What the Present Tells Us About India’s Past

If you look at the hate campaign of the Hindutvavadis, led by the Brahmins, you can gain insight into the past of this country. Just like the Hindu right-wing is spreading misinformation and fake news about Muslims, love jihad, and forced conversions, the Brahmins in the ancient and early medieval times did the same to Buddhists and Buddhism.

The Buddhists were treated with contempt and hatred by the Brahmin rulers like Pushyamitra Shunga who killed hundreds of Buddhist monks and destroyed many Buddhist viharas and artifacts.

Also, let us take the example of the ruler of Bengal Shashanka of Gauda who is known for suppressing Buddhism in the 7th century CE. He also ordered the cutting down of the sacred Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya under which Lord Buddha gained enlightenment.

There is no comparable account of any Buddhist king resorting to such religious intolerance. Indeed, the Buddhist Emperor Ashoka was an icon of religious tolerance and secularism.

Also Read: Interesting facts about Buddhist Emperor Ashoka

This contempt for Buddhism is also reflected in the depiction of Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu in order to discredit his legacy and show him as just another Hindu god and subsume Buddhism within Brahmanism.

But the suppression of Buddhism is not limited to Brahmanism alone. The Muslim invaders too destroyed Buddhist monasteries and artifacts. The great Buddhist university of Nalanda was burned to ashes by Bakhtiyar Khilji in the 12th century CE.

Many Ashokan pillars are worshipped as Shiva lingams in different temples across the country. There was a concerted effort to erase the memory of Ashoka, the great son of India.

It was not until the heroic efforts of British Orientalists like James Prinsep that the Brahmi script was deciphered and the Ashokan inscriptions, written in this script, were understood for the first time in modern times.

In his book, Ashoka: The Search for India’s Lost Emperor, Charles Allen writes that Ashokan pillars were worshipped as Bhim’s gada or mace. There was no account of these magnificent pillars having been built by Ashoka the Great. If it weren’t for the heroic efforts of the British orientalists, the great history of Buddhism and Ashoka would not have come to light, having been so effectively erased by the Brahmins.