Buddha’s Footsteps is a grand narrative of the course of Buddhism through the centre of Indian history-a journey that starts in the shadow of the Himalayas and extends outward to the temples of Tibet, the monasteries of Myanmar, and the mountain trails of China. Embedded in the biography and heritage of the Buddha, and a dynasty of visionary kings such as Ashoka, this book follows the course of how a native religious movement became a pan-Asian tradition. India, which was once the ‘golden bird’, was not only the birthplace of Buddhism, but also its crucible- where monks, laymen, traders, and kings forged and reforged its course. From the Buddha’s initial teachings to the sweeping philosophies of the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana schools of thought, this book explores the monume