This book is a humble attempt by the author to present the holistic view of Buddhist Mathura. This book explores all the literary references available about Mathura and the nearby region in the ancient Buddhist literature. An attempt has been made by the author to identify those sites mentioned in the literature with the archaeological sites found during explorations. The author has also delved in the accounts of Chinese pilgrims Fa-hian and Hiuen-Tsang related with Mathura and has tried to verify those accounts. A new light has been thrown on the visits of the Buddha to the land of Braj and the probable routes which the Master would have followed. Discovery of more than 30 new Buddhist sites in the region of Mathura is a totally new contribution of this book along with a detailed discussion of more than 45 find-spots of Buddhist sculptures in the region. A detailed survey of the Buddhist Art of Mathura has also been made, in which some new information would be of help to the students as well as scholars dealing with the Buddhist art and archaeology of Mathura. |
