Studies in the History and Culture of Ancient Indian Buddhism

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 Buddhism 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.