The emergence,rise and decline of Buddhism in ancient India.

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When we hear about Buddhism, we converse about Gautam Buddha and his philosophical ideas.  But do we really know who Gautam Buddha was?

Gautam Buddha born between 6th century BCE- 4th century BCE was the founder of the Buddhist religion in India. Born in a  Kshatriya family in Lumbini, Nepal. Gautam Buddha was a prince who belonged to the Shakya clan.

When Gautam Buddha was young he witnessed scenes where he saw an old man with a stick, a dead body being taken to a cemetery , a poor man begging . This completely changed his outlook towards life. He investigated the  root  cause of all these problems and came to the conclusion that human life was full of sorrows and sufferings.

After  seeing this, he gave up his princely life and started meditating under a tree. After years of meditation Buddha became enlightened and attracted followers which became his disciples. For preaching the Buddhist philosophy he used the language of Pali. Over a period of time his followers came to be known as  Bhikkus or Monks.This was the beginning of Buddhism in India and subsequently it spread to East-Asia, South-east Asia and Central Asia.

Gautam Buddha emphasized the doctrine of transmigration of soul until it attains a state of Nirvana. He was against the prevailing caste system in ancient India. After his death, Buddhism eventually split into two schools of thought – “The Theravada school of Buddhism” and “The Mahayana school of Buddhism”. The Theravada school of Buddhism is the leading school in Srilanka,Myanmar,Laos and Cambodia. They believe that it is the most complete form of Buddhism. It lays stress on Spirituality, individual enlightenment,pure thoughts and actions, self discipline and it has a separate role for monks whereas Mahayana school of Buddhism emphasizes complete enlightenment and it is mostly prevalent in Korea, Japan, China,Vietnam, Tibet, Bangladesh, Malaysia. Over the course of time monasteries were established throughout India .

Initially Buddhism was confined only to eastern India but with the passage of time kings patronized Buddhism.The most famous of all these was the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka who converted to Buddhism after the battle of Kalinga.He sent missionaries to various parts of India and throughout East Asia,Central Asia and Southeast asia. After Ashoka the Greco Bactrians, Indo Greeks and the Kushanas patronized Buddhism.The main reason for the rise of Buddhism in Ancient India was that it was against the rituals and caste system prevalent in the Hindu religion at that time. Also Buddha preached in the language of the common people which was Pali.

Buddhism also had a  cultural impact on the art and architecture of  ancient India as exemplified by the Ajanta and Ellora caves where Buddha is shown in a symbolic expression meditating. Also the Sanchi stupa in Madhya Pradesh is another example of Buddhist architecture. The Amaravati stupa in Andhra Pradesh though ruined is also a testimony to Buddhist architecture.

Buddhism eventually began to decline in India .A number of causes have been attributed which are loss of royal patronage,regionalization of Indian kingdoms,the reassertion of Brahminical ideology,the rise of Rajputs and the Muslim Invasions.

In short it can be said that Buddhism was a response to the changing social and political conditions in ancient India. Its emergence,rise and decline coincided with the rise and fall of Indian kingdoms .It can be concluded  that Buddhism's philosophical and cultural significance held prominence in ancient India .