Hardcover with DC, 286 pages, plates with bw and color images, Delhi 2011, new
The book begins with the sunyata of Bamiyan, discusses its international nexus, the tragic history of its destruction where Hazara tribals once lit an occasional lamp to the glory of their ancestors, its influence on the Buddhist sculptural tradition, the failure of all efforts to prevent iconoclasm, or the positive comment of an Bodhgaya, and the 231 feet Maitreya at Leshan are the offshoots of Bamiyan. The symbolism of the Cosmic Buddhas of Bamiyan gives a glimpse of their scintillating philosophical universe.
A hundred-page long monograph on Hariti by N. Peri has been translated into English from French. It is a detailed study from Chinese canonical and other texts.
The scripta minora of Prof. Nirmala Sharma include a rare Mongolian miniature of Ganesa and Indra as the 'Twin Orders of the State', the only known Tibetan manuscript on mudras in Copenhagen, the depiction of nine rasas on the art of the sprawling Buddhist Cosmopolis.
Prof. Nirmala Sharma discusses the sculptures of the Siva family, the Saptamatrka, Sakti in the Queens Stepwell at Patan, Lord Krsna, costumes ant textile patterns in the Ragamala paintings, dance and music in Jain Paintings; all in the region of Gujarat.
Folk themes of Dhola-Maru's love, folk art and crafts of Raja Ravi Varma, and finally the unique art perception of the roerich enrich the volume.