With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements : 1. Sthaviravadins belong to Mahayana Buddhism. 2. Lokottaravadin sect was an offshoot of Mahasanghika sect of Buddhism. 3. The deification of Buddha by Mahasanghikas fostered the Mahayana Buddhism. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Statements 2 and 3 are correct because the Lokottaravadins were a prominent offshoot of the Mahasanghika school, whose doctrine of the Buddha as a transcendental, divine being (Lokottara) laid the theological foundation for Mahayana Buddhism. Statement 1 is incorrect because Sthaviravadins represent the orthodox "School of the Elders" belonging to the Hinayana (Theravada) tradition, which stood in opposition to the Mahasanghikas. The core concept tested is the history of early Buddhist schisms and the sectarian evolution that led to the rise of Mahayana.