Sculptures of the Buddha and other deities were produced in great numbers under the Kushāns, most notably at Mathurā, their leading city and religious centre in northern India.

An important innovation documented by Kushān sculpture is the emergence of Bodhisattvas – such as Avalokiteśvara and Maitreya – as objects of devotional worship. Bodhisattvas are semi-divine figures dedicated to the Buddhist ideals of detachment and liberation. However, they are also embodiments of compassion and and so remain sympathetic to human concerns. As such, Bodhisattvas became a focus of literary activity, visualisation and popular veneration. These developments marked the beginning of the branch of Buddhism known as Mahāyāna – the ‘Great Vehicle’.

According to Tibetan and Chinese sources, King Kanishka (reigned about AD 127-151) convened the ‘Fourth Council’, an assembly which codified Buddhist monastic rules and scriptures, making a place for Mahāyāna cults and schools of thought. The Council also prepared the way for the translation of Buddhist scriptures into new languages, heralding the spread of Buddhism and Mahāyāna culture into Afghanistan, central Asia and China.