Through what means did Buddhism spread beyond India into East and Southeast Asia?

• A. Through the destruction of temples in India.
• B. The Silk Road and maritime routes, adopted by rulers and integrated with local beliefs.
• C. Exclusive inland pilgrimages by monks only.
• D. It remained limited to the Indian subcontinent.

Answer: (B)

Buddhism spread primarily through connections in trade networks—the Silk Road across Central Asia into China and the maritime routes across the Indian Ocean into Southeast Asia. Along these routes, Buddhist monks, merchants, and eventually rulers carried texts, relics, and institutions, while translations made Buddhist ideas accessible in new languages. When rulers adopted Buddhism, they built temples and supported monastic communities, weaving Buddhist beliefs into local customs and state life, which helped the faith take root in diverse regions. This combination of cross-border contact, political sponsorship, and cultural adaptation explains its expansion beyond India, unlike options that rely on destruction, limited pilgrimages by monks, or a claim that it stayed confined to the subcontinent.