of these sects have been reported. In order to educate ethnic Tibetan youths in Dharamshala and the Himalayan border students of India, the
Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) was established at
Varanasi by Pt.
Jawahar Lal Nehru in consultation with the Dalai Lama. The institute, a
Deemed University since 1988, is currently headed by Prof. Ngawang Samten, assisted by faculty members of the institute. ==Earliest lake and monasteries==