ABSTRACT
It was pointed out in the last chapter that Buddhism began to emerge as a great religion after the death of Buddha and it actually became so near 200 B.C. when King Asoka adopted it as a state religion. He himself became a convert. The various reasons which led to its expansion along with princely patronage were: (1) an organized monkish community with certain rules and regulations; (2) its opposition to sacrifices; (3) the abolition of caste distinction; (4) its literature being available in the people’s language; (5) its accessibility to all; (6) its magic power; and (7) Buddha as its saviour. But after the reign of Kanishka it began to decline and was wiped out of India by 1000 A.D. The reasons for its decline, as stated by Weber, have been discussed in the last chapter. Here we shall study what happened to Hinduism after the emergence of Buddhism and Jainism in India and the factors which led to its restoration gradually.
