- Decline of Buddhist Sanghas: Sanghas became centers of corruption. Discipline of Vinay Pitaka was violated.
- Revival of Brahmanical Hinduism: Rites and rituals of Hinduism were simplified. It also incorporated Buddhist principle of non-violence and accepted Buddha as a Hindu incarnation.
- Buddhism lost royal patronage, which it received during the period of Asoka, Kaniska, and Harshavardhana. The Gupta rulers were great patrons of the Brahmanical religion.
- Buddhism was divided into several groups like “Hinayana,” “Mahayana” “Vajrayana” “Tantrayana” and “Sahajayana,” and ultimately, it lost its originality.
- Buddhist monks gave up Pali and took up Sanskrit, the language of intellectuals which was rarely understood by the common people. So, people rejected it.
- Mahayana Buddhists started worshipping Buddha as a God. Image worship was a clear violation of the Buddhist doctrines, which opposed the critical rites and rituals of Brahmanical Hinduism.
- Northern India was mostly ruled by the Rajputs from the eight to twelfth century who found great pleasure in fighting. They discarded the Buddhist principle of non-violence.
