Followers of the older tradition of Buddhism, that is, those who followed the path of the old, respected teachers, described themselves as:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Theravadins
Option (1) Mahayanists — Incorrect. Mahayana, the “great vehicle”, was the new way of thinking, with the idea of a saviour, the Bodhisattas and the worship of images of the Buddha. Its followers were not the followers of the older tradition.
Option (2) Hinayanists — Incorrect. Hinayana, the “lesser vehicle”, was the name that supporters of Mahayana gave to the older tradition. The followers of the older tradition did not describe themselves by it.
Option (3) Theravadins — Correct. Followers of the older tradition described themselves as theravadins, that is, those who followed the path of old, respected teachers.
Option (4) Theras — Incorrect. The theras were the old, respected teachers themselves, not those who followed their path.
Note: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
| – | 29-05 S1* | – | 14-06 S1 22-06 S3* | – |
* A similar question.
NCERT (2026-27): “10.1 The development of Mahayana Buddhism … This new way of thinking was called Mahayana – literally, the ‘great vehicle’. Those who adopted these beliefs described the older tradition as Hinayana or the ‘lesser vehicle’. Hinayana or Theravada? … Supporters of Mahayana regarded other Buddhists as followers of Hinayana. However, followers of the older tradition described themselves as theravadins, that is, those who followed the path of old, respected teachers, the theras.…” |