Through an analysis of textual and archaeological sources, this book explores some aspects of the complex history of Buddhism in ancient India. Themes delved into are: the process of Buddhist identity formation in the Middle and Upper Ganga Valley during the early historic period; patterns of patronage to Buddhist in north-western India and western Deccan; perceptions of the agrarian world of early historic north-western India in a Buddhist text; early Buddhist medicinal practices as indicated in literary and archaeological sources; and socio-economic and cultic dynamics in the hinterland of a Buddhist monastery in early historic and early medieval Magadha.


Studies in the History and Culture of Ancient Indian Buddhism, Birendra Nath Prasad (Editor), Research India Press, Hardcover, 216 Pages, $45.00

Dr. Birendra Nath Prasad is Assistant Professor at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, where he teaches social history of religion in ancient India and Southeast Asia. His recent publications include Monasteries, Shrines and Society: Buddhist and Brahmanical Religious Institutions in India in their Socio-Economic Context (edited, Delhi, 2011); Archaeology of Religion in South Asia: Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jaina Religious Centres in Bihar and Bengal, c. AD 600-1200 (Delhi, London and New York, 2021); Rethinking Bihar and Bengal: History, Culture and Religion (Delhi, London and New York, 2021); Social History of Indian Buddhism: New Researches (edited, Delhi, 2021); and many peer-reviewed research articles in prestigious international journals such as Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies (Oxford), Buddhist Studies Review (London), Religions of South Asia (London/Sheffield) and Berlin Indological Studies.