[Buddha-l] Nalanda's library destruction

[GM]

 The destruction  of Nalanda and other Buddhist libraries and monasteries on the subcontinent by Muslim invaders is generally regarded as a myth by historians of the conquests ( as well as  historians of South Asia). It arose for several reasons. One was the need to explain the decline of Indian Buddhism, perceived as a monk based religion, as the result of the destruction of the monasteries. A short, violent invasion or invasions was a neat answer. Sadly, the historical record does not seem to support this.

 It seems more likely that the monasteries and other institutions went because Buddhism slowly declined (allowing violent suppression, mostly done by the odd Hindu king, which would accelerate the decline) and questionable that Buddhism was completely dependent on monks. This then re-opens the pesky question of why Buddhism declined.


On May 12, 2013, at 9:28 PM, Ngawang Dorje <rahula_80 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I have often come across the information that Muslim invaders burned Nalanda&#x27;s library (Ratnodadhi) However, I am unable to find any evidence for this. 
> 
> On the contrary, it is said to be burned by Tirthika (eg. Kim, J., 2013, Receptacle of the Sacred [Uni of California Press],p.6; Verardi,G.,2011, Hardship and Downfall of Buddhism in India [Institute of Southeast Asian Studies], p.363 - the source being dPag bsam Lyon bzang).
> 
> Thanks,
> Rahula
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