A fresh and exciting exploration of Southeast Asian history from the 5th to 9th century, seen through the lens of the region's sculpture

This book analyses a group of Buddhist sculptures from ancient Southeast Asia, putting them into their historical, religious, and artistic context and then traces their relationship with art from India and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

This book analyses a group of Buddhist sculptures from ancient Southeast Asia, putting them into their historical, religious, and artistic context and then traces their relationship with art from India and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Yoga, tantra and other forms of Asian meditation are practised in modernized forms throughout the world today, but most introductions to Hinduism or Buddhism tell only part of the story of how they developed. This book is an interpretation of the history of Indic religions up to around 1200 CE, with particular focus on the development of yogic and tantric traditions. It assesses how much we really know about this period, and asks what sense we can make of the evolution of yogic and tantric practices, which were to become such central and important features of the Indic religious scene. Its originality lies in seeking to understand these traditions in terms of the total social and religious context of South Asian society during this period, including the religious practices of the general population with their close engagement with family, gender, economic life and other pragmatic concerns.