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. 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. These essays create a productive interdisciplinary conversation on the enigmatic nature of Gandharan Buddhism that will appeal to a large and diverse readership.

Its audience includes those generally interested in the early Buddhist religious tradition of Asia and its art, along with those specialized in the study of South and Central Asian Buddhist art, archaeology, and texts.