In spite of what is written in the unreferenced book, I am skeptical of the idea of Buddhism lost in Srilanka, OR, it just followed the history of India. Let me explain.

The history of lanka was highly influenced by History of India. Mahavamsa talks about Tamil interlopers such as Ellalan invading the island around 145 BCE. Chola king Karikalan utilized superior Chola naval power to conquer Ceylon in the first century CE. However, at this time, Buddhism and Jainism were more popular than Hinduism, and hence, Saivism, Tamil Buddhism, Jainism arrived into Lanka, as also the proliferation of village deity worship. The Amaravati school was influential in the region when the Telugu Satavahana dynasty established the Andhra empire and its rulerHāla (~29 CE) married a princess from the island. In the 6th century CE, a special coastal route by boat was established from the Jaffna peninsula southwards to Saivite religious centres in Trincomalee (Koneswaram) and further south to Batticaloa (Thirukkovil), passed a few small Tamil trading settlements in Mullaitivu on the north coast. The conquests and rule of the island by Pallava king Narasimhavarman I (630–668 CE) and his grandfather King Simhavishnu (537–590 CE) saw the erection and structural development of several temples around the island, particularly in the north-east, and thus Pallava Dravidian rock temples remained a popular and highly influential style of architecture in the region over the next few centuries. Next came the RajaRaja Chola and his descemndants who conqured large parts of Lanka, but were not succesful in maintaining the rule, as they were primarily a plundering power.

While 10 centuries of invasions happened, there did exist kingdoms in Kandy, Anuradhapura and south, but an evidence that Buddhism was a central religion of Lanka was absent. Thus, when VijayaBhahu regained power and sought a BUddhist narrative, and Buddhist princess, he sought out the priests and wives from Kanauj and Burma, as rivals to persistent intrusions from the south. A surprising conclusion was that Barmars themselves have been in existence in the Irrawaddy and central Burma for 6 centuries, but still were able to provide priests.

History is often written to suit the winning ruler. Is it possible Vijayabhahu was trying to rewrite his own history as a “Buddhist” Lankan ruler at this time?

Saurav,

Thank you very much. Did not know about Buddhism about to be lost during Vijayabahu I ( 1055–1110). The second time it was almost lost was during Kirti Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1782) reign.

Under the guidance and influence of Weliwita Sri Saranankara Thero, with the Dutch assistance, king Kirti Sri Raja Singha successfully invited Bhikkus from Siam (Thailand) to revive the higher ordination of Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka.

Kirti Sri Rajasinghe was a prince from the Madurai Nayak Dynasty and the brother-in-law of Sri Vijaya Raja Singha. He succeeded his brother-in-law to the throne in 1751. According to his descendants, they were Telugu Waduga

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back to Vijayabahu
Vijayabahu took Lilavati, the daughter of Jagatipala of Kanauj as his queen. He also married Tilokasundari (TriLoka Sundari*), a princess from Kalinga, with the view of strengthening ties with the Kalingas.

Vijayabahu I was also responsible for re establishment of ties with Kalinga. Magha of Kalinga and Nissanka Malla claimed inheritance of the Lanka throne thru this connection. They also claimed descent thru Sinhabahu and Sinhaseevali the mythical parents of the mythical Vijaya the “founder” of the Sinhalese. Magha destroyed Sri Lanka. Magha is also called Kulankai Cinkai Ariyan the purported first king of the Aryacakravarti dynasty

* TilokaSundari, the beautiful woman of the three worlds. If I had a daughter I would have named her TilokaSundari regardless of her looks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayabahu_I_of_Polonnaruwa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirti_Sri_Rajasinha_of_Kandy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalinga_Magha

Contrasting this with India, even during the long Sultanate rule , N-India seemed never to run out of Hindu priests to coronate a King. In similar circumstances to Vijaybahu, Shivaji had a totally different set of priests during his coronation, when the earlier set of priests felt he was too “lowly” to become a King.

I was thinking had the Safavid been a Zoroastrian dynasty would they have found Zoroastrian priests for their coronation or had to get few Parsi priests from India to make up the numbers.

Thanks Vijay for the Mahavasa reference.

Are you talking to ME? Are You talking to me? Your stupidity disguises your racism, otherwise you would not be putting me in the same YOU with Poms. You may read the last week’s Thread about Bengal famine to stretch your brain curves. Did you want to say something about my above comment? Obviously no, just to spill your frustration here. I can give you thousands of similar examples or you can read past comments. Zach should introduce at least 3-months reading apprenticeship of old comments plus a questionnaire to pass IQ>50 before commenting here. Did you say swastika? The first letter in my alphabet 5000BC? What you can say? Vedas? Which is this word in which language they were written? Is this maybe your mother (or grandfather?) tongue? ’Aryan means respecting cow’? It is maybe not the dumbest thing written here but it is the original and only an emasculated ox could say something like this.

Considering that you are a recent creature here you may deserve the second chance. Well, try to find the connection between worshiping cows, the link in my above comment and the name of Baghdad. If you get stuck, ask me to give you a tip. Stay cool.

another european trying to adapt South Asian things, last time you guys (english) perverted our history and took advantage of it for short term gains it bit nicely in your ass in the form of Hitler. Now a days the funniest thing is some “white people” calling themselves “aryans” waving swasti ka etc. What they really don’t understand is being aryan means respecting cows, worshipping them and reading vedas, of course these dimwits have no fucking clue about what they’re talking about.

Pakistan-Baluchisthan-Afghanisthan was the centre of the Gandhara kingdom, and not to mention a series of Greek-Buddhist empires. For about 1000 years from 300 BC to 700 AD, a Greek remnant empire absorbed Buddhism and regurgitated it as Mahayana. Indo-Greek kings such as Menander relocated themselves in Sialkot, Taxila, and other cities, particularly in Swat. After the Mauryas, Buddhism in India died a slow death, and the center of Buddhist world relocated to NWFP-Afghanisthan region, but controlled by Indo-Greeks.

The topic of most interest to Lankans is Chapter 29 of Mahavamsa. During the time of Menander, a Greek monk, Mahadharmaraksita, led 30,000 Buddhist monks from a now-disappeared town around 150 km of Kabul in Afghanistan to SriLanka for the dedication of a stupa. Imagine Greek monks spreading Buddhism from Afghanisthan to SriLanka, and later to China.

kabir

Did not realize Taxila was in Pakistan Punjab (assumed it was in India).

TAXILA: The Dharmarajika stupa, the largest Buddhist complex in Taxila believed to have been established by Mauryan emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC, on Monday (May 2017) came alive with rituals and prayers of Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1334864

Ancient Taxila was situated at the pivotal junction of the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. The origin of Taxila as a city goes back to c. 1000 BCE.[1] Some ruins at Taxila date to the time of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BCE, followed successively by Mauryan Empire, Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian, and Kushan Empire periods.

Owing to its strategic location, Taxila has changed hands many times over the centuries, with many empires vying for its control. When the great ancient trade routes connecting these regions ceased to be important, the city sank into insignificance and was finally destroyed by the nomadic Hunas in the 5th century. The renowned archaeologist Sir Alexander Cunningham rediscovered the ruins of Taxila in the mid-19th century. In 1980, Taxila was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[2] In 2006 it was ranked as the top tourist destination in Pakistan by The Guardian newspaper.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxila

WIKI: “It appears likely that the Sivis originally lived in north of river Kabol in remote antiquity, from where sections of them moved southwards in later times and settled in what is called Seva around Bolan Pass, which region was known as Sivistan till recently.”

“Baluchistan” (i.e. Beludzistan) = the place where Belići (=Whites in Serbian) live.
“Belus” – Serbian ruler, first Aryan leader, founded Babylon, Baghdad got the name after him, city Nineveh dedicated and named after him, mentioned in the Bible as ‘gigantic hunter, first before the God’ (his first world crown – https://www.google.com/search?q=serbian+arms+baghdad+museum&rlz=1C1GCEA_enAU802AU802&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=1SCZxazcvqpfkM%253A%252CKkiGhXwkUiqDwM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kSOaej8KSGJo1vEpzYOhoFpZf7peg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjdmby0gMngAhXbfSsKHczrCtAQ9QEwAHoECAMQBA#imgrc=ima43jHaf9J9sM🙂

“cockscomb” – in history first used by Serbian soldiers, many armies today use as a part of their uniforms
“brza-vaciya” – brza=fast (in Serbian)
“Sivi” = Grey (in Serbian)
“Seva”; “Bolan Pass” = Painful (sore, ailing) pass (Serbian words)

Thanks Sereno from Serendib, you gave me some new material for my research.

Vijay,

This was a newspaper article I saw written by Bhante Dhammika a Australian Buddhist priest. All credit to him.

Kabir
Seems there are ruins of stupas in Pakistan
https://www.google.com/search?q=balochistan+stupa&tbm=isch