Buddhism is a world religion, which arose in and around ancient Magadha,
(modern Bihar), and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is
known as the Buddha. It spread outside of Magadha starting in the Buddha's
lifetime, and with the reign of the Buddhist Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, spread
across India and became the dominant religion. Buddhism arose in India during a
period of intense intellectual and social ferment. It was a period during which
the authority of the Vedas had been placed in doubt, the concept of god as a
Supreme Being and creator was in question, the hereditary restrictions on caste
mobility were