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| The Decline of ] , ] and ] in the areas that now constitute the new country of Pakistan which was formed in 1947 happened for a variety of reasons, and even as these religions have continued to flourish beyond the eastern frontiers of Pakistan, these ] religions have continued to dwindle in Pakistan . | |||
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| ==Decline under ]== | |||
| In AD 711, ] conquered ] bringing Indian societies into contact with Islam. When he arrived Sindh had a ] mix of ] as well as Hindu population, as opposed to contemporary Pakistan where Buddhism is practically extinct and Hindus and Sikhs now constitute around 2% of the population . | |||
| ] was a Hindu and his the earlier ] was Buddhist . The forces of Muhammad bin Qasim defeated ] | |||
| ==Destruction of Temples and Stupas in Sindh by ]== | |||
| In the ] ascribed to ] who was a ] historian by birth, <b>though his sympathies seem to have been strongly with the Arabs<b> has written of several of instances of conversion of ] ]s to mosques such as at ],and the destruction of ] temples . | |||
| Arab invaders described Indian Pagans as But-parast, and idol-breakers as but-shikan. The word "but" is derived from Buddhism, but the Arabs used it for "Indian paganism" in general. Therefore in Arabic chronicles it is not always evident if Buddhists, Hindus or other Indian religions are meant. | |||
| Around 1000 CE, Turkic, Persian and the Afghan Muslims began major incursions into India through the traditional invasion routes of the northwest. Mahmud of Ghazni (979-1030) established a base in Punjab and raided nearby areas. Mahmud of Ghazni is said to have been an ]. Hindu and Buddhist statues, shrines and temples were looted and destroyed, and many Buddhists had to take refuge in Tibet. | |||
| ===Mahmud of Ghazni=== | |||
| By the 10th century ] defeated the Hindu-]s, effectively removing Hindu influence and ending Buddhist self-governance across Central Asia, as well as the ]. He demolished both stupas and temples during his numerous campaigns across North-Western India, but left those within his domains and ] alone, even as ] recorded Buddha as the prophet "]".<ref></ref> | |||
| Mahmud of Ghazni is said to have been an ].<ref>Notes on the Religious, Moral, and Political State of India Before the Mohammedan Invasion:... By Faxian, Sykes (William Henry) pg.?? </ref> Hindu and Buddhist statues, shrines and temples were looted and destroyed, and many Buddhists had to take refuge in Tibet.<ref> How to Prepare for the Sat II: World History By Marilynn Hitchens, Heidi Roupp, pg. ??</ref> | |||
| ===Muhammad of Ghor=== | |||
| Muhammad attacked the North-Western regions of the ] many times. Gujarat later fell to Muhammad of Ghor's armies in ]. ]'s armies destroyed many Buddhist structures, including the great Buddhist university of ].<ref>Historia Religionum: Handbook for the History of Religions By C. J. Bleeker, G. Widengren page 381</ref> | |||
| In ] ], one of ]'s generals destroyed monasteries fortified by the ] armies, such as the one at ]. Many monuments of ancient Indian civilization were destroyed by the invading armies, including Buddhist sanctuaries near ]. Buddhist monks who escaped the massacre fled to ], ] and ]. <ref>Islam at War: A History By Mark W. Walton, George F. Nafziger, Laurent W. Mbanda (page 226)</ref> | |||
| ===The Mongols=== | |||
| In ], ] conquered ] and devastated the Muslim world. In ], after his death, his conquest was divided. ] then established the ], where his son ] made Buddhism the state religion. At the same time, he came down harshly on ] and demolished mosques to build many stupas. He was succeeded by his brother, and then his son ] who converted to Islam and in 1295 changed the state religion. After his reign, and the splitting of the Chagatai Khanate, little mention of ] or the stupas built by the Mongols can be found in Afghanistan and Central Asia.<ref></ref> | |||
| ===Timur (Tamarlane)=== | |||
| Timur was a 14th-century ] of ] descent <ref name="EI">B.F. Manz, ''"Tīmūr Lang"'', in ], Online Edition, 2006</ref><ref>The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, "Timur", 6th ed., Columbia University Press: ''"... Timur (timoor') or Tamerlane (tăm'urlān), c.1336–1405, <u>Mongol conqueror</u>, b. Kesh, near Samarkand. ..."'', ()</ref><ref>, in ]: ''"... was a member of the Turkic Barlas clan of Mongols..."''</ref><ref>, in ]: ''"... Baber first tried to recover Samarkand, the former capital of the empire founded by his Mongol ancestor Timur Lenk ..."''</ref>, conqueror of much of Western and central Asia, and founder of the ]. | |||
| ] destroyed Buddhist establishments and raided areas in which Buddhism had flourished. <ref>Sir Aurel Stein: Archaeological Explorer By Jeannette Mirsky</ref><ref>Ethnicity & Family Therapy edited by Nydia Garcia-Preto, Joe Giordano, Monica McGoldrick</ref> | |||
| ===Mughals=== | |||
| ] rule also contributed to the decline of Buddhism. They are reported to have destroyed many Hindu temples and Buddhist shrines alike or converted many sacred Hindu places into Muslim shrines and mosques.<ref>War at the Top of the World: The Struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Tibet By Eric S. Margolis page 165</ref> Mughal rulers like ] destroyed Buddhist temples and monasteries and replaced them with Islamic mosques. <ref>India By Sarina Singh</ref> | |||
| ===conversion from, not assimilation === | |||
| When ] arrived in India, it sought conversion from, not assimilation to or integration with, the already present religions. Under ] influence, the pressures of caste, and with no political support structure left in place to resist social mores, many converted to Islam in the Bengal region. | |||
| After the ] invasions of Islamic lands across Central Asia, many ]s also found themselves fleeing towards India and around the environs of ]. In Bengal, their influence, caste attitudes towards Buddhists, previous familiarity with converting Buddhists, a lack of Buddhist political power, ]'s resurgence through movements such as the ] and the ], all contributed to a significant realignment of beliefs that relegated Buddhism in India to the peripheries. | |||
| ===Islam=== | |||
| Though certain sects of Hinduism allow conversion of non believers to the faith, it stresses and tolerates the existence of other beliefs. <ref>Enforcement of Human Rights in Peace and War and the Future of Humanity By Nagendra Singh (page 35)</ref> When conquered, Islamic rulers have been known implement a policy on their subjects to either accept conversion to Islam or flee the land under Islamic rule; otherwise punishable by ] or even execution. <ref>In the Path of God (Ppr): Islam and Political Power By Daniel Pipes (page 45)</ref> | |||
| Buddhism suffered immensely during the ] with Muslim rulers such as ], ], ] and ] destroying temples and shrines and seeking conversion of Buddhists to Islam. <ref>Ambedkar and the Neo-Buddhist Movement, - Page 14 | |||
| by Madathilparampil M. Thomas, Theodore S. Wilkinson, S. Wilkinson (This was the greatest loss Buddhism suffered. The killing that followed the Muslim | |||
| conquest wiped out the Buddhist Sanga)</ref> | |||
| According to Dr. B. R. ], "there can be no doubt that the fall of Buddhism was due to the invasions of the Muslims.”<ref>B.R. Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, vol.3, p.229 (Chapter “The decline and fall of Buddhism”).</ref> He wrote: “Thus the origin of the word indicates that in the Muslim mind idol worship had come to be identified with the religion of Buddha. To the Muslims they were one and the same thing. The mission to break idols thus became the mission to destroy Buddhism. Islam destroyed Buddhism not only in India but wherever it went. Bactria, Parthia, Afghanistan, Gandhara and Chinese Turkestan (…) in all these countries Islam destroyed Buddhism.”<ref>B.R. Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, vol.3, p.229-230.</ref><br> | |||
| The Arabic invaders described Indian Pagans as But-parast, and idol-breakers as but-shikan. The word "but" is derived from Buddhism, but the Arabs used it for "Indian paganism" in general.<ref>Elliot & Dowson: History of India, vol.1, p.119, 120. Koenraad Elst: Who is a Hindu. 2001</ref> | |||
| ], a Buddhist and former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, has stated that Buddhism had collapsed in Central and East Asia because Islam was propagated by use of armed force in those countries.<ref> </ref> | |||
| ==Survival of Buddhism in India== | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| == References == | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ] | |||
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