Buddhism is the world’s fourth largest religion with over 520 million followers, or over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists. It originated in ancient India sometime between 6th and 4th centuries BCE, spreading through much of Asia. Buddhism was the religion of ‘Bactria, Parthia, Afghanistan, Gandhar & Chinese Turkestan’.
Primary reason for fall of Buddhism in India can be attributed to Invasion of Muslim marauders. Islam destroyed Buddhism wherever it went.
The other main reason was in the construction of the religion itself. While a Hindu Brahmin was given training to do the rituals at his house and carry forward the Hindu tradition,; a Buddhist monk had to attend regular training at the Buddha Viharas or a University. The destruction of such places of learning and killing of Monks in thousands, resulted in shortage of disciples to carry the religion ahead.
The ‘Tabakat-i-Nasiri’ by ‘Maulana Minhaj-ud-din’, is held in high esteem by Historians around the world. It has a recorded account of raid on Nalanda, as given to him by the holy warriors, when reached the gateway of the fortress and attacked Nalanda.
The historian has written:-
The greater number of inhabitants were Brahamanas, (this is how the Buddhist Monks were referred to by the Muslim historians at that period), and the whole of those Brahamanas had their heads shaven and they were all slain. There were a great number of books which were put to fire. This destruction happened around the year 1197 AD.
The Tibetan Monk ‘Dharmaswamin’ came to India in AD 1234 and stayed in Magadha for 2½ years. He found Nalanda to be a ghost town. Of the eight temples, the fourteen large and eighty four smaller monasteries, only two Viharas were in serviceable condition.
Swami Vivekananda, has mentioned in no uncertain terms about the direct relationship between the economic and intellectual superior level attained by Central Asian regions under the influence of Buddhism and its present day degeneration due to adoption of Islam. This one incident is enough to prove the analytical prowess of Vivekananda.
When we read these paras in today’s context of spread of ISIS and the barbarism being displayed by the present generation of Central Asian countries, we are left wondering why our so called eminent historians have twisted these facts and what are their the real motives?
Yeshwant Marathe
#Buddhism #Islam
