Buddhism & the life of the Buddha
The legends associated with the major events of the Buddha's life, given here in condensed form, are based on a num…
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Buddhist sects
During the centuries after the Buddha's death, Buddhism began to divide into various sects, resulting in the establ…
Read articleIconography of the Buddha
The image of the Buddha is distinguished in various different ways. The Buddha is usually shown in a stylised pose…
Read articleThe Radiant Buddha
This standing figure of the Buddha Sakyamuni is one of only a tiny number of Indian metal Buddha images surviving f…
Read articleThe Gupta style of the Buddha & its influence in Asia
The Gupta period (4th to 6th century) is noted as a time during which the quintessential Buddha image was created, …
Read articleChinese Buddhist cave temple sculpture
This Buddha's head, which dates to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577 AD) is currently on display in Gallery 47e alon…
Read articleBuddhism in South East Asia reading list
View a list of titles relating to Buddhism and Buddhist art in South East Asia
Buddhist pilgrimage sites: India
Within a short time of the Buddha's death in around 405 BC, lay devotees and members of the ordained community were making pilgrimages to sites in India associated with the Buddha's life.
Buddhist pilgrimage sites: Tibet
The Tibetan monasteries which were the bases of important Buddhist hierarchs such as re-incarnate lamas also became major pilgrimage destinations.
Buddhist pilgrimage sites: Cambodia
The city of Angkor was the home of the Khmer kings who ruled an empire that flourished from the 9th-15th century.

Buddhist pilgrimage sites: The Silk Routes
Bordered by mountain ranges, a network of trade routes (that later became known as 'Silk Routes') encircled the Taklamakan Desert in Chinese Central Asia. A northern route linked settlements such as Turfan and Kucha and then continued westwards through Merv to Palmyra and finally Antioch and Tyre on the Mediterranean coast.
A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Indian Temple Sculpture
'Essential and beautiful … this lavishly illustrated book is a welcome and much-needed addition to the subject of Indian religious art' RA (Royal Academy Magazine)
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