Question

Name the countries where the worship of Bodhisattvas became famous.

Answer 1

Hint: Bodhisattvas were the people in Buddhism who attained enlightenment. Their teachings were not confined to India rather spread to other parts of the world. They are very famously known as Avalokitesvara or Guanyin in one region of the world.

Complete answer: A new form of Buddhism emerged which was known as Mahayana Buddhism. This had two distinct features. First was the creation of statues of Buddha, unlike earlier where Buddha’s presence was shown in sculptures using signs such as peepal trees etc. The second was the belief in Bodhisattvas. This was supposed to be any person who has attained enlightenment. Once they are enlightened they isolate themselves with the rest of the world and devote their lives in teaching and helping other people.
Their teachings became very famous and spread to other parts of the world such as Central Asia, China and later to Korea and Japan.
They were known within different names in different parts of the world. In Tibet they were known as Avalokiteshvara or Spyan ras gzigs, in China they were known as Guanyin and Kannon in Japan.

Note: Buddhism also spread to the southeastwards, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, other parts of Southeast Asia including Indonesia. Theravada Buddhism, the older form of Buddhism was more popular in these areas.