Buddhism Under the Great Kings of India Buddhism
By the time of Asoka, Brahmanism or Hinduism had been in the process of developing from a religion of sacrificial rituals into cults of worshipful devotion (Bhakti) to gods of various names, such as Hari, Narayana, Vishnu and Siva During his reign, though Buddhism became the ruling faith of the people, the Brahmins were still influential and formed a large part of the ruling class