The book is a resultant of a fervid study of the life and cessation of the grand personality, Light of Asia, the Buddha who sanctified the Indian soil by the tred and trod of his holy feet. The authors elucidate in this book with percipience and authenticity the various life events of the Buddha and his great finale. The masterly treatment of the chapters like the life events of the Buddha and the evenings of the Buddha's career reflect the immaculate scholarship of the authors. The cogentre appraisal of the Buddha's Nirvana and Mahaparinirvana is amazing. In fact the book is a running commentary of the life and dissolution of Buddha as gleaned through Pali and Sanskrit texts.

This splendid book remains an authoritative and entrancing work on the subject. No student of Buddhist religion, philosophy, art and architecture can afford to let slip this gainful work.

The Buddha: His Nirvana and Mahaparinirvana, K. Krishna Murthy and K. Padmanabha, South Asia Books, Hardcover, 148 pages, $25.00

A Scholar of eminence, a distinguished archaeologist and a celebrated Indologist and art-historian Prof. Dr. K. Krishna Murthy, M.A., Ph. D., D. Litt., F.R.A.S. (London), has devoted over three and a half decades of his life, his studies in pursuit of Indian Archaeology, Art, Architecture, Iconography, Buddhism and material culture of Ancient India. His unflinching love and adoration towards Buddhism resulted in the publication of several authoritative books on Buddhism. He authored over twenty-five books and hundreds of research papers. He served the Archaeological survey of India for 34 years and distinguished himself as professor in History and Indian culture and Dean Faculty of Arts in Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Deemed university, Prashanthinilayam.

Dr. K. Padmanabha, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.A.S. (London) W.A.C. (South East Asia) young and energetic scholar of Archaeology and Indology has specialised in subjects related to art-history and Indian Buddhism. He took his M.A. in Ancient History and Archaeology in first class from Osmania University, Hyderabad and for his outstanding thesis "Life under Hoyasalas as Depicted in the Sculptures" The University of Mysore awarded him Ph.D. degree.

CONTENTS: The Buddha: His Nirvana and Mahaparinirvana
	Dedication	vii
	Preface	ix
	Abbreviations	xi
	List of Plates	xiii
1.	Introductory	1
2.	The Buddha and his life events	5
3.	Meaning of Nirvana	21
4.	Nirvana in Buddhist art	37
5.	The evening of His career	42
6.	The Mahaparinirvana	47
7.	Funerary Ceremony	51
8.	The Mahaparinirvana in Plastic Art	57
9.	The World of Buddhism	64
10.	The Spread of Buddhism	73
	Appendix	79
	Bibliography	124
	Glossary