Integrating archaeology, art history, numismatics, epigraphy, and textual sources, this is the first volume to adopt a truly multidisciplinary approach to the study of Gandharan Buddhism. Contributions by several giants in the field, such as Shoshin Kuwayama, John Rosenfield, and the late Maurizio Taddei, set the geographical, historical, and archaeological parameters for this anthology. Contributors articulate the nature of Gandharan Buddhism, its practices and relationship with other regions, and the significance of the relic tradition. Art, historical, and archaeological discussions shed light on the diffusion of brahmanical rituals and their significance to the Gandharan Buddhist community, the popularity of Buddhism within urban centers, and the connections between Gandhara and other regions in terms of trade, taste, and craft productions. Numismatic and iconographic analyses offer additional tools to decode the unique nature of the Buddhist faith in the region. The relic tradition central to Gandharan Buddhism is explored in terms of its connection to royal burial practices, while archaeological and artistic evidence provides new avenues for understanding relic worship. Finally, the vexing question of the presence of Mahayana Buddhism is confronted with a typological analysis of bodhisattva imagery, and the significance of newly surfaced birch-bark manuscripts illuminates local belief structures not apparent in the artistic evidence.
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