A Buddhist Revival: Indigenous Communities Convert In Bangladesh
PARBATIPUR, Bangladesh — Buddhism is experiencing a revival in northern Bangladesh as thousands of Indigenous Oraon people have embraced the faith since the mid-1990s.
Relics found in the region suggest that Buddhism was once a widely practiced religion here. In the last three decades, it has started to return.
Since 1994, Oraon Indigenous communities living in a small village in Dinajpur district were converted from Sarna traditions, an Indigenous faith centered on nature and ancestral spirits, to Buddhism. Now there are about 5,000 Buddhists in the region and about 25 Buddhist temples.
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Shapon Ekka, 43, is a father of a child from the Indigenous Oraon community, whose ancestors previously believed in traditional nature worship or Sarna, but have been practicing Buddhism since the time of his parents.
“My parents converted to Buddhism when I was young, and that is why I am also practicing this religion,” Ekka said.
The seeds of Buddhism were first planted in the Rangpur district of the northern region in the Oraon villages, and some of Ekka’s relatives were converted to Buddhism there; after hearing from them, his family converted to Buddhism. Currently, in Dinajpur, another district of the northern region, Ekka and about 20 families around them are practicing Buddhism.
The Indigenous people were originally nature worshippers and are called Sarna followers. Their worship and religious practices are gradually disappearing, and they are converting to different religions.
In 1994, a senior Buddhist monk came to the Rangpur area and saw that some of the mantras of Buddhism were similar to the mantras of the Oraon. He explained to them that they might have been followers of Buddhism before and later became nature worshippers for some reason. This evangelism changed their faith, and they converted to Buddhism.
“We did not convert to Buddhism for any financial or worldly gain. We converted to this religion by embracing Buddhism from our hearts,” said Ekka, president of the North Bengal Buddhist Federation.
He added that people now want peace, security and reliability to establish a complete religious faith, which Buddhism offers.
Buddhism in Bangladesh
Fewer than 1% of people in the Muslim-majority country are Buddhist. They are concentrated in the three districts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the southeast of the country: Bandarban, Bangamati and Khagrachari. In addition, some Buddhists are also found in Comilla and Noakhali.
The Naogaon district in northern Bangladesh is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Sompur Mahavihara, built by the Pal kings in the late eighth century. It was the largest Buddhist monastery in ancient Bengal and an international learning center. Several other Buddhist monuments are found in the northern part of the country, including Vasuvihara in Bogra district and Jagadal Vihar in Naogaon district.
Sukamal Barua, who is researching the history of Buddhism, said that the monuments of Buddhism seen in this northern region confirm that Buddhism was dominant here.
“The tribals convert to other religions specifically to improve their standard of living, but this has not been seen among those who have converted to Buddhism,” Barua said. “It is believed that these tribals were once followers of Buddhism and the fact that they have started returning is good news for Buddhism.”
Obstacles for new Buddhists
Although the spread of Buddhism in the north has opened new horizons for Buddhism in Bangladesh, there are some challenges. There are not enough Buddhist monks in the north to go around.
Ekka said that out of 25 Buddhist temples, there are monks in only five of them. As a result, they are not able to practice their religion properly.
“If there is a monk, people can go there and listen to the words of religion; they can practice religion, but because there is no monk, people are deprived of this service,” Ekka said. “Without proper places and services for the religious here, those who have embraced Buddhism may even leave this religion at some point.”
The indigenous of this area are often victims of atrocities, especially due to land disputes. On Nov. 6, 2016, three Santals were killed, and many others injured, in a police shooting during the eviction of Santal Indigenous from their land in the Bagda farm area of the northern district of Gaibandha. In this incident, there were also incidents of arson and looting of Santal houses.
In 2024, there were allegations of vandalism of 10-15 houses of the Indigenous Santal community in Dinajpur district. They were threatened with the demolition of their houses and being moved to another place.
Ekka said that initially, when his family converted to Buddhism, they were afraid of potential backlash from their Indigenous community and the Hindu community — but no conflicts materialized, and he hasn't heard of any other Buddhist converts facing discrimination either.
How do other religious leaders see it?
Muslims, Hindus and Christians live in the northern part of Bangladesh, and the number of new Buddhist followers is currently increasing. While it is mostly traditional nature worshippers who are now embracing Buddhism, there are a small number of Indigenous communities who are abandoning Christianity and embracing Buddhism.
Mohammad Abdur Rahman, 45, a teacher at a Muslim school in Rangpur district, said the coexistence of all religions is establishing Bangladesh as a country of religious harmony.
“I think the growing interest in Buddhism is a manifestation of the religious freedom that exists in this country,” Rahman said.
However, he said, we must also be careful not to convert anyone through any kind of unfair incitement. But there is some resentment among Hindu leaders, whose followers are now converting back to Buddhism.
Deshabish Biswas, 39, a Hindu priest, said he was concerned Indigenous people were being persuaded to convert by Buddhists offering them material advantages.
“The leaders of the Buddhist religion are taking advantage of the poverty of the tribals and converting them by promising them education and improvement in their standard of living,” Biswas added.
But his claim is baseless, Ekka said.
“None of us converted with any hope,” he added. “Rather, after we converted to Buddhism, our standard of living improved because of following religious principles.”
The tribes used to drink homemade rice wine, but since intoxicating food is prohibited in Buddhism, the new converts do not drink wine. As a result, their concept of life has changed, and they have focused on getting an education.
“We are now more educated and empowered than before. Our tribals are now working in various government offices and are able to speak out in demanding our rights,” Ekka said.
Stephan Uttom Rozario is a journalist and photographer based in Dhaka, Bangladesh,