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Wednesday, November 26, 2025
TopicBuddhism

Topic: Buddhism

Medieval Bengali Buddhism wasn’t purely ‘Indian’. Javanese gods, Hindu rivalry

Sudhanakumara—a minor hero from an older Buddhist text—was quite popular in Java, where he was depicted on the colossal Borobudur temple in the 9th century.

Who brought Sanskrit to Baghdad? This is how Iranian Buddhists, Zoroastrians changed Arabs

Sanskrit scholars were patronised by the Caliphate. This reshapes how we should think about conquest today.

Buddha used to be Vishnu in India. In Sri Lanka, Vishnu is a future Buddha

In the 15th–17th centuries, the politics and ethnic diversity of Sri Lanka led to the subordination of Vishnu into the Buddhist pantheon.

How Gujarat spread Buddhism—Devnimori dig gives us a mahastupa, inscribed casket, coins

Organic remains wrapped in silk cloth were discovered during the dig at Devnimori. Archaeologists agreed that these are probably the sacred remains of Gautama Buddha.

Java to Iceland, ancient India’s Panchatantra stories had 200 versions in over 50 languages

In 'The Indian Cat', BN Goswamy explores how the cat was represented in stories, paintings, poetry, and proverbs in India.

Overdressed, deluded—how Brahmins viewed Buddhists in medieval India

In ‘Dust on the Throne: The Search for Buddhism in Modern India’, Douglas Ober provides a new perspective on India’s modern Buddhist revival.

Central Railways sent special train, museum gave statue for Ambedkar’s Buddhism conversion

In 'A Part Apart: The Life and Thought of B.R. Ambedkar', Ashok Gopal uncovers the unrelenting toil and struggle that went into the making of Ambedkar legend.

Buddhism has just been reduced to anti-Brahmin thought. But it shaped Hindu reforms too

Buddhism's colonial rediscovery was revolutionary, influencing generations of political and intellectual leaders in the lead-up to India’s Independence and thereafter.

SubscriberWrites: Buddha vs. Buddhatva: Unveiling the distinct spiritual essence

Buddha refers to the historical figure Siddhartha Gautama, while Buddhatva is a universal concept applicable to all beings.

Religion key to national identity in Sri Lanka & Southeast Asia, finds Pew Survey

Survey done last year by US think tank shows a majority of Buddhists in Cambodia, Sri Lanka & Thailand & Muslims in Malaysia & Indonesia believe religion is vital for national identity.

On Camera

How startups are falling into lenders’ debt traps

Increasingly, lenders have stepped in where equity funding has slowed amid global market volatility. But instead of helping startups, they end up extracting a pound of flesh that outlasts the crisis itself.

Vehicles, TVs, mobile phones—PM EAC report shows rural India is catching up with urban consumers

Rural ownership of motor vehicles jumped from 19 percent in 2011-2012 to 59 percent in 2023-2024, while urban rose from 40 percent to 68 percent during the same time period, study by two members of PM-EAC says.

General secrets from frozen peaks: A Kargil veteran reveals what politically correct writers left out

At the Jindal Literature Festival, Maj Gen (Retd) Lakhwinder Singh reveals secrets from 25 years ago, speaking about the decision that outwitted Musharraf and changed the course of the war. 

A tribute to Tejas. India’s delay culture is the real enemy in the skies

It is a brilliant, reasonably priced, and mostly homemade aircraft with a stellar safety record; only two crashes in 24 years since its first flight. But its crash is a moment of introspection.