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Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
No archaeological evidence of violence between Buddhism and Hinduism in the past
India has been the progenitor of several faiths and religions. From time to time, several philosophers were born who contributed to the various schools of thought prevalent in this nation. These philosophies were also spread among the public which were gradually adopted into the ecosystem of social thought. Prominent among these philosophers were Gautam Buddha, Mahavir, Swami Charvak etc. It is also important to note here that the eternal ideology of India also gave equal opportunity to all religions to flourish. There was ideological difference of new religions from the age-old Vedic tradition, but it never gave rise to enmity and violence. Among these above sects, one sect which spread not only in India but the whole world like others was Buddhism Around 2600 years ago, Siddhartha Gautam, a Kshatriya, adopted the path of non-violence with an aim of eradicating the wrongdoings in the society. This led to the emergence of Buddhism. The philosophy of Buddhism primarily focused on the eradication of elaborate rituals and posed a contradiction against the virtues in the Vedic Hindu tradition, but this never gave rise to enmity between Hindus and Buddhists. Modern day history books and texts speak about the presence of enmity and violence between these groups which seems to be untrue on archeological grounds. Many historians have also written, based on ancient texts, that Hindu kings demolished Buddhist stupas. But the question is, is there any archeological evidence for this? The Shunga dynasty is considered to be the biggest enemy of the Buddhists and ruled around 2200 years Shunga king who ruled the large territory of India was a follower of the Vedic tradition, but did the Shungas break the Buddhist stupa? The answer is no, because the world famous Sanchi Stupa, which was built in the Maurya period, is safe till now only because stone casing was done on the entire stupa in the Shunga period. The vedika and pradaksinapath of stone were also built during the Sunga period. Not only this, the Torana gate was also built in Sanchiduring the time of the Satavahana kings, who were also followers of the Vedic tradition. These Torana gates are 4 in number and include panels of the life of Buddha and several anecdotes related to Buddhism. If these followers of the Vedic Hindu tradition were against Buddhism or there was any mutual enmity in the society, the protection of stupas and additional architectural features would not have been possible. Moreover, Buddhist stupas and Hindu temples have been built together in Sanchi. The main stupa is near Temple No. 17 which is one of the earliest examples of Hindu Temple and during the Gupta period, 4 statues of Buddha was built on the 4 Torana gates at Sanchi. This archeological evidence is a proof of the fact that the eternal tradition did not have any violent differences between the Hindu and Buddhist sects. In Ujjain, which is one of the oldest cities in India, a huge stupa was built around 2300 years ago by the Mauryan dynasty. Ujjain is also a big centre of Shaivism. Surprisingly, the 2300-year-old stupa is still completely preserved. Thus, if the story of breaking the stupas by Hindus in the history books is correct, then how is the huge stupa of Ujjain, which is known as Vaishya Tekri, safe? Although, due to decline in Buddhist population in the region, the rituals associated with the stupa discontinued over time and it became a mound with no maintenance. However, evidence of destruction is still not present in this monument. The biggest centre of Buddhism is Bodh Gaya, where construction work was done by Ashoka. The 'anti-Buddhist' Shungas took steps of renovation at this site. The vedikas built during the Gupta period is available for display at the Site Museum. In the later period a grand temple was built during the Gupta Dynasty who were followers of the Vedic tradition. As far as the history of Shashank, ruler of Gaud, is concerned about breaking the Bodhi tree, there are no material evidence for this event and is a fantasy. No archeological evidence is there for this incident. In addition to the above-mentioned descriptions, there are many archeological evidences that prove unfounded fanciful things like Hindu-Buddhist violence, destruction of each other's holy sites. Hinduism and Buddhism are two parts of the eternal tradition, there is definitely an ideological difference between them but there was no place for violence and there is no place for violence. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
NDTV
13-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
"Our 'Lakshman Rekha' For Pakistan Is Clear": PM's Top Quotes
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday travelled to the Adampur air base in Punjab and interacted with air force personnel, who have been in the thick of action during the recent conflict with Pakistan. During his address to the air force personnel, he lauded their efforts and role in carrying out the recent strikes on terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and asserted that any terror attack by the neighbouring country will be met with a definitive reply on India's conditions. Here are the top quotes from his speech: 1) Bharat Mata Ki Jai is not a war cry but an oath for those who sacrifice their lives for the country. It's the voice of those who want to do something for the country. It echoes on the ground and during missions. When our drones and missiles hit targets, only one thing can be heard... Bharat Mata Ki Jai. 2) Every Indian is proud of you (armed forces), you have written history. I have come here to have your 'darshan'. Whenever someone gets an opportunity to get a 'darshan' of the brave, it is a blessing. The country is indebted to our forces. 3) It is because of your valour that the entire world is hearing about Operation Sindoor. Operation Sindoor is not an ordinary operation. The echoes of Operation Sindoor's success can be heard across the globe. It reflects India's intent, policy and strength. 4) India is a land of Gautam Buddha as well as Guru Gobind Singh. Our enemies forgot they have challenged India's armed forces. 5) We trampled terrorists in their homes. Pakistan tried to attack this base (Adampur) but failed. They tried to dare 'Hind Ki Sena'. The terrorists have now realised, you try to attack us and the result would be their destruction. No place in Pakistan is now safe for terrorists. The godfathers of terrorism have realised that casting an evil eye on India will only mean their destruction. 6) India's army, navy and air force have made the Pakistani military bite the dust. Pakistan will not get any sleep for a long time just thinking of our drones and missiles. 7) India will not tolerate nuclear blackmail. We will make no distinction between terrorists and sponsors of terrorism. 8) Our intent is clear, if there is another attack, India will respond. We saw this during the surgical strikes and Balakot strikes but Operation Sindoor is the new normal. Our 'Lakshman Rekha' for Pakistan is very clear; any terror attack will be met with a definitive reply on our own conditions. 9) I am proud that our forces took every precaution and made sure no civilian flight was hit during India's strikes on Pakistan.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Be Your Own light
Lord Gautam Buddha Sir Edwin Arnold calls him the 'Light of Asia' and William Dalrymple calls him the largest export of India; Buddha certainly is the global brand ambassador of Bharat. Gautam Buddha was born in 563 BC. His teachings reached far and wide: Tibet and Mongolia in north; China, Korea, and Japan in east; Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Philippines in southeast; and Arab world and Roman Empire in west. Buddhism is the first missionary religion of the world with the goal of serving people and spreading knowledge and wisdom. It spread not due to coercion and sword but due to love, care and service. Its' ideal is Bodhisatva who spends life in serving people rather than for personal liberation. Many scholars see Buddhism through the lens of Brahman-Kshatriya conflict and/or rejection of vedic practices, but they forget that the first five disciples of Buddha were all brahmins. Buddha himself went to brahmin gurus for knowledge but being unsatisfied, he attempted to seek it himself. Similarly, ascetic or Shraman tradition rejecting practices like animal sacrifice, yagya, and varnashram goes deeper in history. Brahman and Shraman, both traditions were accepted and respected in the vedic age. The USP of Budhhism was not the rejection of practices like sacrifice, yagya, etc. (there were hundreds of such sects in Buddha's time) but the syncretic approach towards the world and life. At the time of Buddha, Charvak, Lokayat, Swabhavvad, Yadrichhavad, etc., were believers of non-eternal material reality, whereas, Sankhya, Nyaya, Vedant, etc., were believers of eternal non-material reality like atman/ishwar. Buddha syncretized these beliefs and evolved a new philosophy of non-eternal non-material reality. This saved his teachings from ignoring this world for some eternal afterlife and from moral objections raised on materialistic traditions. This syncretic approach is further expressed in middle path of moderation away from the extremes. All this made Buddhism attractive to everyone: laity and clergy. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around in 2025 Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo The strength of Buddhism was in recognising the power of Sangha. Buddha understood that even for metaphysical goals, Sangha is the force multiplier. Sangha became part of Buddhist Triratna and popularised Buddhism across the globe. Subsequently, it became a popular saying: 'sanghe shakti kalau yuge (unity is strength in this era).' Buddha, being a pragmatic man, remained true to the logical outcome of his teachings. His philosophy of anatmwad, anityawad and kshnikwad doesn't allow for eternal things. Buddha said that as a boat is not worth carrying after crossing the river, similarly, his teachings are not worth carrying after attaining the goal. He was also aware that in this changing world, teachings and sects tends to become dogmatic and unable to show the right path. It is only the inner light which shows the right path. When Anand asked, 'after Buddha who?' Buddha answered: appodeepo bhav ( be your own light ). In a world where people are killing others for dogmatic and misinterpreted religious teachings; in a world where people are destroying the world for some promised otherworldly gains; in a world where ideological and religious intolerance is gaining momentum; Buddha's message of Appodeepo bhav is the light people can look at to make this world humane. Authored by: B. Purushartha The writer is Joint Secretary in GoI. Views are personal purusharthab@ Deepen your understanding of the Bhagavad Gita: Explore chapter 2 with Sri Gaur Prabhu's guidance
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
My govt worked to spread teachings of Gautam Buddha: Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has claimed that the successive BSP governments in Uttar Pradesh worked to establish a society based on equality and welfare of the weaker sections. Paying tribute to Gautam Buddha on the occasion of Buddha Purnima on Monday, she said, 'To spread the teachings of Gautam Buddha, the BSP government established Gautam Buddha University in Gautam Buddh Nagar district. The aim was to impart quality education to the students coming from Dalit, backward and deprived communities.' Along with developing the Buddha circuit and an air strip in Kapilvastu, the BSP government constructed Buddha Vihar Shanti Upvan in Lucknow paving way to bring Uttar Pradesh to the map of world tourism, Mayawati claimed. The BSP government established Gautam Buddh Nagar and Mahamaya Nagar on May 6, 1997 as well as Shravasti on May 25, 1997 and Kaushambi on April 4, 1997. Padrauna district was renamed Kushinagar on May 22, 1997, she added. To provide basic amenities in the villages dominated by the weaker sections, the BSP government launched Dr Ambedkar integrated development scheme, Mayawati said. 'The people are aware that the name of Gautam Buddha is used by rival political parties and their leaders to serve their political interest. Such actions are not going to benefit the people. The parties should shun hatred and prejudice to follow the teachings of Buddha,' she added. For social and economic changes, the government should make its intention clear. There should be no difference between the words and deeds. It will be true tribute to Gautam Buddha, the BSP chief said.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘BSP brought social change by following Buddha's principles'
Lucknow: Paying tributes to Lord Buddha on Buddha Purnima on Monday, BSP president Mayawati said that her party tried to bring an era of social change, following the principles of Gautam Buddha, when it formed govt four times in the state. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Other parties pay obeisance to Gautam Buddha only for political interest. BSP implemented schemes effectively at the ground level for the development of villages and the welfare of the poor," she said."True 'raj dharma' is to make people happy and prosperous by treading on the path shown by great saints and teachers. Neighbouring countries should also take inspiration," Mayawati said."Among the followers of Gautam Buddha, there were rulers like Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka who made 'bahujan hitaay, bahujan sukhaay' the guiding principle of their constitution to lay a strong foundation for social revolution," the BSP chief said."Under BSP govt, many parks, sites and institutes were named after Gautam Buddha. The was built on a 511-acre campus in Gautam Budh Nagar so that good quality education can be made available to meritorious students from Dalit, deprived, and poor sections of society," she also highlighted the construction of the Buddha circuit, an airstrip in Kapilvastu, and Baudh Vihar Shanti Upvan in Lucknow, besides carving out Gautam Budh Nagar and Mahamaya Nagar districts."Shravasti was created on Buddha Purnima in 1997, Kaushambi was created on April 4, 1997, and Padrauna was renamed Kushinagar on May 22, 1997," said Mayawati. "BSP govt launched Dr Ambedkar Gramsabha Samagra Vikas Yojna to make the lives of poor and deprived people living in villages better," she added.
