The Buddha and the Sahibs

Author:   Charles Allen
Publisher:   John Murray Press
Edition:   New edition
ISBN:  

9780719554285


Pages:   336
Publication Date:   07 August 2003
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

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The Buddha and the Sahibs


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Full Product Details

Author:   Charles Allen
Publisher:   John Murray Press
Imprint:   John Murray Publishers Ltd
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 12.90cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 19.60cm
Weight:   0.246kg
ISBN:  

9780719554285


ISBN 10:   0719554284
Pages:   336
Publication Date:   07 August 2003
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

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Reviews

'Few books have so succinctly yet accessibly investigated such a lesser-known yet seminally important corner of Indian history' -- Martin Booth, Sunday Times 'Allen has excelled himself, and this highly cultured and also finely illustrated offering is a thoroughly absorbing distraction' -- Justin Wintle, Financial Times 'In the nineteenth century, a group of enthusiastic Europeans ... set about unearthing evidence in India of ancient Buddhist teachings. Their fascinating story is told by Allen in an intriguing mixture of part detective work and part evocative storytelling' -- Daily Express


'Few books have so succinctly yet accessibly investigated such a lesser-known yet seminally important corner of Indian history' -- Martin Booth, Sunday Times 'Allen has excelled himself, and this highly cultured and also finely illustrated offering is a thoroughly absorbing distraction' -- Justin Wintle, Financial Times 'In the nineteenth century, a group of enthusiastic Europeans ... set about unearthing evidence in India of ancient Buddhist teachings. Their fascinating story is told by Allen in an intriguing mixture of part detective work and part evocative storytelling' -- Daily Express


Buddhism originated in India, but for centuries the Indians never knew it. Only through the painstaking detective work of Westerners in the 18th and 19th centuries did the origins of this mysterious and fiercely repressed religion begin to emerge. Now, 200 years after the English judge William 'Oriental' Jones realized he had come upon fragments of an ancient religion distinct from Hinduism, Buddhism is again practised widely in India and has become perhaps the fastest-growing religion in the West. Charles Allen, an expert on the Orient and author of the successful Soldier Sahibs, tells about the men who discovered India's lost religion and how they uncovered a dark past after learning the Brahmins' sacred language, Sanskrit, which for thousands of years had been a closely guarded secret. Inscriptions on pillars and rocks suggested to them that long ago many people in India had followed a religion and way of life that had been ruthlessly crushed and almost obliterated by zealots who regarded it as heretical. Further work revealed that this unknown religion had spread to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Japan and Tibet, and had flourished there while being forgotten in its land of origin. Charles Allen's story is one of horrifying destruction and religious oppression. He also tells of the consternation in Rome when news began to emerge that the ceremonies of Buddhism were disconcertingly similar to those of the Roman Catholic Church. Aghast at this, the Roman Church wasted no time in portraying Buddhists as devil-worshippers and the Dalai Lama, their leader, as Satan incarnate. This is a highly detailed study of a fascinating topic. At times the level of detail can make it hard going, but for anyone interested in the subject it is a mine of information not easily found elsewhere. (Kirkus UK)


Author Information

Charles Allen made his reputation with his celebrated oral histories, starting with Plain Tales from the Raj, which has now sold over 250 000 copies. His most recent book was Soldier Sahibs, which the Sunday Times called 'magnificent' and the Daily Telegraph 'marvellous'.

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