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Jaina Rock-cut Caves in Western India aforementioned Buddhist chaitya-vihāras were located on significant trade routes and to a large extent were patronised by the traders (Ray 1986).
The sect continued to enjoy its prominent position in post-Satavahana period also, as indicated by flourishing monasteries at Ajanta, Aurangabad, Pandu Lena, Kanheri and Karle. The founder of the Vakataka dynasty, Grihapati, was the follower of Buddhism, who went on a pilgrimage to Amaravati (Mirashi, 1963: xl). Fa Hien (5th century CE) records the existence of a large number of Buddhists in the Deccan (Deo 1954-55: 116). However, other Vakataka rulers were staunch supporters of the Vedic and Puranic religion. They performed a large number of sacrifices and donated grants to Brāhmaṇas (Mirashi, 1963: xl). The wealth of architectural and iconographic remains at the various sites in Vidarbha like Ramtek, Mandhal, Pauni etc datable to the Vakataka period, point at the emergence of Puranic Brahmanism.
Vedic Brahmanism with emphasis on sacrifices continued to be popular among the royal households and a number of Chalukya kings are known to have performed elaborate sacrifices and honoured learned Brāhmaṇas (Sastri 1960: 243). The position of Buddhism is not very clear during this period. Kanheri and Ellora were definitely flourishing centres of the sect, while the picture is hazy as far as other monasteries are concerned. Hieun Tsang (7th century CE) mentioned the existence of more than hundred Buddhist monasteries and more than five thousand followers of the sect in this region. However, he also referred to a number of heretics (Sastri 1960: 242). It is clear that the sect no longer enjoyed the popularity of the early period.
Buddhism was definitely on decline during Rashtrakuta period. The number of monasteries declined considerably and only two monasteries find mention in the inscriptions of the period, one at Kanheri and another at Kampil in the Sholapur district (Altekar 1967: 308). The total number of Buddhists in Deccan, in the middle of the 7th century CE is estimated to be around 10,000, which dwindled with the passage of time (Altekar 1967: 271). It was Brahmanism that was the religion of majority of the population as in the preceding centuries and also the centuries to follow. With emphasis on saguņa worship accompanied by rituals as prescribed in Smritis and Puranas, various vratas and dana-pilgrimage for gaining religious merit, the focus shifted from the sacrificies to the temple, which developed as an influential institution.
The subsequent period witnessed the strengthening and elaboration of the already set concepts. A large number of temples were built and sustained on elaborate donations. Buddhism lingered on in Konkan and also some other parts. Kanheri was still a flourishing monastery, while occurrence of a few Buddhist bronzes, datable to the 9th century CE, from the stupa at Sopara (Barrette 1957) and the excavation of a few Buddhist caves at Panhale Kaji in the 10th century CE, indicate that Buddhism was still strong in the Konkan, though it appears to have been almost wiped out after the 10th century CE. The karma dominated Smārta religion led to the emergence of bhakti dominant sects of the Mahanubhava and the Varakari in the 12th-13th century CE. Both these sects, mainly Vaisnavite in character, dominated the cultural scene of Maharashtra in the 12th-13th century CE and the period after that. Of these, the Varakari sect still holds very significant position. Nathapantha, the yoga based Saivite sect, which rose in 11th century CE, played a significant role in the religious history of Maharashtra. The later sects like Mahanubhva and Varakari were greatly influenced by Nathapantha. The
