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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Around 1,001,974; 0.63% of thetotal population of Bangladesh | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Bengali,Chakma,Pali,Marma |
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| Theravāda Buddhism | ||||||||
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Key figures
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Buddhism is the third-largest religious affiliation and formed about 0.61% of the population of Bangladesh.[1][2] It is said thatBuddha once in his life came to this region ofEast Bengal to spread his teachings and he was successful in converting the local people toBuddhism, specially in theChittagong Division and later onPala empire propagate and patronized Buddhist religion throughout the Bengal territory.[3]
About 1 million people inBangladesh adhere to theTheravada school ofBuddhism.[4] Over 65% of the Buddhist population is concentrated in theChittagong Hill Tracts region, where it is the predominant faith of theRakhine,Chakma,Marma,Tanchangya,Jumma people and theBarua. The remaining 35% areBengali Buddhists. Buddhist communities are also present in the urban centers of Bangladesh, particularlyChittagong andDhaka.
Legend said thatGautama Buddha came to the region to spread Buddhism, and it was speculated that one or two individuals became monks to follow in his footsteps. However, Buddhism did not gain much support until the reign ofAshoka when Buddhism gained a toehold. ThePala Empire that controlled the Indian subcontinent spread many Buddhist ideologies in modern Bangladesh and built many monasteries such as theMahasthangarh and theSomapura Mahavihara. During the Pala Dynasty, a famous teacher namedAtisha was born in the city ofBikrampur and spreadMahayana Buddhism.
Chandra Dynasty's Puranchandra and Subarnachandra adopted Buddhism, as did their successors Trailokyachandra and Srichandra who ruled Harikel and Chandradwip (Barisal).[5] TheKhadga Dynasty was a Buddhist dynasty of kings that carried the surname Bhatt. They made several temples and monasteries. King Rajabhata was for example a very committed Mahayanist Buddhist.[6]
Buddhism in various forms appears to have been prevalent at the time of the Turkic conquest in 1202.[7] The invading armies found numerous monasteries, which they destroyed. With the destruction of centres of Buddhist learning, such asNalanda University, Buddhism rapidly disintegrated.[8] In subsequent centuries and up through the 1980s nearly all the remaining Buddhists lived in the region aroundChittagong, which had not been entirely conquered until the time of theBritish Raj (1858–1947). During the 19th century, a revival movement developed[9] that led to the development of two orders of Theravada monks, theSangharaj Nikaya and theMahasthabir Nikaya.
In the Chittagong Hills, Buddhist tribes formed the majority of the population, and their religion appeared to be a mixture of tribal beliefs and Buddhist doctrines. According to the 1981 census, there were approximately 538,000 Buddhists in Bangladesh, representing less than 1 percent of the population.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 294,437 | — |
| 1961 | 355,634 | +20.8% |
| 1974 | 428,871 | +20.6% |
| 1981 | 522,722 | +21.9% |
| 1991 | 637,893 | +22.0% |
| 2001 | 862,063 | +35.1% |
| 2011 | 898,634 | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 1,001,974 | +11.5% |
| Source: Bangladesh government census authority[10][11] | ||
| Year | Percent | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 0.7% | |
| 1961 | 0.7% |  0% |
| 1974 | 0.6% |  -0.1% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | 0% |
| 1991 | 0.6% | 0% |
| 2001 | 0.7% |  +0.1% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 0.63% | +0.03% |
As of 2014, followers of Buddhism are mainly people of Baruas living in Chittagong city, the business city of Bangladesh and indigenous Arakanese descent living in the sub-tropical Chittagong Hill Tracts. People who follow Buddhism in Bangladesh belong to the Barua people in majority with the percentage of 65% among the 0.07% population of Bangladesh,Chakma,Chak,Marma,Tanchangya and theKhyang, who had been since time immemorial have practiced Buddhism. Other tribes, notably those who practice Animism, have come under some Buddhist influence, and this is true in the case of theKhumi and theMru, and to a lesser extent on the other tribes.
| Division | Percentage (%) | Buddhist population ( ) | Total population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barisal | 0.05% | 4,911 | 91,00,104 |
| Chittagong | 2.92% | 9,69,630 | 3,32,02,357 |
| Dhaka | 0.05% | 20,335 | 4,42,15,759 |
| Khulna | 0.01% | 1,006 | 1,74,15,924 |
| Rajshahi | 0.01% | 1,123 | 2,03,53,116 |
| Rangpur | 0.02% | 3,091 | 1,76,10,955 |
| Sylhet | 0.01% | 1,105 | 1,10,34,952 |
| Mymensingh | 0.01% | 753 | 1,22,25,449 |
According to 2022 census, 96.77% of Bangladeshi buddhist lives inChittagong Division, constitutes 2.92% of divisional population. They mainly concentrated inChittagong hill tracts region constituting 41.74% of CHT population. Buddhism is the largest religion inRangamati Hill District (57.25%) and second largest inKhagrachhari District(35.93%) andBandarban District(29.53%).
There are several active monasteries in the Chittagong, and in most Buddhist villages there is a school (kyong) where boys live and learn to read Bengali (national language) and some Pali (an ancient Buddhist scriptural language).[7] It is common for men who have finished their schooling to return at regular intervals for periods of residence in the school. The local Buddhist shrine is often an important center of village life.
Buddhism outside the monastic retreats has absorbed and adapted indigenous popular creeds and beliefs of the regions to which it has spread.[7] In most areas religious ritual focuses on the image of the Buddha, and the major festivals observed by Buddhists in Bangladesh commemorate the important events of his life. Although doctrinal Buddhism rejects the worship of gods and preserves the memory of the Buddha as an enlightened man, popular Buddhism contains a pantheon of gods and lesser deities headed by the Buddha.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs provides assistance for the maintenance of Buddhist places of worship and relics.[7] The ancient monasteries atPaharpur (inRajshahi Region) andMainamati (inCumilla Region), dating from the seventh to ninth century A.D., are considered unique for their size and setting and are maintained as state-protected monuments.
List of massacres targeted at Buddhists minorities byBengali nationalists,Awami League activists and communal mobs:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Bangladesh: A Country Study.Federal Research Division. Buddhism.
