There are many problems in preparing
a chronological table for a period of 2525 years.
The fixing of the actual year of occurrence of an
event is the chief among them. For example, although
the historicity of the Buddha is now well established,
there are several views regarding the year that is
ascribed to the Parinibbana (demise) of the Buddha,
which is the beginning of the Buddhist era. The year
544 B.C. was taken as the date of Parinibbana and
the chronological table was constructed on this basis.
Due to scantiness of information,
certain events are placed by historians within broad
periods, running into sevral centuries. In such cases
the event is included under the first year or century.
As far as possible, the dates occurring in standard
books were taken in preparing the chronology.
| B.E. |
C.E. |
|
|
| -80 |
-462 |
Birth
of Prince Shiddhartha |
|
| -45 |
-589 |
The
Enlightenment |
Bimbisara,
King of Magadha; Confucius and Lao-Tse in China
and Mahavira
in India, lived during this century. |
| 1 |
-544
(-383) |
Parinibbana
of the Buddha
and First Council at Rajagha |
Ajatasattu,
King of Magadha
|
| 100 |
-444
(-383) |
Second
Council at Vesali and first schism |
Kalasoka
King of Magadha |
| 218 |
-326 |
|
Expedition
of Alexander the Great to India. |
| 280
to |
-264
-227 |
Reign
of Emperor Asoka |
Punic
Wars between Rome and Carthage began (264BC) |
| 294 |
-250 |
Emperor
Asoka becomes a Buddhist after Kalinga war |
|
| 297 |
-247 |
Third
Council at Pataliputta, sending of missionaries
to Kasmira Gandhara, Mahisamandala, Vanavasa,
Aparantaka, Maharattha all regions in India, Yona
country (Greece), Himalaya Region, Suvannabhumi
(Lower Burma, Siam and Cambodia) and Lanka (Ceylon) |
|
| 298 |
-246 |
Greco
- Bactrian Kingdom founded by Dicdotus |
|
| 304 |
-240 |
|
Kustana,
son of Asoka founded the kingdom of Khotan, Central
Asia |
| 330 |
-214 |
|
Great
Wall of China begun |
| 333 |
-211 |
First
Buddhist Monastery in Khotan |
|
| 359
to |
-185
-72 |
|
Sunga
Period in Central India. |
| 443
to |
-101
-77 |
Building
of the Great Thupa, Suvannamali in Anuradhapura.
Beginning of the tradition of Rock cut temples
at Karle (1st century BC) Nasik, Kanheri, Junnar,
Bhaja (2nd century BC) Ajanta (2nd century BC-7
century CE) and Ellora (5 century - 8 century
CE). |
King
Dutugemunu in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Andras
in Ujjeni. |
| 489 |
-55 |
|
Julius
Caeser’s first expedition to Britain. |
| 500 |
-44 |
King
Menander, theBactrian king meets Van Nagasena
in Sialkot, and becomes a Buddhist: writing of
Milinda Pañha: Beginning of Greco-Buddhist Gandhara
School of art and architecture which greatly influenced
Central Asia. |
Bactrian
Empire. |
| 514 |
-30 |
|
Establishment
of Roman Empire by Augustus. |
| 515
to |
-29
-17 |
The
Ti-pitaka rendered into writing for first time
at Aloka-vihara, Matale, Sri Lanka: The Fourth
Buddhist Council according to Theravada tradition
held in Sri Lanka |
Reign
of Vattagamini Abhaya in Sri Lanka (29-17 BC) |
| 540 |
-4 |
|
True
date of birth of Jesus of Nazareth |
| 542 |
-2 |
Yi-chen,
an envoy of the King of Yueh-chis arrived in Chang-an
and taught Buddhist scriptures |
|
| 544 |
|
|
Christian
era began. |
| 569 |
25 |
|
Eastern
Han dynasty in China. (25-221 CE) |
| 611 |
67 |
Official
introduction of Buddhism to China |
|
| 622 |
78 |
Fourth
Buddhist Council (not recognized by Theravada)
at Jalandhar in Kashmir: Ven. Vasumitra and Asvaghosa:
writing of Vaibhasa-Sastra |
Reign
of Kushan King, Kanishka. Beginning of Saka Era.
(other dates 128 CE, 144 CE) |
| 694 |
150 |
Ven
Nagarjuna, the propounder of the Madhymika philoshophy
a contemporary of Yajna Sri Gautamiputra |
|
| 710 |
166 |
|
Reign
of Satavahana King of India, Yajna Sri Gautamiputra
(166-196CE) |
| 708 |
164 |
|
Great
Plague began and lasted to the death of M. Aurelius
(180CE) This devastated all Asia. Century of war
and disorder in the Roman Empire began. |
| 719 |
175-
225 |
Ven.
Mon-tseu of China who wrote a treatise comparing
Buddhism with the teachings of Confucius and Lao
Tse. |
|
| 814 |
270-
350 |
Ven.
Maitreya (natha) the founder of the Yogacara school |
|
| 824 |
280 |
Vasubandhu,
brother of Asanga. (280-360 CE) |
|
| 843 |
299 |
Goodwill
mission from King Vasudeva of Gandhara to China |
|
| 847 |
303 |
|
Persecution
of Christian by Emperor Diocletian |
| 864 |
320 |
|
Beginning
of reign of Chandra Gupta and of the Gupta era
(300-606 CE) |
|
|
|
With
permission from King Chandragupta a Sinhalese
monastery established at BuddhaGaya
by King Sri Meghavanna (304-333 CE) |
|
| 888 |
344 |
Birth
of Kumarajiva. |
|
| 894 |
350 |
Asanga,
most prominent teacher of Yogacara |
|
| 916 |
372 |
Buddhism
introduced to Kogaryu in North Korea by a Chinese
monk |
|
| 928 |
384 |
Buddhism
introduced from Central Asia to Pakche in S. W.
Korea by a monk called Ven. Marananda |
|
| 930 |
386 |
Buddhism
declared State religion in China |
Northern
Wei dynasty in China 386-353 CE. |
| 943 |
399 |
Travels
of Fa-Hien (Fa-hsien) in India (399-414 CE) |
Reign
of Chandragupta II of India 375-413 CE |
| 946 |
402 |
Buddhism
introduced to Silla in SE Korea: Buddhapalita
and Bhavaviveke of Madhyamika school (1st half
of 5 century CE): Dinnaga, acclaimed to be the
founder of Buddhist logic; Buddhadatta |
|
| 953 |
409 |
Hiu
Shen undertakes a mission to Mexico during the
reign of King Yung Yuan. Returned 543 CE. |
|
| 964 |
420 |
Ven.
Sanghavarman translated books on Vinaya from Sanskrit
to Chinese |
|
| 975 |
431 |
Ven.
Gunavarman’s mission to Vietnam, Java and
China. Java became a Buddhist country under his
influence. |
|
| 979 |
435 |
Ven.
Gunabhadra, a Sri Lankan arrived in Indrapuri
(Hue) from China. |
|
| 1002 |
458 |
Arrival
of Ven. Buddhaghosa, the great pali commentator
in Mahavihara, Anuradhapura; Samantapasadika,
the Vinaya commentary was begun in the 20th and
finished in the 21st year of the king’s reign. |
Reign
of King Mahanama in Sri Lanka 458-480 CE |
| 1032 |
488 |
Ven.
Sangabodhi from Sri Lanka arrived in Tonking and
proceeded to Jetavana Vihara Canton |
|
| 1046 |
502-
549 |
Ven.
Bodhidharma, founder of the Chinese, Ch’an
sect. |
|
| 1070 |
526 |
Ven.
Bodhidharma left for China from Vietnam |
|
| 1092 |
548 |
Arrival
of Ven. Paramartha (Po-lo-mo-tho) (513-569 CE)
of Ujjain in Nanking |
|
| 1096 |
552 |
Buddhism
introduced to Japan from Kudara (Pakche) one of
the kingdoms of Korea. |
|
| 1114 |
570 |
|
Muhammad
was born |
| 1119 |
575 |
Ven.
Chandrakirti of the Madhymika school |
|
| 1138 |
594 |
Prince
Shotoku issued an Imperial Ordinance supporting
and urging the development of the Three Jewels |
|
| 1150 |
606 |
Ascendancy
of King Harsadeva of Kanauj, a great Buddhist
benefactor (606-647 CE) |
|
| 1161 |
617 |
Ascendancy
of King Sron-btsan-sgam-po in Tibet and official
introduction of Buddbism into
Tibet. |
|
| 1162 |
618 |
|
Tang
dynasty in China 618-906CE |
| 1173 |
629 |
Ven
Yuan Chwang or Hieun Tsang (602-660CE) starts
on his journey to India; Travelled in India from
633-644 and returned to China in 645 CE. |
|
| 1215 |
671 |
I’Tsing’s
visit to kingdom of Sri Vijaya. On his outward
journey to India, Sri Vijaya a Theravada centre;
Travelled from 671-695 CE. |
|
| 1228 |
684 |
Talang
Tuwo Ins. in Sri Vijaya Kingdom. |
|
| 1239 |
695 |
Re-Visit
to Sri Vijaya by I’tsing: Sri Vijaya had
become a Mahayana outpost. |
|
| 1254 |
710 |
Beginning
of Nara period in Japan. |
Nara
made the capital |
| 1258 |
714 |
Persecution
of Buddhists in China by Yen T’sing: Pala
Rule in Bengal - a Buddhist dynasty: Rise of Nalanda
University and the Universities of Vickremasila
and Odantipuri. |
|
| 1299 |
755 |
Ascendancy
of King Khri-Sron-Ide-btsan. |
|
| 1319 |
775 |
Ligor
Inscription-patronage of the Sri Vijaya Kingdom
to Mahayana Buddhism |
|
| 1338 |
794 |
Kyoto
period in Japan |
Helan,
Kyoto became the capital (794-1194 CE) |
