This book considers how and why the Buddhist book cultin South Asia has survived almost two millennia until the present day by examining medieval illustrated Buddhist manuscriptsas sacred objects of cultic innovation that can be animated through the presence of images. A manuscript in the context of the Buddhist book cult is a sacred space, a temple in microcosm, not only imbued with divine presence but also layered with the memories of many generations of users. I argue that illustrating a manuscript not only empowered itas a three-dimensional sacred objectbut also made it a suitable tool for ... More

This book considers how and why the Buddhist book cultin South Asia has survived almost two millennia until the present day by examining medieval illustrated Buddhist manuscriptsas sacred objects of cultic innovation that can be animated through the presence of images. A manuscript in the context of the Buddhist book cult is a sacred space, a temple in microcosm, not only imbued with divine presence but also layered with the memories of many generations of users. I argue that illustrating a manuscript not only empowered itas a three-dimensional sacred objectbut also made it a suitable tool for the spiritual transformation of medieval Indian Buddhist practitioners.Through a detailed historical analysis of Sanskrit colophons on patronage, production, and the use of manuscripts, it also suggests that Buddhism’s disappearance in eastern India was a slow and gradual process, and that the Buddhist book cult, as a lay-based practice, played an important role in sustaining a Buddhist identity. By examining the physical traces left by later Nepalese users and the contemporary ritual use of the book in Nepal, it also shows how human agency has played an important role in perpetuating and intensifying the potency of a manuscript as a sacred object throughout time.