By S.S. Biswas
2017, 29 cm isbn 9788174791986
About the Book:
Bodhgaya is one of the four important religious sites (Lumbini,
Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kusinagar) of pilgrimage for the Buddhists. Of the four
sites connected with the life of Buddha, Bodhgaya occupies a place of
pre-eminence for it was here that Sakyamuni Gautama attained enlightenment and
became ‘Buddha’ – the awakened one. The event of Buddha’s enlightenment at
Bodhgaya inspired artistic creative urge among the artists for generations
throughout the eastern world and to create art, architecture, frescoes as also
literary compositions of unsurpassed quality and rich variety.
An archaeological site museum was established here in the year 1956 to
house the antiquarian wealth that were found and excavated from around the
vicinity of the temple complex. The museum has a collection of Buddhist
sculptures ranging from 1stcentury BCE to 11thcentury CE.
The book has been divided into two major sections; the introductory section
deals with the geography of the region and its significance, the antiquity of
the sites, the temples and architectural remains, the antiquities and their
artistic merits in Indian context. The next part of the book includes an
illustrated descriptive catalogue of all the art objects (Acc. No.1-1575)
belonging to the site museum of the Archaeological Survey of India.
The present volume is for the first time provides a panorama of
historical evolution of Indian Art at Bodhgaya and also brings together all the
art objects preserved in the archaeological site museum in the form of a
comprehensive illustrated catalogue. Hope, the scholars, researchers as well as
general readers will find the volume a useful one.
About the Author:
Dr. Biswas is presently the Advisor (Museums) Central Board of Excise
and Customs, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India, New Delhi and Chairman,
Evaluation Committee, Bharat Kala Bhavan, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.
He is the Academic Director of the Archaeological Society of India, New Delhi
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