A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c13.s1.2

c13.s1.2

The Pāla kings having been devout Buddhists to the last, Buddhism continued to be the dominant religion in their territories long after it had become either extinct or moribund in most parts of India; and the Buddhist monasteries of Bihār, especially the wealthy foundation at Nālandā (modern Bargāon), were crowded with thousands of monks, who cultivated with success the arts required for the decoration of the sacred buildings. In consequence, a large proportion of the sculpture in Bihār and the neighbouring regions is Buddhist. The later Buddhism, as we have occasion to remark more than once, was of the Mahāyāna or 'Great Vehicle' kind, delighting in the use of images, and closely related to Hinduism. The Brahmanical faiths, of course, never died out, and their votaries contributed their share to the art production.