• D K SHAHI

The cultural landscape of a place describes everything about the culture; the evolution, the morphology and the characteristics, along with everything else, sometimes explicitly and more often implicitly. It reveals the expressions and configurations of the culture, self-identity and its distinctiveness. It also reveals the narratives of the place or a space and its history, in addition to the cultural continuity and discontinuity. Nonetheless, it also explains the phenomena of spatial interaction or more accurately the processes of cultural transmission or cultural diffusion. The theme of this research is the Interpretation of the cultural landscape of Kashgar. It explains the role of culture in shaping the landscapes and interprets the significance of the ancient landscape in the cultural history of Kashgar. The morphology of the ancient cultural landscape of Kashgar bears the imprints of Buddhist culture and tradition. This research evaluates the integrity of the landscape and (re)evaluates the role of Buddhism in the creation of the ancient cultural landscapes of Kashgar. The expressive form of this landscape includes the ruins of ancient monuments (stupas and monasteries). These ruins are just a few of the elements visible in the historic landscape. This research has focused on the character of these historical landscapes. However, much of the character of the historic landscape has been lost or modified; the existing features are sufficient to reveal the cultural value of the landscape. It helps to explain the importance (significance) of these landscapes. The present research also interprets the existence of these stupas and monasteries; how it come into existence and what it reveals about its Buddhist history. It also interprets the historic events and activities associated with the development of the Buddhist cultural landscape. Therefore, the spatial configuration or the location of Buddhist stupas and monasteries has been evaluated not in isolation but in terms of cultural interaction. The study has also touched upon the process of cultural transmission or cultural diffusion (the movement of people and the flow culture).

Buddhism, Kashgar, Cultural Landscape, Cultural Diffusion

"Buddhism in Kashgar: An Interpretation of the Ancient Cultural Landscape ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.381-393, June 2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1906X85.pdf

"Buddhism in Kashgar: An Interpretation of the Ancient Cultural Landscape ", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp381-393, June 2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1906X85.pdf