Buddhist Reliquaries from Ancient India

Relics played a key role in early Buddhism. As Buddhism spread across Asia, so did the cult of relics and practice of building shrines to contain them. The 24 reliquaries from Sanchi and neighbouring sites in central India are the earliest examples known. This is a catalogue of this important material. All the reliquaries are illustrated, and critical editions of all the inscriptional texts are provided. The introduction examines early relic worship and the control of sacred space by the early monastic community, provides a reassessment of early Indian history, based on inscriptions and numismatics, and re-evaluates the chronology of early Indian sculpture.