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Lay visitors to such Buddhist lands often had thought that the Buddha might have belonged to those lands and not to India. And they cannot be wronged for their interpretations, since after all, there were no followers remaining of the Buddha’s faith in India. It remained a mystery as to whether Buddhism had originated in India. One wandered that if it was so, then what could have led to its complete disappearance.
Regarding the understanding of those times, the accounts left by Buchanan are very interesting. He mentions :-
“I then took a view of Buddh Gya, accompanied by a Rajput who has been converted to the doctrines of the Buddhs by two officers dispatched by the King of Ava to the Holy places of this vicinity and to bring him an account of this state. He says that the sect so far as he knows has become perfectly extinct, and that no books relating to it are now procurable in the country.”
This well illustrates the condition of Buddhist following in India in those times. He further mentions:-
“The messengers from Ava taught him much in Pali or Sanskrit language, and from their books were able to discover the old places of worship, which are numerous in this vicinity, as being the native country of Gautama. They said on the authority of their books that the temple was built by Asoka Dharma, King of Magades, who resided in the palace immediately adjacent about 5000 years ago. The Rajput calls the Burmas Brahmas. It must be observed that some families of Rajputs still continue to act as the priests of the temple of the Buddhs or rather of the Mahamuni, for the image represents the lawgiver, but he was worshipped by the messengers from Ava. The Rajputs reconcile this to their conscience by considering the image as Budh Avatar.”
To be continued....