1. Buddha was by that time considered as one of the incarnations of Vishnu and thus became a part of Vaishnavism.
2. Invading tribes from Central Asia till the time of the last Gupta king adopted Hinduism and persecuted Buddhists.
3. Kings of the Gupta dynasty were strongly opposed to Buddhism.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Buddhism emerged in India around the 6th century BCE, and reached its zenith during the reign of Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism and instituted dharma as the state ideology. (3rd century BCE). Later, it began to decline in the 4th-6th century CE due to increasing influence of Brahmanism and was mostly replaced by Hinduism by the 12th century.
Statement 1 is correct: Buddhism declined during the entire phase of Bhakti movement absorbing various aspects of Hinduism such as Buddha’s inclusion as 9th incarnation of Vishnu thus becoming a part of Vaishnavism. This assimilation made Buddhist practices and beliefs blend into mainstream Hinduism.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Kushans, the Sakas, the Greeks, and the Parthians were some of the Central Asian tribes that invaded India. Though some tribes like the Huns adopted Hinduism during the period 200 B.C. to 300 A.D. Buddhism gained a strong foothold in the north western India. Many of the foreigners like the Indo-Greeks and the Kushanas, who invaded India during this time accepted Buddhism
Statement 3 is incorrect: The Gupta rulers gave patronage to Bhagvatism. But they were tolerant to other religions too. The Chinese pilgrims Fa Hien and Hsuan Tsang, who came to India during the reign of Chandragupta II and Harsha respectively, clearly give the impression that Buddhism was also flourishing.