Buddhist Literature from Gandhāra written in Kharoṣṭhī script

Texts that were known in Gandhāra between the first century BC and the third century CE, based on Kharoṣṭhī manuscript evidence.

Mahāyāna

List of Mahāyāna texts with parallels in extant Kharoṣṭhī manuscripts and those likely to have existed (lighter font color).
text reason yāna Khar. manuscript Skt. parallel Chin. parallel Tib. parallel no parallel
Ugraparipṛcchā K mahā x (x) x 180–190 CE x
Samantaprabhāsamādhi-sūtra* L? mahā x 179 CE
Śūraṃgamasamādhi-sūtra L? mahā (x) x 186 CE (lost) x
Akṣobhyatathāgatasyavyūha-sūtra L mahā (x) x 179 CE x
Kāśyapaparivarta L mahā x x 179 CE x
Bodhisattvacaryāmañjuśrīparipṛcchā* L mahā x 170–190 CE
Lokānuvartanā-sūtra L mahā (x) x 170–190 CE x
Avataṃsaka-sūtra (part of) L mahā x 170–190 CE x
Ajātaśatrukaukṛtyavinodanā-sūtra L mahā x 170–190 CE x
Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra K śrāvaka x 200–300 CE ca. fragments x 290–306 CE x
Bodhisattvacaryā-sūtra* / Vīradattaparipṛcchā K mahā x 150–250 CE ca. (x) x 209–306 CE x
Sucitti-sūtra* K mahā x 050–150 CE ca. x 308 CE
Devaputravyākaraṇa* K mahā x 100 CE ca. x
Bhadrakalpika-sūtra K mahā x 210–417 CE (C14) fragments ca. 500 CE, (x) x 300 CE x
Bodhisattvapiṭaka-sūtra K mahā x 150–250 CE ca. x 500 CE ca. x 645 CE x
Drumakinnararājaparipṛcchā-sūtra L C mahā x 170–190 CE x
Lalitavistara A mahā x x
Maitreya(mahā)siṃhanāda-sūtra C mahā x 425 CE ca. x
Prajñāpāramitā, Aṣṭasāhasrikā K mahā x 047–147 CE (C14) x 150–250 ca. x 179 CE x
Prajñāpāramitā, Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā C mahā x x x
Pratyutpannabuddhasaṃmukhāvasthitasamādhi-sūtra (4, 7) K mahā x 050–150 CE ca. fragments x 179 CE x
Rāṣṭrapālaparipṛcchā-sūtra G mahā x 1661 CE x 270 CE x
Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra G mahā x 450–550 CE ca. x 286 CE x
Candrapradīpasamādhi-sūtra / Samādhirāja-sūtra K mahā x 050–150 CE ca. x 500–600 CE ca. x 420–479 CE x
Saṃgītidharmaparyāya K śrāvaka x 0–100 CE ca. fragments x 660–664 CE
Sarvapuṇyasamuccayasamādhi-sūtra K mahā x 200–350 CE ca. (x) x 265–313 CE x
Sukhāvatīvyūha (Larger) / Amitābhavyūha G mahā x 550–650 CE ca. x 170–190 CE x
Sukhāvatīvyūha (Smaller) ? mahā x x 402 CE x
Vimalakīrtinirdeśa G mahā x 1150–1250 CE ca. x 223–228 CE x
A Contains the Arapacana.
C Conceptual elements shared with other early datable documents. No manuscript evidence yet.
G Underlying Prakrit, most probably Gāndhārī. No manuscript evidence yet.
K Kharoṣṭhī manuscript evidence.
L Translated by Lokakṣema.
* Title not attested, tentatively translation from the Chinese.