"The Djarmasvamin said that "when they had reached the city of Vaisali, all the inhabitants had fled at dawn from fear of the Turushka [Muslim] soldiery." Vikramasili was still existing in the time of the Elder Dharmasvamin [1153-1261 CE] and the Kashmir [1145-1225 CE], but when the Dharmasvamin visited the country there were no traces left of it, the Turushka soldiery having raised it to the ground, and thrown the foundation stones into the Ganga [Ganges River]. At the time of Dharmasvamin's visit to Vajrsana, the place was deserted and only four monks were found staying (in the Vihara). One (of them) said, "It is not good! All have fled from fear of the Turushka soldiery." They blocked up the door in front of the Mahabodhi image with bricks and plastered it. Near it they placed another image as a substitute. They also plastered the outside door (of the temple). On its surface they drew the image of Mahesvara in order to protect it from non-Buddhists. The monks said, "We five do not dare to remain here and shall have to flee." As the day's stage was long and the heat great, said the Dharmasvamin, they felt tired, and as it became dark, they remained there and fell asleep. Had the Turushkas come, they would not have known it. At daybreak they fled towards the North following the rut of a cart, and for seventeen days the Dharmasvamin did not see the face of the image (i.e., the Mahabodhi image). At that time also a woman appeared, who brought the welcome news that the Turushka soldiery had gone far away."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Islam and other religionsBuddhism in IndiaBuddhism and other religionsHinduism and other religionsIslam in India
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
George Roerich, trans., Biography of Dharmasvamin (Patna: K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute, 1959). Dharmasvamin was a highly educated Tibetan monk who traveled in northern India from 1234-1236 CE. Independent evidence confirming the veracity of his chronicle demonstrates that King Ramasimha of Tirhut and Buddhasena of Bodha- Gaya, whom Dharmasvamin met during his short sojourn in India, were actually ruling at that time. Moreover, in the introduction to the text [on p. xii] by A. S. Altekar, it
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Decline_of_Buddhism_in_the_Indian_subcontinent
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent
31 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent →
Related Quotes
"There can be no doubt that the fall of Buddhism in India was due to the invasions of the Musalmans. Islam came out as…"
"The Mussalman invaders sacked the Buddhist universities of Nalanda, Vikramshila, Jagaddala, Odantapuri to name only a…"
"Religion like any other ideology can be attained only by propaganda. If propaganda fails, religion must disappear. Th…"
"“The iconoclastic fury of Islam must have [had] a terrible effect on the shrines of the Gaya region, and particularly…"
"“The Mohamadan invasions”, in the words of Searle Bates, “helped to extinguish the fading Budhism and were severe upo…"
"Between 1000 and 1200 Buddhism disappeared from India, through the combined effects of its own weaknesses, a revived …"
"That same popular preference for polytheism, miracles and myths which destroyed Buddha’s Buddhism finally destroyed, …"
"When you consider that the establishment of Islam in the entire area from Iran to Ningxia and from Kazakhstan to Mala…"
"The decline of Buddhism in India was not a singular event, witha singular cause; it was a centuries-long process that…"
"It disappeared from India because it was confined to monasteries and was easy prey; whereas Hinduism, being more of a…"