Bengali Buddhists
| Total population | |
|---|---|
 Bangladesh 500,000 |
|
| Languages | |
| Bengali | |
| Religion | |
| Buddhism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bengali Muslims, Bengali Hindus, Bengali Christians |
Bengali Buddhists, also known as Baruas, are Buddhists of Bengali ethnic and linguistic identity. They commonly refer to the Barua community in southeastern Bangladesh. Bengali Buddhists constitute 35% of the Buddhist population in Bangladesh.
Buddhism has a rich ancient heritage in the Bengal. The region was a bastion of the ancient Buddhist Mauryan and Palan empires, when the Mahayana and Vajrayana schools flourished. South-eastern Bengal was ruled by the medieval Buddhist Kingdom of Mrauk U during the 16th and 17th centuries. The British Raj influenced the emergence of modern community.
Today, Bengali Buddhists are followers of orthodox Therevada Buddhism.
Ancient Bengal was a center of Buddhist learning, art and imperialism. Buddhist artifacts have been excavated throughout the region, particularly in Wari-Bateshwar, Chandraketugarh, Paharpur, Mahasthangarh and Mainamati. The Mauryan Empire led by Ashoka extended its suzerainty to the region in the 2nd century BCE. Ashoka played an important role in propagating Buddhism in his own empire and the wider ancient world. Mauryan rule was succeeded by the Buddhist Samatata maritime kingdom in Bengal.
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Wikipedia