Buddhist Art : In Praise of the Divine/Shashibala. New Delhi, Roli Books, 2003, 128 p., plates, $33. ISBN 81-7436-217-7.

Contents: Foreword/Lokesh Chandra. Introduction: the beginning. I. Architecture: divine abodes: 1. Stupas: for the Buddhas. 2. Caves: abode of silence. 3. Indian temples: devastated and deserted. 4. Indonesian temples. 5. Japanese monasteries. 6. The Burmese legacy. 7. Thai temples. II. Sculpture: iconic representation: 1. Different forms of the Buddha. 2. Buddhas of three times. 3. Buddhist colossi. 4. Buddhas of the light cults. 5. Buddhas of healing and longevity. 6. Bodhisattvas: saviours of humanity. 7. Protective divinities. 8. The female power. 9. Narrative art: Jataka stories. III. Painting: devotion with beauty: 1. Ajanta: final reflection of Gupta art. 2. Manuscript paintings. 3. Thailand’s mastery. 4. Japanese expressions. 5. Chinese cave art. 6. Tibet’s Lamaist art. 7. Mongolian style. 8. Burmese brushwork. 9. Monastic art of Sri Lanka.

"Religion has been the impetus behind the greatest art traditions of the world. Buddhism is no different. The life of the Buddha, with its spectacular event of enlightenment, forms the cornerstone of the vast edifice of Buddhist art; it informs a tradition that is more than a thousand and five hundred years old.

"To encompass this whole living tradition is a challenging task – one that Buddhist Art: In Praise of the Divine does with academic finesse and assurance. Exploring the expression of art in the three different dimensions of architecture, sculpture, and painting, the book journeys through time, themes, and the grand structures of Buddhism to portray a unique world—a world at once simple and esoteric, grand and humble, sombre and cheerful. In doing so, Buddhist Art becomes nothing less than a pictorial chronicle of an awe-inspiring artistic tradition." (jacket)

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