Vajrayana Buddhism, also known as Tantric, Mantrayana and Esoteric Buddhism, is a school of Buddhism that flourished around the 4th century in Tibet. This new sect is based on the ancient Vedic Tantric practices of India. The tradition of Vajrayana started to evolve in eastern India in the 8th century and gained wider recognition in
Bihar and
West Bengal.
Nalanda University became a center for the development of Vajrayana movement. At the end of the 13th century, this school declined in India and merged with
Hinduism. Now this school exists in the form of Tibetan Buddhism and Shingon Buddhism.
