Precious treasures from the Diamond Throne : finds from the site of the Buddha's enlightenment / edited by Sam van Schaik, Daniela De Simone, Gergely Hidas, and Michael Willis.

Format:

• Book

Contributor:

• Van Schaik, Sam, editor.
• De Simone, Daniela, editor.
• Hidas, Gergely, 1970- editor.
• Willis, Michael D., 1951- editor.

Series:

• Research publication (British Museum) ; no. 228.
• Research publication, 1747-3640 ; 228

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Mahabodhi Temple Complex (Buddh Gaya, India).
• Excavations (Archaeology)--India--Buddh Gaya.
• Buddhist pilgrims and pilgrimages--India--Buddh Gaya.
• Buddhism--India--Buddh Gaya.
• Buddhism.
• Buddhist pilgrims and pilgrimages.
• Excavations (Archaeology).
• India--Buddh Gaya.

Physical Description:

174 pages : illustrations (some color), color map, plans (some color) ; 30 x 21 cm.

Place of Publication:

London : The British Museum, [2021]

Summary:

The Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya in eastern India has long been recognised as the place where the Buddha sat in meditation and attained enlightenment. The site, soon identified as the 'Diamond Throne' or vajrasana, became a destination for pilgrims and a focus of religious attention for more than two thousand years. This volume presents new research on Bodhgaya and assesses the important archaeological, artistic and literary evidence that bears witness to the Buddha's enlightenment and to the enduring significance of Bodhgaya in the history of Buddhism. The book brings together a team of international scholars to look at the history and perception of the site across the Buddhist world and its position in the networks of patronage and complex religious landscape of northern India. The volume assesses the site's decline in the thirteenth century, as well as its subsequent revival as a result of archaeological excavations in the nineteenth century. Using the British Museum's collections as a base, the authors discuss the rich material culture excavated from the site that highlights Bodhgaya's importance in the field of Buddhist studies.

Contents:

• Machine generated contents note: 1. The Mahabodhi Temple Before its Restoration / J.P. Losty
• 2. The Asana: Where the Budd ha Sat / Sven Bretfeld
• 3. PTthlpati Puzzles: Custodians of the Diamond Throne / Daniel Balogh
• 4. Early Burmese Inscriptions from Bodhgaya / Tilman Frasch
• 5. The Internalisation of the Vajrasana / Sam van Schaik
• 6. Tibetan Inscriptions in the British Museum Archive / Michael Willis
• 7. Buddhist Sealings and the ye dharma Stanza / Peter Skilling
• 8. DharanT Seals in the Cunningham Collection / Gergely Hidas
• 9. A Terracotta Plaque with an Old Mon Inscription / Michael Willis
• 10. Five Terracotta Plaques with Figurative Imagery / Serena Biondo
• 11. The Mahabodhi Plaque of the Goddess Marie? / Sushma Jansari
• 12. From Bodhgaya to Berlin / Claudirw Bautze-Picron
• 13. Numismatic Finds at Bodhgaya / Robert Bracey
• 14. Deposits at Bodhgaya: Objects, Materials and Analysis / Robert Bracey
• 15. Chinese Inscriptions from Bodhgaya / Serena Biondo
• 16. Materials of British Museum Plaques 1887,0717.146-147 / Marei Hacke.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 156-165) and index.

ISBN:

• 9780861592289
• 086159228X

OCLC:

1242836482