Multan's strong Buddhist past Influence?

[W.11]

i was watching a tour video of Multan and couldn't help but discover some peculiar similarities in some multani shrine rituals and similar rituals observed in present day east asia.

lighting incense sticks and candles at a shrine, a strong reminiscent of hindu buddhist ritual which can be specially observed in east asia where this is very popular ritual in buddhist temples.

china

a mini shrine at Multan which strongly reflects the present east asian buddhist tradition or mini shrine culture

mini shrines at japan

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

Of course, before Islamic mass conversion (led by monks,) Pakistan and Afghanistan were the heartland of Buddhism and bore the brunt of Hindu-Buddhist civil war engulfing the region.

Multan in particular was the site of an ancient pagan Sun temple and a pilgrimage ritual (similar to Kaaba for pagan Arabs.)

The story of Multan's conversion is very interesting. One Muslim scholar from Central Asia had settled there for a short time with a family. He heard wailing in the middle of the night from the family. When he went to see them to inquire if everything was alright, he was told the ritual of the people of this region.

Families were expected to give their young children to a temple nearby as sacrifice to appease an idol. This night it was their turn and they had sent their little one there.

When the scholar arrived at the temple, with only sword and Quran in hand, he saw a demon trying to devour the young child. He recited some verses of Quran and defeated that creature ending that ritual, which led to mass conversion of the city.

Mods, nothing in the video suggests a Hindu past, but only commonality with Buddhism.

Please remove the word Hindu from the title, thanks.

@waz @WebMaster @Horus @Dubious

 

[Path-Finder]

no one noticed the gun market?

 

[Talwar e Pakistan]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjabi_folk_religion

 

[Juggernaut_Flat_Plane_V8]

Gem of a thread

 

[Nilgiri]

i was watching a tour video of Multan and couldn't help but discover some peculiar similarities in some multani shrine rituals and similar rituals observed in present day east asia.

lighting incense sticks and candles at a shrine, a strong reminiscent of hindu buddhist ritual which can be specially observed in east asia where this is very popular ritual in buddhist temples.

View attachment 607366

View attachment 607369

china

a mini shrine at Multan which strongly reflects the present east asian buddhist tradition or mini shrine culture

View attachment 607365

mini shrines at japan

Really interesting @Joe Shearer

 

[Joe Shearer]

Really interesting @Joe Shearer

If I were in better health, I would have liked to have expanded on this theme further, at the risk of provoking some of our more solemn interlocutors.

As I am prescribed stress-free activity for at least three months more, this is a treat to be foregone.

 

[Buddhistforlife]

Of course, before Islamic mass conversion (led by monks,) Pakistan and Afghanistan were the heartland of Buddhism and bore the brunt of Hindu-Buddhist civil war engulfing the region.

Multan in particular was the site of an ancient pagan Sun temple and a pilgrimage ritual (similar to Kaaba for pagan Arabs.)

The story of Multan's conversion is very interesting. One Muslim scholar from Central Asia had settled there for a short time with a family. He heard wailing in the middle of the night from the family. When he went to see them to inquire if everything was alright, he was told the ritual of the people of this region.

Families were expected to give their young children to a temple nearby as sacrifice to appease an idol. This night it was their turn and they had sent their little one there.

When the scholar arrived at the temple, with only sword and Quran in hand, he saw a demon trying to devour the young child. He recited some verses of Quran and defeated that creature ending that ritual, which led to mass conversion of the city.

Mods, nothing in the video suggests a Hindu past, but only commonality with Buddhism.

Please remove the word Hindu from the title, thanks.

@waz @WebMaster @Horus @Dubious

Afghanistan was never the heartland of Buddhism or a Buddhist country. Only the Eastern part of Afghanistan was inhabited by Buddhists. The Southern and Northern part were ruled by the Sassanid empire who were Zoroastrians by faith. There were Kalash tribes, Hindus and small Jewish community too in Afghanistan.

Pakistan was 100% Buddhist when the Mauryans were rulers. The Gandhara civilization and Taxila were renowned for its Buddhist past.

Buddhism was destroyed in Gandhara and Taxila primarily by Mihirkula, the White Hun. After that Hinduism began to emerge once again in Sindh, Gandhara and other areas of Pakistan.

Kashmir was also 100% Buddhist before Shaivite Hindus and Muslim ruler Sikandar Butshikhan wiped Buddhism from Kashmir.

 

[niaz]

As the Sales Development Manager in Esso in the early 1970s, I have had the good fortune of visiting nearly every town/village of Pakistan where there was an Esso petrol station or a Reseller agent retailing Kerosene supplied by Esso. This includes all of South Punjab.

Located near the confluence of all the 5 rivers, Multan is one of the oldest cities of the subcontinent, perhaps as old as the Vanarasi because the Indus civilization is at least 3000 years old. In addition to the tombs & mausoleums of the Muslim saints, I also remember the local Sales Rep taking me to visit the ruins of Sun Mandir at Sher Shah which existed at least around 640 AD when visited by the Chinese traveler Hsuen Tsang. Understand Mulatn's historic name Mulasthana means the Sun temple (?) Additionally only the least inquisitive visitors of Bahauddin Zakaria's shrine would fail to notice the Prahladpuri temple located near it.

Regret to say that since the forced Arabization of Pakistan funded by Saudi Arabia post-Khomeini era and with the full cooperation of the bigot Zia & some extremist Mullahs, Pakistanis in general & the Punjabis, in particular, have started to deny the rich cultural history of the region; the textbooks have been altered to reflect the same. As if this region was barren land and our history started with Mohamed bin Qassim. Nothing can further from the truth.

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

As the Sales Development Manager in Esso in the early 1970s, I have had the good fortune of visiting nearly every town/village of Pakistan where there was an Esso petrol station or a Reseller agent retailing Kerosene supplied by Esso. This includes all of South Punjab.

Located near the confluence of all the 5 rivers, Multan is one of the oldest cities of the subcontinent, perhaps as old as the Vanarasi because the Indus civilization is at least 3000 years old. In addition to the tombs & mausoleums of the Muslim saints, I also remember the local Sales Rep taking me to visit the ruins of Sun Mandir at Sher Shah which existed at least around 640 AD when visited by the Chinese traveler Hsuen Tsang. Understand Mulatn's historic name Mulasthana means the Sun temple (?) Additionally only the least inquisitive visitors of Bahauddin Zakaria's shrine would fail to notice the Prahladpuri temple located near it.

Regret to say that since the forced Arabization of Pakistan funded by Saudi Arabia post-Khomeini era and with the full cooperation of the bigot Zia & some extremist Mullahs, Pakistanis in general & the Punjabis, in particular, have started to deny the rich cultural history of the region; the textbooks have been altered to reflect the same. As if this region was barren land and our history started with Mohamed bin Qassim. Nothing can further from the truth.

Great post, however what happened in the last paragraph...

We as Pakistanis need to celebrate our pre and post Islamic histories. There is no reason to deny either.

 

[KaiserX]

Afghanistan was never the heartland of Buddhism or a Buddhist country. Only the Eastern part of Afghanistan was inhabited by Buddhists. The Southern and Northern part were ruled by the Sassanid empire who were Zoroastrians by faith. There were Kalash tribes, Hindus and small Jewish community too in Afghanistan.

Pakistan was 100% Buddhist when the Mauryans were rulers. The Gandhara civilization and Taxila were renowned for its Buddhist past.

Buddhism was destroyed in Gandhara and Taxila primarily by Mihirkula, the White Hun. After that Hinduism began to emerge once again in Sindh, Gandhara and other areas of Pakistan.

Kashmir was also 100% Buddhist before Shaivite Hindus and Muslim ruler Sikandar Butshikhan wiped Buddhism from Kashmir.

From what I understand most of the inhabitants in the subcontinent who were buddhist coverted to Islam the most ie modern day afghanistan, Pakistan. With the exception of Kashmir which was mostly brahmin pandits who converted to islam.

 

[Pan-Islamic-Pakistan]

From what I understand most of the inhabitants in the subcontinent who were buddhist coverted to Islam the most ie modern day afghanistan, Pakistan. With the exception of Kashmir which was mostly brahmin pandits who converted to islam.

Punjab was mixed, and conversion was gradual. Muslim converts faced alot of persecution and it caused a very bloody period in our history. My people,, Rajputs, resisted Islam tooth and nail, but by the time Sultan Aurangzeb finished his rule, we were all Muslim. Eventually Punjab was Islamized alhamdulilah.

 

[Ahmet Pasha]

The trick of the devil is somehow slowly squeeze in some form of deviation. For example people praying at mazars right next to a mosque. Whereas hadoth clearly says not to make grave a place of worship.

But those same mizar goers will say oh no we are not praying towards a grave but just at it.

 

[JafarQureshi]

i was watching a tour video of Multan and couldn't help but discover some peculiar similarities in some multani shrine rituals and similar rituals observed in present day east asia.

lighting incense sticks and candles at a shrine, a strong reminiscent of hindu buddhist ritual which can be specially observed in east asia where this is very popular ritual in buddhist temples.

View attachment 607366

View attachment 607369

china

a mini shrine at Multan which strongly reflects the present east asian buddhist tradition or mini shrine culture

View attachment 607365

mini shrines at japan

We need to get rid of this nonsense from Pakistan. We need to set an example for the Islamic world.

 

[Buddhistforlife]

From what I understand most of the inhabitants in the subcontinent who were buddhist coverted to Islam the most ie modern day afghanistan, Pakistan. With the exception of Kashmir which was mostly brahmin pandits who converted to islam.

Most of the inhabitants? Are you nuts?

Buddhism was always a minority religion in the Indian subcontinent. Hindus always outsmarted us in terms of population.

What you are referring to are pockets of Buddhist majority regions like Taxila, Gandhara, Kashmir, Bamiyan etc.

Same like Indonesia. Indonesia was Hindu/Buddhist mixed.