When Anchor said "Mughals destroyed Hindu temples" Rajdeep Sardesai retorted "What about Buddhist temples destroyed by Hindu kings?" (at 2.05) Dear Rajdeep Sardesai, I CHALLENGE you to name three Hindu kings who destroyed Buddhist temples. Just three. Au contraire, I can give you the names of hundreds of Hindu... kings who built Buddhist establishments. From their own authentic inscriptions and records.show more

This myth of Hindu kings destroying Buddhist temples was planted by Marxist propagandists. One of the names they frequently cite is Mihirakula. They claim that the Hindu (Huna) king Mihirakula destroyed Buddhist temples. This myth is based on very late sources and sectarian texts which were written centuries after the alleged events took place. It is repeated even today by propagandists. But this Mihirakula myth is BUSTED by a contemporary source, an eye witness and an inscription.

A Chinese pilgrim visited Gandhara when Mihirakula was ruling over Gandhara. Mihirakula's capital was in Gandhara The Chinese pilgrim did not find any destroyed Buddhist temples. On the contrary, he found that Buddhist temples were flourishing under Mihirakula's reign. This is a contemporary source and the pilgrim saw these Buddhist institutions flourishing with his own eyes. This is more credible that Xuanzang reporting myths centuries later.

Remarkably, a copper scroll inscription was discovered from Talaqan, Afghanistan. This inscription was issued by Hephthalite Huns of Mihirakula's line. It records the donation to a Buddhist stupa by these kings. Yet, completely disregarding the primary evidence, one propagandist after another repeated the myth that Hephthalites destroyed Buddhism in Gandhara.

This is exactly how fake news is spread. In 1961, Marxist historian Romila Thapar claimed Pushyamitra Sunga destroyed 84,000 Buddhist monasteries. After she was debunked by many scholars, she revised her stand. In 1998, she herself admitted that these stories are "exaggerations". But her stooges still repeat her words of 1961.

This Torana was donated to Bharhut Stupa by a Shunga vassal named Dhanabhuti. Far from persecuting Buddhists, Shungas patronized Buddhist temples. Disregarding this archaeological evidence, Shungas are accused of destroying Buddhist stupas. The source of these propagandist claims is based on a very late sectarian work called Ashokavadana which was written 300 years after the Shungas. BUT The passage in question actually talks about a grandson of Ashoka named Pushyamitra MAURYA. NOT SHUNGA There is no evidence that Shungas ever destroyed Buddhist stupas and this is the opinion of the modern historians like Étienne Lamotte and Eric Seldeslachts

@TenzingLamsang What they ALWAYS tell you- Pushyamitra destroyed Buddhist temples (which is proven FAKE). What they NEVER tell you- Nalanda university was built by the HINDU king Kumaragupta. This is based on contemporary inscription and undeniable.

@sardesairajdeep I will give you 7 1) Bengali Emperor Shashanka 2) Hun Shaivite Mihirakula 3) Kashmiri King Jalauka 4) Kashmir King Kalasha 5) Kashmir King Harsha 6) Kashmir King Kshemagupta 7) Shunga King Pushyamitra Muslim Kings also built Hindu temples, as Hindu Kings built Buddhist temples

Historical ignorance of mainstream journalists is shocking. Rajaraja-1 infact encouraged the foreign Sri Vijaya (Malaysia) ruler to build a Buddhist vihara at Nagapattinam (Tamilnadu) in his Chola kingdom. Even if they can't appreciate the magnanimity of our kings, why can't they atleast stop defaming them with such misinformation? Source: The Illustrated History of South India by K.A.Nilakanta Sastri Link:

@sardesairajdeep Interestingly Shri Sitaram Goel ji had put up same challenge to Romila Thapar and company. But response ever came. Romila fan Rajdeep seems to have learnt nothing! 😊

@sardesairajdeep Two helpful pages from "Eminent Historians", by Arun Shourie.