fcloWlCv 
56 H. P. Qastil— Buddhism in Bengal. [No. 1, 
the bell at Buddhist Viharas, till he was worsted in disputation. 1 This 
is the Hiudu way of persecution. The Sena rajas of Bengal used to 
grant lands to Brahmans bordering on Buddhist Viharas, thus setting 
up a perpetual source of annoyance to the inmates of the monastery. 2 
Ridicule was one of the powerful weapons used by the Hindus in 
annoying the Buddhists, who were held up in dramas like the 
Prabodha Candrodaya, as great libertines, fond of wine and women. 
In later Tantras too, Buddha and his followers are regarded as men 
of pleasure. Their method of obtaining spiritual success, was by means 
of wine and women. In the Cinaeara-tantra Tantra, Va$istha is sent 
to China for obtaining success by means of the Tara-mantra from 
Buddha, who lived surrounded by women in China. This is annoyance 
and teasing, but not destruction. 
Assuming, therefore, that the Muhammadan conquest dealt a death 
blow to the expiring efforts of Buddhism iu Eastern India, it may be 
asked, was the destruction of Buddhism caused by Muhammadan 
conquest complete ? People think it to be so, but this is physically im¬ 
possible. The Muhammadan conquest itself was not a complete con¬ 
quest, the Patlians held the country simply iu military occupation. They 
held some of the big cities and left the rest of the country to govern 
itself the best it could. It was not possible for them to destroy Buddhism 
all over the country. Then again, it is difficult to say that the conquerors 
could distinguish between Hinduism and Buddhism. They were icono¬ 
clasts. They destroyed idols, no matter whether they were Hindii 
cr Buddhist. In fact, the pressure of the conquest was felt by both 
Hindus and Buddhists alike. The Brahmans from Rarli and Varendra 
flocked to Vikramapura, 3 the last stronghold of the Sena rajas, and up 
to this date there are more Rarhi Brahmans at that remote corner of 
Bengal than in Rarha itself, especially the higher class Kullns. To 
drive away Brahmans and to destroy a few families is one thing, 
but quite another thing is the wholesale massacre of Buddhist monks, 
assembled in central Viharas during the Vasso. If one single monastery 
is destroyed with all its monks, a whole district, nay, even a larger 
area, will be without religious leaders and religious teachers altogether. 
A few cases of massacre like that at Oyfantapuri, would leave the 
entire Buddhist population of Bengal and Bihar without leaders. 
One would be disposed to account for the existence of a vast Muham¬ 
madan population in the Districts of Bengal, amounting to 25 millions 
1 Travels in the Western World, translated from Chinese by Beal, Vol. II. 
2 Gaure Brahman, p. 281, line XII. 
3 See the article Kullna in the Vifjva Kesa. 
