Was this reputation based on actual religious persecution? Or was Mihirakula cast into the role of a cruel anti-Buddhist king because one of his arch political opponents, king Baladitya of Magadha (sometimes identified with a later
Gupta emperor
Narasimhagupta), at whose hands he apparently suffered a crushing defeat, was an ardent patron of the
Buddhist sangha? The interesting thing is that ninth- and tenth-century
Jaina texts describe Mihirakula as a wicked, oppressive tyrant who was anti-
Jaina. Are the textual references evidence of active political persecution and violence? Or are they merely expressions of resentment at a lack of royal patronage and support? Are they recastings of political conflicts into religious molds?
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