Buddhist monuments systematically destroyed in India

by Kishore Walanju, India, The Buddhist Channel, Feb 28, 2006

My special thanks to you for starting the Buddhist Channel. I am confident that the channel will spread Dhamma all over world. It is my great pleasure to communicate you.

I would like to point out that during the time of King Ashoka 90% people of India were Buddhists. To cement Buddhism as a state religion, King Ashoka established 80 thousand stupa and caves. After the king's death, when his grandson Prince Brahspad became his successor, radical Brahmins and their leader Pushamitra Shung killed the prince in a conspiracy and took control of empire.

The systematic genocide of Buddhism began with the murder of prominent Buddhist monks and scholars. These radical brahmins were also in cohort with the Turkish Muslim King Mehmood Gazani and Babar, destroying revered Buddhist institutions such as the University of Nalanda and plundering other renowned centers such as Taxshila and Gandhara. Buddhists who opposed them were either killed and those who lost the war against them were made untouchables.

As the Brahmins ruled supreme in India (then called Bharat), the Buddhist population were further decimated by dividing them into different castes and communities. After some time, Buddhists became nothing more than secluled castes, rival tribes and other backward classes . It is most unfortunate that the true history of the decimation of Buddhis in India is not made made known. This is hardly surprising given the dominance of politics, education and media by the Brahmins.

Today the stupas and caves which were established by King Ashoka are under danger of demolition and being converted as Brahminical places of worship.These ancient Buddhist monuments require urgent protection and I implore Buddhists elsewhere to help safeguard these invaluable artifacts. If you want evidence of such destructions, I can send you the relevant photographs.
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