who lived in the villages in the subcontinent before and during the age of the buddha?
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Answer:
The decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent refers to a gradual process of dwindling and replacement of Buddhism in India, which ended around the 12th century.[1][2] According to Lars Fogelin, this was "not a singular event, with a singular cause; it was a centuries-long process."[3]
The decline of Buddhism has been attributed to various factors, especially the regionalisation of India after the end of the Gupta Empire (320–650 CE), which led to the loss of patronage and donations as Indian dynasties turned to the services of Hindu Brahmins. Another factor was invasions of north India by various groups such as Indo-Iranian Huns, White Huns, Sunni Muslim Turkic-Mongolians, Arabs and Persians and subsequent destruction of Buddhist institutions such as Nalanda and religious persecutions.[4] Religious competition with Hinduism and later Islam were also important factors. Islamization of Bengal and demolitions of Nalanda, Vikramasila and Odantapuri by Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji, a general of the Delhi Sultanate are thought to have severely weakened the practice of Buddhism in East India.[5]
The total Buddhist population in 2010 in the Indian subcontinent – excluding that of Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan – was about 10 million, of which about 7.2% lived in Bangladesh, 92.5% in India and 0.2% in Pakistan.[6]
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