MYSORE: Union Minister V. Srinivas Prasad on Friday said, Buddha or Buddhism cannot not be belittled by the acts of vandalism unleashed by the fundamentalist Taliban government in Bamiyan, and added, it is time for all secular forces to condemn this ``mindless barbarism'' of the Afghanistan government.

Inaugurating ``Carla Students Home" built by the Maha Bodhi Society with an aid of Rs 1.6 crore from a Swiss woman Monica Thaddey here, Prasad described the demolition of Buddha statue and the relics of Buddhism in Bamiyan as a``senseless act'' and appreciated the condemnation of this act by the nations, including Islamic nations.

Referring to the service rendered by the Maha Bodhi Society, he said, ``Buddhism is the only religion in the world which tries to create a casteless society.

Speaking on the occasion, the president of Ladakh Buddhists Association, Tsering Samphel said the Buddhists of Ladakh were facing danger from fundamentalist forces in neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan which are knocking at the doors of the Ladakh people .