Buddhism extinct in Bharath?

[Nanda Kumar]

>If we look at Tibetan Buddhism which is the nearest in shape and form
>to what Indian Buddhism was before it became extinct

Is it really true? Aren't there any Buddhist monastries in India which
teach Buddha's original teachings? I've read that during the reign of the
Pallava kings there was a strong attempt to spread Buddhism in Southern
India? One thing that I find strange is that the Emperor Ashoka when he
sent missionaries to spread Buddism to Sri Lanka, they must have
passed thru Southern India. So how come they didn't spread it there? Or
was it that Sanatana Dharma was already too entrenched out there?

I was reading the forward of a book by a Russian lady on Sankara and
there she quotes TMP Mahadevan saying that Buddhism and Advaitam
shouldn't be considered as two seperate schools of thought, rather
should be considered as different stages in the process towards the
ultimate goal.