Sri Vrindavan Dham, description and history of Vrindavan, Vrindavan gallery
On this earth, the place known as Vrndavan in the district of Mathura, ninety miles southeast of Delhi, is a replica of that supreme Goloka Vrndavana in the spiritual sky. In all of India, that eighty-four-square-mile tract of land is considered to be the most sacred place of pilgrimage because Krishna sported in it, and many devotees still linger there in ecstasy in search of Krishna and His childhood associates. Srila Prabhupada has explained that "It is not that such devotees meet Krishna face to face in that tract of land, but a devotee's eagerly searching after Krishna is as good as his seeing Him personally. How this is so cannot be explained, but it is factually realized by those who are pure devotees of the Lord." Because Krishna, His name, form, pastimes and remembrance are all on the absolute plane, to search for Him at Vrindavan in pure God consciousness gives more pleasure to the devotee than seeing Him face to face." The Brahma-samhita (5.38) confirms that those devotees whose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love always see the eternal form of Shyamasundar within their hearts.
In Vrndavana the effulgent ground is fashioned with many very wonderful colourful cintamani jewels, the trees and vines are full of blissful spiritual fruits and flowers, the birds make a great tumult by reciting the hymns of the Sama Veda, and the lakes and streams are filled with transcendental nectar. May my heart meditate on Vrndavana in this way.
In Vrindavan
Vrndavana is illuminated by numberless moons of spiritual bliss. It is cooled by the sweet nectar of spiritual love and it is filled with desire trees and many hosts of madly cooing birds. Whose heart will not run to Sri Sri Radha-Krsna, who enjoy eternal transcendental pastimes in that Vrindavan.(Prabodhananda Sarasvati - Sri Vrndavana-mahimamrta
Beautiful Vrindavan
Beautiful Vrindavan is filled with cintamani gems and many jewel palaces and temples. Many regal swans play in the waters of the Yamuna, and in those waters a splendid golden lotus flower grows.In Vrndavan the kadamba trees offer obeisances, their flowering branches reverently touching the ground. Bumble bees enjoy pastimes in Vrndavan, which is filled with a very sweet fragrance.
Radha and Krsna stay in the place where They enjoy pastimes. How beautiful They are. Their bodies are decorated with jewel ornaments, and They are wealthy with many gem mines of intelligence and wit.
When will I renounce the circle of material family life, and, drowning in transcendental bliss, go to Vrajabhumi? O Lord Hari, Lord Hari, when will this be?
When will I see Govardhana Hill, my eyes filling with tears? When will I reside at Radha-kunda? When, as a result of constantly wandering in Vrndavan, will this body fall down?
When will I become pure at heart by bathing in the waters of the Yamuna?
When will I circumambulate the land of Vraja, wandering from forest to forest? When, becoming fatigued, will I stop to rest on the shore of the Yamuna?
When will I be able to see the gardens of Vrndavan where the great devotees worshipped the Lord?
When will I find relief from the heat of midday by resting in the cooling shade of Vamsivata? When will I associate with the Vaisnavas in the groves of Vrndavana?
About Vrindavan
Wherever he may be, one must always think about life in Vraja-dhama and about following in the footsteps of a particular devotee in the service of the Lord. (Nectar of Devotion Ch. 16,)
Vrndavana, any person may go there, and even if he is sinful he will at once contact an atmosphere of spiritual life, and automatically chant the names of Krsna and Radha. (Srimad Bhagavatam, 3.20.4 purport)
Anyone who can stay permanently is welcome. I want that as many devotees stay permanently and become Brijabasis. That will be very inspiring. (Srila Prabhupada Letter, 9 November 1975)
Lord Varaha tells the men of earth, “Any person who becomes attracted to places other than Mathura will certainly be captivated by the illusory energy.” (Nectar of Devotion Ch.12)
If one somehow or other gets the opportunity to live in Vrndavana, and if one is not a pretender but simply lives in Vrndavana and concentrates his mind upon Krsna, one is liberated from material bondage. (Srimad Bhagavatam 9.19.19 purport)
In the Brahmanda Purana it is said that all the results of traveling on all the pilgrimages within the three worlds can be achieved simply by touching the holy land of Mathura. (Nectar of Devotion Ch. 12)
If we live in Vrndavana, we are living with Krsna, because Vrndavana is nondifferent from Krsna (Vrindavan Days, page 51)
How wonderful it is that simply by residing in Mathura even for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead! (Nectar of Devotion Ch. 12)
Actually, if someone goes to Vrndavana, he will immediately feel separation from Krsna, who performed such nice activities when He was present there. (Nectar of Devotion Ch. 18)
In our Krsna consciousness movement we invite all the elderly persons of the world to come to Vrndavana and stay there in retired life, making advancement in spiritual consciousness (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.5 purport)
In a holy place like Vrndavana…. If one gets the chance to hear from pure devotees …then the cultivation of Krsna consciousness becomes very easy. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.29.39-40 purport)
"Yes, that effect [of living in Vrndavana and being so close to Krsna] cannot be overestimated. At every turn, you are reminded of Krishna here, and your spiritual strenght increases due to that contact.” (Vrindaban Days, page 47)
Cultivating Krsna consciousness in Vrndavana is the best means of being liberated from material bondage, for in Vrndavana one can automatically meditate upon Krsna. (Srimad Bhagavatam upon Krsna. 9.19.19 purport)
To live in Vrndavana is the highest perfection and to grow up in Vrndavana the greatest fortune… Even to live in Mathura-mandala for a fortnight guarantees one liberation. (Srila Prabhupada letter, 20 January 1976)
Quotations about Vrindavan
Wherever he may be, one must always think about life in Vraja-dhama and about following in the footsteps of a particular devotee in the service of the Lord. (Nectar of Devotion Ch. 16,)
Vrndavana, any person may go there, and even if he is sinful he will at once contact an atmosphere of spiritual life, and automatically chant the names of Krsna and Radha. (Srimad Bhagavatam, 3.20.4 purport)
Anyone who can stay permanently is welcome. I want that as many devotees stay permanently and become Brijabasis. That will be very inspiring. (Srila Prabhupada Letter, 9 November 1975)
Lord Varaha tells the men of earth, “Any person who becomes attracted to places other than Mathura will certainly be captivated by the illusory energy.” (Nectar of Devotion Ch.12)
If one somehow or other gets the opportunity to live in Vrndavana, and if one is not a pretender but simply lives in Vrndavana and concentrates his mind upon Krsna, one is liberated from material bondage. (Srimad Bhagavatam 9.19.19 purport)
In the Brahmanda Purana it is said that all the results of traveling on all the pilgrimages within the three worlds can be achieved simply by touching the holy land of Mathura. (Nectar of Devotion Ch. 12)
If we live in Vrndavana, we are living with Krsna, because Vrndavana is nondifferent from Krsna (Vrindavan Days, page 51)
How wonderful it is that simply by residing in Mathura even for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead! (Nectar of Devotion Ch. 12)
Actually, if someone goes to Vrndavana, he will immediately feel separation from Krsna, who performed such nice activities when He was present there. (Nectar of Devotion Ch. 18)
In our Krsna consciousness movement we invite all the elderly persons of the world to come to Vrndavana and stay there in retired life, making advancement in spiritual consciousness (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.5 purport)
In a holy place like Vrndavana…. If one gets the chance to hear from pure devotees …then the cultivation of Krsna consciousness becomes very easy. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.29.39-40 purport)
"Yes, that effect [of living in Vrndavana and being so close to Krsna] cannot be overestimated. At every turn, you are reminded of Krishna here, and your spiritual strenght increases due to that contact.” (Vrindaban Days, page 47)
Cultivating Krsna consciousness in Vrndavana is the best means of being liberated from material bondage, for in Vrndavana one can automatically meditate upon Krsna. (Srimad Bhagavatam upon Krsna. 9.19.19 purport)
To live in Vrndavana is the highest perfection and to grow up in Vrndavana the greatest fortune… Even to live in Mathura-mandala for a fortnight guarantees one liberation. (Srila Prabhupada letter, 20 January 1976)
The conclusion is that to live on the banks of the Radha-kunda and to bathe there daily constitute the highest perfection of devotional service. (Nectar of Instruction Ch. 11 purport)
When Krsna descends to the material world, this same Vrndavana descends just as an entourage accompanies an important personage. Therefore devotees take shelter of the Vrndavana in India, for it is considered to be a replica of the original Vrndavana. (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi, Introduction)
Krsna appears in this material world at the end of the Dvapara age of the twenty-eighth catur-yuga of Vaivasvata Manu and brings with Him His Vrajadhama, which is the eternal abode of His highest pastimes. (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi 4.50, purport)
We must understand the transcendental importance of Mathura-Vrndavana and Navadvipa-dhama. Anyone who executes devotional service in these places certainly goes back home, back to Godhead, after giving up his body. (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.1.28 purport)
"Here I am now sitting in New York, the world's greatest city, but my heart is always hankering after that Vrndavana” (Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta, Vol 5, page 249)
Sri Krsna advents once every four billion years at this very place, Sri Vrndavana dhama, just to teach us this [bhagavata-dharma]. Therefore Vrndavana is so valuable. (A Transcendental Diary, Vol. 1, page 32)
This Vrndavana is Krishna's house. Therefore It's as good as Goloka Vrndavana. (Vrindaban Days, page 53)
I want that those who come here (Vrndavana), whether grhasthas or sannyasis, behave on the level of realgosvamis. Gosvami means controlling the senses and always glorifying Krsna by varieties of engagement in devotional service. (Srila Prabhupada Letter, 23 March 1974)
I lived very simply (in Vrndavana), content to be in Rupa Gosvami’s presence…Now I have hundreds of temples to go to, but I still like it here best of all. (Vrindavan Days, page 47)
They who as a joke serve Lord Hari during Karttika in Mathura will attain pure devotional service, what to speak of they who serve the Lord with faith and devotion. (Rupa Gosvami, Mathura-mahatmya, text 180)
This Vrndavana is so important, valuable. Why? Because anywhere you go in Vrndavana, there is the opportunity of hearing Krsna-katha. (Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture, 1.2.32, 11 November 1972, Vrndavana)
When he (the aspiring sadhaka) develops his love for Nityananda Prabhu, he is freed from all attachment to the material world, and at that time he becomes eligible to understand the Lord's pastimes in Vrndavana. (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 7.17 purport)
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Medieval - Modern Period (16-18th century)
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked, "Where should the living entity live, abandoning all other places?"
Ramananda Raya replied, "The holy place known as Vrindavana or Vrajabhumi, where the Lord performed His rasa dance."
(Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 8.254, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu talks with Sri Ramananda Raya)
This era was marked by a presence of several important personalities.
After making an extensive pilgrimage of Bharata-bhumi (India) Sripada Madhavendra Puri began the restoration work of Vrindavana. Wandering from grove to grove, remembering Radha-Krishna's sweet Vrindavana pastimes, Madhavendra Puri would faint in ecstasy.
Sri Lokanath Gosvami was first of the Gosvamis who came to Vrindavana. He went there after the Lord took sannyas. His friend was Bhugarbha Gosvami.
Speaking in the mood of Srimati Radharani, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "For most people, the mind and heart are one, but because My mind is never separated from Vrindavana, I consider My mind and Vrindavana to be one. My mind is already Vrindavana, and since You like Vrindavana, will You please place Your lotus feet there? I would deem that Your full mercy. (Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 13.137)
Sri Caitanya went to Sri Vrindavana several times and revealed many holy places there. (Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya 1,2,17,18) When Lord Chaitanya first arrived in Vraja, He stayed at brahmana's house in Mathura. He would walk around Vrindavana every day visiting the sacred places connected with Lord Krishna's pastimes. Later, Lord Chaitanya moved His residence to Akrura Ghata and would daily visit Imlitala, where He sat looking at the river Yamuna while chanting Hare Krishna and constantly shedding tears in an ecstatic mood of divine love. After a few months (in 1516), Lord Chaitanya left for Jagannatha Puri and directed two of His dearmost followers, Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis to proceed immediately to Vrindavana, not only to excavate the places of Lord Krishna's pastimes and build temples but also to write books on the science of bhakti yoga, in order to establish the teachings of Lord Chaitanya for the benefit of all future generations. (CC Adi 7, Madhya 1, 19, Antya 4). Other of the Six Gosvamis later joined them.
Even though both Rupa and Sanatana were very important ministers in the government of Bengal, by the divine inspiration of Lord Chaitanya, they completely renounced mundane family life in order to fully serve the mission of Lord Chaitanya. When they first came to Vrindavana, it was just a large forest, and at night they would sleep under the trees. They dressed only in simple kaupins (loincloths), and subsisted on forest roots and dry chapatis obtained by begging alms (madhukari). The Six Gosvamis hardly slept more than two hours a day and spent most of their time in meditation and writing books on the science of bhakti-yoga. Some of their original works, written on parchment leaves, have been preserved and can be seen at the
Vrindavana Research Institute.
The fame of the six Gosvamis spread so far and wide that even Emperor Akbar decided to pay a visit to Vrindavana in the year 1570. Jiva Gosvami led him blindfolded into the sacred kunja of Nidhuvana. So great was the Emperor's spiritual experience there, that to commemorate the event, he granted permission to construct four grand temples dedicated to Lord Krishna. The temples were Govindaji, Gopinatha, Madana-mohana and Jugal-kisore. The Emperor also donated funds to set up a library for the preservation of the Gosvamis's books at Radha-Damodara temple. This library used to be in the room to the left of the altar and is still known as grantha ghar (book house). Akbar even provided first class sandstone, normally reserved for the Emperor's palaces and forts; so much he appreciated the Six Gosvamis.
Other devotees gradually came but later Vrindavana was raided by Muslims, especially Aurangzeb in 1670. Many temples and Deities were destroyed while some were moved to safer places like Nathdwar,Jaipur and Karoli in neighboring state of Rajasthan.
Famous female saint Mirabai lived in Vrindavana during the time of Six Gosvamis.
Goswami Chronology
1489 Rupa Goswami appearance
1511 Jiva Goswami appearance
1515 Sri Chaitanya visits Vrindavan
1516 Rupa and Sanatana come to Vrindavan
1531 Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami comes to Vrindavan
1533 Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu disappearance
1535 Jiva Goswami comes to Vrindavan
1542 Damodara Deity, first seva puja
1542 Radha-Raman Deity, first seva puja
1545 Jiva Goswami buys land at Radha Kund
1552 Rupa Goswami writes Nectar of Devotion (Bhakti-rasamrta Sindhu)
1558 Jiva Goswami buys land at Seva Kunj/ Sanatana Goswami disappearance
1564 Rupa Goswami disappearance
1570 Emperor Akbar meets Jiva Goswami in Vrindavan
1580 Radha-Madanmohan temple opens
1581 Chaitanya Caritamrta, completed by Krishna das Kaviraj at Shyama Kund
1582 Krishna das Kaviraj disappearance
1582 Jiva Goswami orders Narottama, Srinivas, and Shyamananda go preach
1583 Raghunatha das Goswami disappearance
1585 Gopal Bhatta Goswami disappearance
1590 Radha-Govinda temple opens
1592 Jiva Goswami writes Gopal Champu
1608 Jiva Goswami disappearance
1670 Aurangzeb destroys Vrindavan temples
1739 Radha-Damodara Deity returns to Vrindavan from Jaipur
1764 Radha-Damodara Deity moves back to Jaipur and stays
(from: Mahanidhi Swami: Prabhupada in Radha-Damodara, BBT 2003)
Interim period: Mathura as the Vaishnava-Buddhist seat of culture and learning
Megasthenes
The most important and earliest non-Indian literary record of ancient India is found in the book Indica by Megasthenes. In the 3rd century BC Megasthenes journeyed to India. The King of Taxila had appointed him ambassador to the royal court at Pataliputra of the great Vaisnava monarch Chandragupta. While there Megasthenes wrote extensively on what he heard and saw. Unfortunately, none of Megasthenes's original book survived. However, through Megasthenes's early Greek and Roman commentators, like Arrian, Diodorus and Strabo, fragments of his original work are available to us today, as well as Megasthenes's general message.
Megasthenes described Mathura as "a place of great regional importance" and suggested that it was then, as now, "a center of Krishna worship."
Christian Lassen noted that Megasthenes wrote of Krishna under the pseudonym of Heracles and that "Heracles", or Krishna, was worshipped as God in the area through which the Yamuna River flows.
A respected Indologist, Richard Garbe, agreed with Lassen's analysis and called the testimony of Megasthenes indisputable. Soon, scholars like Alan Dahlquist, who had formerly supported the "borrowing theory," changed their minds and admitted, in Dahlquist's words, that Garbe had "exploded Weber's theory once and for all." The life of Krishna and the religion of Vaisnavism had not been influenced by Christianity, but had appeared autonomously on Indian soil and was already well-established by at least the third century BC.
See also
Search for the historical Krishna
Heliodorus and Vaishnava-Jewish connection
Cultural ties
In Mathura, Gandhara, Ratnagiri, Taxila/Taksasila and Nalanda existed ancient Eastern Vaishnava-Buddhist universities. These centers of learning had a focus on the medical arts and were built and attended by both Vaishnavas (Vishnu worshipers) and Buddhists. The Buddhist art produced at all of these Mahayana Buddhist related places of learning, shows that the Buddhists there believed Buddha to be an incarnation of Lokeshvara or Vishnu. The two most important locations for the study of early Mahayana Buddhist art were in the area of Gandhara and Mathura. Both Gandharan and Mathuran school show Greek Rhodian connections.
From Britannica Concise:
Kushan (Kusana) art
"Art produced during the Kushan dynasty (late 1st - 3rd century AD), in an area that now includes parts of Central Asia, northern India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
"There are two major stylistic divisions among artifacts of the period: the imperial art of Iranian derivation, and the Buddhist art of mixed Greco-Roman and Indian sources. The former is exemplified by stiff, frontal portraits (including those on coins) emphasizing the individual's power and wealth. The second, more realistic, style is typified by the schools of Gandhara and Mathura art."
From
"Buddhist Art in India" by Radha Banerjee:
"Different forms of the Avalokitesvara have been mentioned in the Sadhana-mala, of these the important ones are Shadakshari Lokeshvara, Simhanada, Khasharpana. Lokanatha, Halahala, Nilakantha and few others."
"Mathura also was a great centre of art and culture during this period. Here flourished side by side all the important religions of India, such as Brahmanism, Jainism and Buddhism. It is believed that the first Buddha images were carved at Mathura simultaneously if not earlier, with the Gandhara school. Mathura has produced Buddha images of various dimensions. The Kushana Buddha or Bodhisattva images of Mathura served as the prototypes of the more beautiful specimens of the Gupta period."
"In northwest India, in a region that was called Gandhara in ancient times and now includes Afghanistan and part of the Punjab, a Greco-Buddhist school of sculpture arose that combined the influence of Greek forms and Buddhist subject matter. It reached the peak of its production in the 2nd century AD. Although the Gandhara style greatly influenced sculptural work in Central Asia and even in China, Korea, and Japan, it did not have a major effect in the rest of India; it is probable, however, that the images as well as the symbols of Buddha developed at Gandhara later spread to Mathura, now in Uttar Pradesh, where an important school of sculpture developed from the 2nd century BC to the 6th century AD. Remains of the earlier work of this school also show a close relationship to the style of the sculpture at Bharhut. Later, in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, the Mathura school discarded the old symbols of Buddha and represented him with actual figures. This innovation was carried on through subsequent phases of Indian sculpture." (source: kuwaitoriya.com)
"In 221 AD, the Han dynasty came to an end and China broke up into two. One was Fu-Nah (Cambodia). There is evidence that the king of Fu was in contact with the Saka king of Mathura. Mathura was a major kingdom then."
source
Mathura Vaishnava-Buddhist University
Vrindavana-Mathura was the ancient capital of Vaishnava Krishna-Baladeva and Vishnu worship. It was also the area's capital of Pure Land Buddhist Amitabha-Amitayus and Lokeshvara worship.
Amitayus (analogous to Baladeva), the sambhogya kaya, further 'expands' as Avalokiteshvara. Amitayus is the original spiritual master and servitor Lord / Savior of all beings. As personified wisdom, he may be worshiped as Manjushri. Buddhist sources document that Amitayus-Manjushri was worshiped with Amitabha in ancient Vrindavan-Mathura.
As Lokeshvara, all the benevolent forms of Vishnu and the wrathful forms of Shiva are all forms of His. This fact proves that the Pure Land Buddhist tradition dates to before Vaishnavism and Shaivism became distinct separated traditions. In other words, Mahadeva Shiva is considered a form of Lokeshvara. All his wrathful forms are thus forms of Lokeshvara. This is the same as in ancient Egypt, Palestine and Europe, where both the benevolent and wrathful forms were considered forms of the same Deity, the second person of the Godhead, Baal-Yahu-Osiris-Dionysos-Amun, etc.
There is much archeological evidence of Pure Land Buddhism in Mathura, where Baladeva was always worshiped with Krishna. This is the same salvific tradition in two different, but closely related forms. Thus the icons and symbols of the great Vaishnava and Buddhist schools of sacred art at Mathura are extremely similar. Mathura was also a great Vaishnava-Buddhist center of learning in ancient times, and is one of the two most important places to study for early Buddhist art.
Sources:
"Mathura Evidence for the Early Teachings of Mahayana," in Mathura: The Cultural Heritage, Edited by Doris M. Srinivasan, American Institute of Indian Studies, New Delhi, 1989, pp. 85-95.
kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/studypages/internal/dl/SouthAsia/mod2bac.htm
www.indiastudies.org/Publications/pages/Mathura.htm
Investigation of Early Mathura Buddhism Sculpture [Construction of Early Hindu Buddhism Art] (1995-1999) By Yagihashi Tsukasa.
The Central Significance of Vrindavana-Mathura in Mahayana Buddhist History
In Joseph Campbell's "Masks of God" (4 volumes, Viking) and other comparative and exclusive studies of Buddhism, it has been readily acknowledged that Ashoka's own Buddhist master had a great monastery in Mathura. Campbell cites a reference to this claiming that Ashoka's master's (3rd century BCE) monastery in Mathura had 10,000 [sic] resident monks.
History of Buddhism in India during time of Ashoka
Mathura is an ancient cultural and religious center. The Buddhist monasteries that were built here received considerable patronage from Ashoka, and Mathura was mentioned by Ptolemy and by the Chinese visitors Fahsien (who visited India from 401 to 410 AD) and Xuan Zhang (634-762 AD) in their works.
More about this topic in
"Glimpses from India-China contacts" by M.S.N. Menon
Ashoka (Third Century BCE) was the last of the great Mauryan Dynasty Emperors. The Mauryas were Vaishnavas, but Ashoka, after a particularly horrific military campaign (against Kalinga) that consolidated his rule over much of India, is said to have 'converted' to the non-violent discipline of Buddhism, becoming its greatest royal advocate. Filled with missionary zeal, he energetically patronized this Buddhism, building up its holy places and supporting its monasteries and sending missionaries with its messages of benevolence as far as the Mediterranean. It is one of these missions (actually related to his personal family) that supposedly reached the Island of Sri Lanka, establishing Buddhism there. He participated in Buddhist councils, and while he protected Vaishnavism and some other traditional Indian religions, he also suppressed heterodox groups. In fact, "There is also evidence from the Edicts [of Ashoka] that he intervened to expel dissident elements from the Buddhist Order..." (page 100, The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, 1997, Oxford University Press.)
It is not contested that Ashoka continued his protection and support of Vaishnavism, or that his own Buddhist master's ashram was in Mathura, the royal religio-cultural capital of Krishna-centric Vaishnavism, so what was the so-called Buddhism that in his liberality he found so intolerable that he actually suppressed and expelled as "dissident"? Well, what is the heterodox Buddhism that arrived in Sri Lanka at that time? What Buddhism has continuously denied the clearly Mahayana-related evidence of Pure Land Ashokan Buddhism, which from all of the archeological hard evidence arrived in Sri Lanka during the same era and was spread throughout the entire region (and beyond) by Ashoka's missionaries? Considered heterodox, it appears that Theravada Buddhism was expelled from India by the Emperor Ashoka.
[See "The Transmission of Buddhism to the Andhra Region, translated from Japanese by Trevor Leggett (volume 77:4 p. 237) February 2003")
Is it conceivable that everywhere else Ashoka's missionaries were spreading Vaishnava-Bhakti-related Pure Land Mahayana Buddhism, but that in Sri Lanka alone they were teaching Theravada / Hinayana atheism? Is it conceivable that atheistic Theravada Buddhism would be blissfully co-existing with Krishna-centric Vaishnavism in Mathura, the very world intellectual epicenter of Krishna-centrism? Would the 'Vatican City' of Krishna-Vaishnavism tolerate the presence of thousands of Theravada Buddhist atheists who believed that Krishna was a demon?
Nearby Vrindavana, as the more esoteric 'Bridal Mysticism'-type center of pastoral ("bucolic", from Vaishnava "Gokula" and
Pure Land Buddhist "Gokura-ku") Krishna-Vaishnavism was never the university (monastery) intellectual or royal seat of Krishna Vaishnavism. As the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna and Baladeva and the gopis' Bridal Mysticism / rasa lila pastimes, Vrindavan's sacred pastoral character was always religiously safeguarded from certain kinds of development. However, as the center of awesome and reverential royal / raja Krishna-worship, nearby Mathura was the diffusional royal epicenter of Krishna-centric Vaishnavism for countless centuries. At the time of Ashoka, it was the intellectual and artistic capital of Krishna-centric Vaishnavism. How could Ashoka's own master have had an ashram with 10 000 monks in it in the royal capital of Sri Krishna's worship (Sri Krishna's own birthplace), if he had been a Theravada Buddhist? The Theravadin Buddhists of Sri Lanka teach that Krishna and Balarama are demons, and some teach the Jain doctrine that Krishna is in a hell for His role in the Great (Mahabharata) War(!)
In fact, in both of the university-like intellectual 'Buddhist' centers of Mathura and Gandhara, the Vaishnavas and Buddhists were completely compatible as members of various lineages or orders of the same religion. This fact cannot be contested. No honest scholar can deny that Gandhara and Mathura, the two greatest early Mahayana centers of Buddhist intellectual and artistic activity and diffusion, were also Vaishnava centers of the same. This was not a sequential phenomenon either. The Vaishnava and Buddhist presence in these centers of Bhakti Yoga was contemporaneous. In fact, there was a Western Bhakti Asyla Temple Federation representation in the visitors and residents of these two great Vaishnava and Buddhist 'university' centers of Gandhara and Mathura too. Greeks, Romans and other western Eli-Yahu / Heli-os / Heri-Asu worshipers visited and lived in these two centers.
When it is known that Mathura was the North Indian regional center of Krishna Bhakti, how is it possible that the very antithesis of Krishna-Vaishnavism and closely related Pure Land Buddhist Bhakti, namely atheistic Theravada Buddhism, could have been the Buddhism that Ashoka patronized there? When it is clear from evidence all over the region (and beyond) that Ashoka equally protected and supported Vaishnavism and Mahayana (Pure Land) Buddhism and that at the time these two great Bhakti traditions were considered part of the same religion, how is it conceivable that the 'Buddhism' that he patronized in Sri Lanka was Theravada, the historical and doctrinal antithesis of both Vaishnavism and Pure Land Buddhism?
It is widely accepted by Western scholars that missionaries of Ashoka the Great were present in Judea, Greece and Egypt. The Theravadins have appropriated Ashoka, but there is no evidence that his 'Buddhism' was Hinayana (the atheistic form). All the evidence is that the original Buddhism, both before and after Sakyamuni was at first indistinguishable from Krishna-centric Vaishnavism. The late and insignificant heretical Theravadins, who were suppressed by Ashoka etc., thus diffused to S.E. Asia through Sri Lanka.
(Reposted from India Archaeology group, From Than Hsiang Temple Site: The reign of King Ashoka, The Maurya Dynasty):
"Ashoka's visit to Bodh Gaya and his devotion to the Bodhi tree is shown by a sculpture on the eastern gate at Sanchi which represents the emperor's visit to the sacred tree. It was followed by many other pilgrimages on which both legends and inscriptions throw some light according to northern tradition confirmed by Yuan Chwang. Ashoka's preceptor in Buddhism was Upagupta of Mathura, the son of a performer Gupta of Benares who took Ashoka on an extensive pilgrimage to the principal holy places of Buddhism such as Lumbini Garden where the Buddha was born, Kapilavastu where he renounced the world, Bodhi-tree at Gaya where he attained enlightenment, Isipatana (Sarnath) where he first preached, Kusinagara where he died, Sravasti where he mostly lived and taught. At each of these places, Ashoka gave gold and built a chaitya."
This scholar also describes that Ashoka did something that an atheist would not do. He patronized the worship of Vaishnava-like Pure Land Buddhist murtis. So it is strange indeed that the atheistic so-called Buddhists of Sri Lanka insist that Ashoka sent atheistic Theravadin Buddhism to that island.
Ashoka devoted himself strenuously to the moral uplift of the community. As stated in
Minor Rock Edict 1, the gods were popularized so that the people in India (Jambudvipa) who knew nothing of them i.e. the wild tribes now became associated with them and adopted them as objects of their worship. A further appeal to the religious instincts of the people was made by the emperor's organization of shows and processions exhibiting images of the gods in their celestial cars, which were accompanied by elephants, bonfires or illuminations and other heavenly sights (
Rock Edict IV). The institution of Buddhist processions continued at Pataliputra down to Fa-hsien's time (4th century A.D.). Thus the originator of Buddhist processions seems to be Ashoka. Ashoka's intention when he started this was not for his own material gain but for the spiritual advantage of his people by bringing their gods before their eyes.
Mathura's fame eclipsed
In 1018 AD Mahmud of Ghazni sacked and plundered the magnificent temples of Mathura which were known for their fabulous wealth. Towards the end of 1756 Ahmad Shah Abdali swooped down on the plains of Hindustan and plundered Delhi, Mathura and Agra in 1757.
Bibliography:
Sherman, David (Bhakti Ananda Goswami),
Pure Land Buddhism as Vaishnavism, other unpublished writings
Sharma, R. C., Buddhist Art: Mathura School. New Delhi: Wiley Eastern Limited, 1995. Cites recent archaeological finds to argue the primacy of the Mathura (native Indian) school of sculpture over the Gandharan (Indo-Greek) in the development of the Buddha image.
Sharma, R.C., The Splendour of Mathura Art and Museum.(Printed on Art Paper) 1994, N.Delhi, D.K.
Buddha and Bodhisattva Directory
Gods of Japan - Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist & Shinto Deities
Sri Krishna's prakata-lila (5000 years ago)
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna descends to earth for performing His transcendental pastimes, He brings with Him His own eternal abode known as Goloka Vrindavana, along with His most intimate associates, friends, servants, and various other transcendental paraphernalia. Just like a King who goes to another country takes with him his personal friends, family members, ministers and secretaries, as part of his royal retinue.
The Lord's trancendental abode which is also known as the dhama, is non-different from the Lord's eternal abode in the spiritual world, in fact it is an exact replica. By mundane material vision the dhama may appear like any other place on earth, but to the pure devotees and perfect yogis, the dhama is a completely spiritual abode saturated with its own transcendentaly surcharged atmosphere.
Statements about Vrindavana
It is understood that city of Mathura (and the whole of Brajabhumi) is the transcendental abode of Lord Krishna. It is not an ordinary material city, for it is eternally connected with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vrindavana is within the jurisdiction of Mathura. Because Mathura and Vrindavana are intimately connected with Krishna eternally, it is said that Lord Krishna never leaves Vrindavana, as established by Sanatan Gosvami in Vaishnava-toshani. Rupa Gosvami in Laghu-bhagavatamrita and then by Jiva Gosvami in Krishna Sandarbha and Gopala Champu. Anyone who goes there becomes transcendentally purified.
"We must understand the transcendental importance of Mathura, Vrindavana and Navadvipa dhamas. Anyone who executes devotional service in these places certainly goes back home, back to Godhead after giving up his body.
"Whenever the Supreme Personality appears, He appears in Mathura because of His intimate connection with this place. Therefore, although Mathura and Vrindavana are situated on this planet earth, they are transcendental abodes of the Lord." (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.1.28, purport)
"The ideal place to execute Krishna consciousness is Braja-bhumi, or Vrindavana, where the people are naturally inclined to love Krishna and Krishna is naturally inclined to love them." (Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya-lila 4.95)
Vrinda-vana
