Buddhism in India in the context of "Mahar"

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⭐ Core Definition: Buddhism in India

Buddhism is an ancient Indian religion and philosophy, which arose in and around the ancient Kingdom of Magadha (now Bihar, India). It is based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE and was deemed a "Buddha" or an "Awakened One". Buddhist records in the Theravada tradition list Gautama Buddha as the fourth Buddha of our kalpa, while the next buddha will be Maitreya Buddha. Buddhism spread outside of Northern India beginning in the Buddha's lifetime.

In the 3rd century BCE and during the reign of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, the Buddhist community split into two schools: the Mahāsāṃghika and the Sthaviravāda, each of which spread throughout India and grew into numerous sub-schools. In modern times, three major branches of Buddhism exist: the Theravada in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, and the Mahayana in the Himalayas and East Asia, and the Vajrayana throughout Asia and specifically in Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan.

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👉 Buddhism in India in the context of Mahar

Mahar is one of the Indian castes found largely in the state of Maharashtra and neighbouring areas. Most of the Mahar community followed B. R. Ambedkar in converting to Buddhism in the middle of the 20th century. As of 2017 the Mahar caste was designated as a Scheduled Caste in 16 Indian states.

Most Mahars converted to Buddhism in response to the injustices of the caste system practiced within Brahmanism. Thus, the practice of untouchability began and continued for generations. It was the primary reason for most of the Mahar community to follow Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in embracing Buddhism and re-establishing it in the middle of the 20th century.

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Buddhism in India in the context of Ancient Indian architecture

Ancient Indian architecture ranges from the Indian Bronze Age to around 800 CE. By this endpoint, Buddhism in India had greatly declined, and Hinduism was predominant, and religious and secular building styles had taken on forms, with great regional variation, which they largely retain even after some forceful changes brought about by the arrival of first Islam, and then Europeans.

Much early Indian architecture was in wood, which has almost always decayed or burnt, or brick, which has often been taken away for re-use. The large amount of Indian rock-cut architecture, essentially beginning around 250 BCE, is therefore especially important, as much of it clearly adapts forms from contemporary constructed buildings of which no examples remain. There are also a number of important sites where the floor-plan has survived to be excavated, but the upper parts of structures have vanished.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Mahar ← Ancient Indian architecture
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Mahabodhi Temple → UNESCO World Heritage Site → Anakapalle → Visakhapatnam → Dhamekh Stupa → Sarnath → Puja (Buddhism) → Ellora Caves → Buddhism → Indian religions → Indian philosophy → Magadha (Mahajanapada) → Bihar → India → The Buddha → Buddhahood → Kalpa (time) → Maitreya → Maurya Empire → Ashoka → Mahāsāṃghika → Sthavira nikāya → Theravada → Sri Lanka → Southeast Asia → Mahayana → Himalayas → Vajrayana → Tibet → Nepal → Bhutan →