The work required to build the Panama Canal was initiated by France in 1881. However, France abandoned the project as the engineering problems were too difficult and the mortality rate was very high. The United States continued the work in 1904, and finished the project in 1914. This was seen as evidence of the American technological prowess. The work was extremely difficult to complete, as the project was one of the most difficult engineering projects ever attempted.
Nobody else could build that canal. The Americans are the only people who could build them. They also made the Panama canal so that they could access the necessary territory.
During the time of the Buddha, Hinduism did not exist. The religion that it was born from, Vedicism, was the religion of the time. Jainism had been around for 200-300 years and during the Buddha's time, Mahavira was reinvigorating it
