India is studded with the holiest of the holy Buddhist shrines. But with the downfall of Buddhism in India, many of these sacred spots fell into disuse. They were destroyed and remained ignored and neglected. However, lately, these sacred spots have been restored and developed into religious cum tourist centers, regaining much of their lost glory. In this multi-dimensional yet comprehensive study of the Buddhist Shrines in India, the author presents the history of their development, discovery, decline, restoration and revival. In all, it covers 16 Buddhist Shrines, Caves, Temples and Himalayan Shrines. He draws extensively on the writings of Chinese Pilgrim-Scholar Hiuen Tsang as also the findings of contemporary archaeologists,-the former gave an eye-witness account of that time when Buddhism was still a living force in India, and the latter tell us about the glory of Buddhism in ruins. The work provides maps and information regarding approach to the shrines from transportation point of view as also table showing distances from shrine to shrine so as to make this serious work useful for researchers and tourists.
