Buddhism as reflected in Bengal and Bihar Inscription

Abstract: Buddhism had a very important role to play in the religious and cultural history of eastern India, especially in the regions of Bengal and Bihar. The Buddhist tradition arose in a larger intellectual context characterized by moral inquiry and religious experimentation. The Buddhist tradition had established itself well through the development of monasteries and royal patronage. However, its impact had been subject to fluctuations due to political and social changes. The Gupta and Pāla dynasty inscriptional records provide valuable information about the presence of Buddhism in Eastern India, including royal gifts, donations to Buddhist monasteries, rituals, and centers of learning. The copper plate inscriptions and stone inscriptions provide information about the continued veneration of the Buddha and the support for Buddhist institutions, especially during the Pāla dynasty, when Bengal and Bihar were major centers of Buddhist learning and missionary activities. The records also provide information about the weakening of Buddhism due to a lack of patronage, internal problems, and external disturbances. A more accurate reconstruction of the Buddhist history of the region is made possible by an epigraphic method, as has been adopted in this research. The evidence suggests that Bengal and Bihar were the last strongholds of Buddhism in India, and the role of inscriptions in the history of religious systems cannot be overstated.