The history of Buddhism spans from the 5th century BCE to the present. Buddhism arose in the eastern part of Ancient India, in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha (now in Bihar, India), and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today. The religion evolved as it spread from the northeastern region of the Indian subcontinent through Central, East, and Southeast Asia.

Buddhsim's journey to China:

•  It is not certain when Buddhism reached China, but with the Silk Road opened in the second century BC, missionaries and pilgrims began to travel between China, Central Asia and India. The record described that Chang Ch’ien, on his return from Ta-hsia (Ferghana) in the 2nd century BC, heard of a country named Tien-chu (India) and their Buddhist teaching. This is probably the first time a Chinese heard about Buddhism.
• A fully sinicized Buddhist religion and art emerged and spread into Korea, and thence into Japan by the end of the sixth century.

Buddhist art centres in China:
1) The Tian-tai School, for instance, developed a system of teaching and practice based on the Lotus Sutra.

2) The Chan School emphasised the practice of meditation as the direct way of gaining insight and experiencing Enlightenment in this very life.

3) Central Asian missionary efforts along the Silk Roadwere accompanied by a flux of artistic influences, visible in the development of Serindian art from the 2nd through the 11th century in the Tarim Basin, modern Xinjiang.

4) Serindian art often derives from the Greco-Buddhist art of the Gandhara district of what is now Pakistan, combining Indian, Greek and Roman.

Buddhism in other parts:

• As early as the time of King Ashoka of India, monks were sent to Thaton to spread the Buddha’s teachings. Thaton was a trading centre of southern Burma. Buddhism was widely accepted by the people in Thaton as more Buddhist missionaries arrived from Indian Buddhist centres. Thaton soon became an important centre for Theravada Buddhism.
• Buddhism in Cambodia: By the end of the fourth century, Indian influence had spread throughout the kingdom of the Cambodians. In the following two centuries, the rulers practised Hinduism but gave some support to the Buddhist communities, which practised mainly Mahayana Buddhism.
• King Jayavarman VII was a devout Buddhist. Under him Mahayana Buddhism became for a time the dominant religion of the kingdom. He built the new city of Angkor (called Angkor Thom), in the centre of which was a temple called the Bayon
• Buddhism in Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula:
  It is said that late in the fifth century a Buddhist monk from India landed in the kingdom in central Java and converted the queen to Buddism.She then made Mahayana Buddhism as the official religion.
• Japan:In modern times, Japan’s most popular schools of Buddhism are Pure Land Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism and Zen

The famous places for Buddhist pilgrimage in various countries include:
Afghanistan: the Bamiyan Buddhas.
Cambodia: Angkor Thom, Silver Pagoda.
Tibet: Potala Palace, Mount Kailash, Lake Nam-tso.
Indonesia: Borobudur, Mendut, Sewu.
Japan: Kyoto, Nara, Shikoku Pilgrimage, Kansai Kannon Pilgrimag