Daily Life of Buddhist Monks in India - 06.04.2023, Sputnik India

Buddhism in India has a history spanning over two thousand years; it is said to have originated in the country.

Over 2,600 years ago, the Buddha was born on the northern edge of the Ganges River basin, which was the periphery of the ancient civilization of north India.

The term 'buddha' in ancient India referred to the one who woke up from a sleep of ignorance and gained enlightenment.

Buddha, who lived between the mid-6th and mid-4th centuries BCE, spread his word throughout northeastern India, where orders of monks and nuns were established.

The oldest Buddhist teachings developed largely under the influence of the ancient Indian languages of Pali, and Sanskrit.

As per the country's 2011 census, the Buddhist population in India is around 8.4 million. The majority of the Buddhists have concentrated in northeast India's states of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland, as well as in Maharashtra, West Bengal, and the union territory of Ladakh.

Check out how young Buddhist monks live in India's Arunachal Pradesh in our photo gallery!

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A young Buddhist monk walking around the Tawang monastery, a town in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on April 5, 2023. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

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A young Buddhist monk drinks his morning tea at the main Tawang monastery in Tawang, a town in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on April 5, 2023. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

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Young Buddhist monk drinks his morning tea inside the main Tawang monastery in Tawang, a town in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on April 5, 2023. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

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A young Buddhist monk spins prayer wheels at the Tawang monastery in Tawang, a town in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on April 5, 2023. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

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Buddhist monks perform morning prayers at the main Tawang monastery in Tawang, a town in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on April 5, 2023. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

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Young Buddhist monks play between prayers at the Tawang monastery in Tawang, a town in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on April 5, 2023. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

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A woman along with an infant offers prayers at the Tawang monastery in Tawang, a town in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on April 5, 2023. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

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Young Buddhist monks play between prayers at the Tawang monastery in Tawang, a town in the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on April 5, 2023. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)