Richard Salomon is one of the leading experts on Gandhāran languages and remains, and in this talk given online for the Tang Center for Silk Road Studies he discusses the various reliquaries that have so far been discovered from that region, and especially looks at the inscriptions, and what they tell us about the finds and the societies in which they were made.
Prof. Salomon first gives an overview of the subject, which then leads to five questions, which give the video its divisions:
1. Where do the reliquaries come from?
2. How many reliquaries are there?
3. Forms and formats (of the reliquaries)
4. Sources of the reliquary forms
5. Earning and sharing the merit
6. What do we learn from these reliquaries and their inscriptions.
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This is fascinating Buddhist history. It appears that several cultures were fusing together as Buddhism began to spread in places it had never been before. Thank you for sharing!