Buddha, Buddhism and Buddhist Art

Preface The National Museum houses art objects spread across distinct terrains including Buddhism. The major departments and sections of the Museum including Archaeology, Numismatic & Epigraphy, Manuscripts, Paintings, Central Asian Antiquities, Decorative Art and Anthropology are dotted with collections of Buddhism. The Museum has several galleries that touch Buddhism while travelling through time and space. A gallery is dedicated to 'Buddhist Art' that traverses through an array of objects of major sects of Buddhism including Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana in which the Relic Casket (corporal remains) of Lord Buddha is the central attraction. There are other beautiful exhibits such as Buddha Head of Gupta period from Samath, Seated Buddha of Ahichhatra, and Buddha-Pad from Nagarjunikonda etc. along with objects from Himalayan regions and those of foreign origin.

The Museum receives hundreds of visitors, including those from abroad, some of who come to get a taste of the Buddhist art and culture that is housed here & other places of the Country. These visitors including researchers and academicians who look for a vibrant platform to get information about the various facets of Buddhism and Buddhist art.

When I joined as Director General of this museum, it is pleaded by many along with Shri Sanjib Kumar Singh that there should be a handy book on Buddhism and its related art; I strongly felt that there was a need to have a publication that encapsulates everything related to Buddhism besides giving reliable information on the subject. After a series of deliberations' we decided to come up with a publication on 'Buddha, Buddhism and Buddhist Art'. The task was assigned to a dedicated team of curators and academic experts. Shri Sanjib Kumar Singh, a trained Archaeologist and Museologist were given the responsibility of bringing out the publication. He was the curator of the exhibition 'Buddhist Treasures in the National Museum Collection 'and planner, coordinator & conceptualize of an exhibition 'Buddhist Art of India' sent to Seoul, South Korea (RoK) beside many other exhibitions including the latest exhibition 'The Jewels of India: The Nizam s Jewellery Collection'. Dr Anasua Das (Sengupta) former curatorial member of the Indian Museum, Kolkata was a natural pick up. She was also been instrumental to organize an exhibition 'Buddhist Art of India' of Indian Museum; Kolkata that was sent to China, Singapore and Japan and on its return was displayed in the National Museum. Prof. Bimalendra Kumar, Head of Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi U'.R) volunteered to provide the basics of Buddhism. Shri Sanjib worked under my guidance and provided all the academic inputs.

I am extremely thankful to all those who contributed in enriching the compilation. I am also indebted to all the institutions and individuals who have shared with us the treasure of rare photographs. I would like to congratulate Shri Sanjib Kumar Singh, a trained archaeologist and museologist who heads the Publication Department for his prolific research and digging out diverse topics for the compilation.

Lastly, I hope that this publication will be a useful tool for the academic and the research landscape.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages