The Buddha and the Sahibs: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of The Buddha and the Sahibs, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
Buddhism had faded from India
Allen explains that by the eighteenth century, Buddhism had almost vanished from the land of its birth.
Many Europeans in India did not even know the Buddha had been Indian, and his sites lay forgotten or in ruins.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
Amateur scholars explored the past
Allen describes the British officials, soldiers and amateurs who studied India's ancient history, often through the Asiatic Society of Bengal.
Their curiosity led them to texts, coins and ruins that hinted at a lost Buddhist past.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
Reading old scripts revealed history
The decipherment of the Brahmi script in the 1830s unlocked ancient inscriptions.
Allen shows how this let scholars read records of Buddhist rulers and donors and begin to rebuild a forgotten history.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
Cunningham mapped Buddhist sites
Alexander Cunningham, later head of the Archaeological Survey, used the accounts of Chinese pilgrims to locate sites linked to the Buddha.
Allen describes his long, determined search across north India.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
Great monuments were uncovered
Allen recounts the exploration of Sanchi, Sarnath and other sites, revealing stupas and sculptures.
Some excavations damaged what they found, but they also brought the art of early Buddhism to light.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
Bodh Gaya was restored
Allen describes the restoration of the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha is said to have gained enlightenment.
The work revived it as a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists worldwide.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
The Buddha's birthplace was found
Allen tells of the search for Lumbini and Kapilavastu, connected with the Buddha's birth and childhood.
He also describes controversies, including a scholar accused of faking evidence. The episode shows how fierce the competition for discoveries became.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
The historical Buddha came into focus
By the end of the nineteenth century, Allen argues, scholars had recovered the Buddha as a real historical figure rooted in India.
This rediscovery influenced Indian nationalism and the revival of Buddhism.
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