ARCHAEOLOGY OF BUDDHISM: RECENT DISCOVERIES IN SOUTH ASIA

The archaeology of Buddhism involves the recovery and scientific investigation of the material remains of past cultures that can illuminate the periods, events and other descriptions mentioned in the religious texts. The geographical distribution of the adherents of Buddhism spread rapidly after the mahaparinirvana of the Lord Buddha – ‘The enlightened one’. India was the fulcrum of Buddhism in the ancient world, but today, the whole of South Asia – covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – is replete with innumerable material remains of the past which can be associated with the Lord Buddha and Buddhism. Many of these sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO list of world heritage properties. This book contains 40 contributions by 55 leading archaeologists, historians and other experts in the field of South Asian art and archaeology.