Muhammad Bakhtiyar

In 1199 CE, Muhammad Bakhtiyar, a Turkish Muslim marauder, after conquering India, killing all the monks he could find in The International University, and burning down all buildings there, was on his way to invade Tibet when bad weather condition forced him to retreat. He and his army of 20000 soldiers perished while trying to cross a river, because of sudden flood. In Asia, especially at the mountainous regions, river water level may be very low. But during the monsoon season, if you happen to be caught during a thunder storm and torrential rain, within an hour the water level can rise many meters. While he was in India, he plundered and kill monks at Nalanda International University in 1198 (AD). A Persian historian recorded this incident from an eye-witness in 1243 CE They took many months to destroy the university because the books needed time to burn. That was the largest collection of books even by our standard today. As the impending raid was confirmed, all the students left except one who stayed back to assist the old monk. He carried his master to a safe hiding place. That Tibetan student completed his studies and with the consent of his teacher, returned to Tibet. The fully armed soldiers arrived and were ready for an assault, but found that place empty. They carried on hunting for monks and nuns in or around the city. All the monks captured were either burned alive or beheaded. The nuns were either raped and killed or taken as sex slaves. The few monks who escaped the massacre fled with their Buddhist scriptures to secluded monasteries far away or traveled by ship to Burma. They also went to Chittagong, and the south eastern corner of Bangladesh. Some trekked north across the Himalayas to Nepal and Tibet. For some time, a few monks were still hiding near the ruined Nalanda. A Tibetan named Dharmaswamin confirmed that in 1235 CE, an old monk Rahula Sribhadra was teaching Sanskrit grammar to seventy students. A lay disciple, Jayadeva supported him and his students. While the Tibetan pilgrim was there, the Turkish soldiers returned for another raid to hunt down and kill any monk who dared to remain. These soldiers also ransacked the ruins hoping to find buried treasures. With the collapse of Buddhism in India, Buddhist shrines and monuments were either plundered, destroyed or left to ruin. The Buddhist Temples were converted to Hindu Temples. The extermination of Buddhist monks was a fatal blow to the Sangha in India as the laity was forced to convert to Islam or Hinduism. Hinduism and Jainism later were subjected to the same persecution but their priests were not so easily recognized to be targeted for killing.