The Buddhist Architecture of Gandhara

Specialists and others interested in Buddhist architecture and sculpture will welcome this in-depth study of the well-known site in northwest India, which derives from the author's dissertation (in South Asian art history, from UCLA). Behrendt (art history and archaeology, Temple U., Penn.) includes a detailed discussion of the subject's historiography and current state of research as he considers the succeeding phases of the site's architecture (from the 2d century BCE to the 8th century CE) side-by-side with the related sculptural finds. A central theme is the architecture's organization and function as public sacred space and monasteries. An introductory chapter provides a contextual overview of the area, with attention to the political scene and its effects on religious practice. The volume includes a full selection of b&w plates of photos, drawings, and many ground plans as well as two plans (of the Dharmarajika complex in Taxila and Takht-i-bahi in the Peshawar basin) reproduced in color. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Kurt A. Behrendt, Ph.D. (1997) in South Asian Art History, University of California, Los Angeles, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Temple University, Pennsylvania. He has published on early Buddhist art of South Asia.