বাঙালি বৌদ্ধ (Bangali Bouddho) | |
---|---|
Total population | |
![]() ![]() | |
Languages | |
Bengali (native), Sanskrit and Pali (liturgical), English and Hindi (secondary language for official purposes) | |
Religion | |
Theravada Buddhism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Bengali Muslims, Bengali Hindus, Bengali Christians |
Part of a series on |
Buddhism |
---|
![]() ![]() |
Part of a series on |
Bengalis |
---|
![]() |
Bengali Buddhists (Bengali: বাঙালি বৌদ্ধ) are a religious subgroup of the Bengalis who adhere to or practice the religion of Buddhism. Bengali Buddhist people mainly live in Bangladesh and Indian states West Bengal and Tripura.
Buddhism has a rich ancient heritage in 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 the modern community.
Today, Bengali Buddhists are followers of Theravāda Buddhism.[1]