Great monuments of India Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Shri Lanka

Lord Curzon described the architectural heritage of the Indian subcontinent as ‘ the greatest galaxy of monuments in the world’. This guide to the great monuments of India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Shri Lanka offers the reader and visitor an opportunity to experience 5,000 years of civilization. Coverage of over two hundred of the region’s important historical monuments and sites draws upon the author’s scholarship and passion for architecture and art history, providing a comprehensive introduction to the history and development of architecture, its various styles and schools, innovations and experiments. Each monument is examined in its geo-climatic environment, its historical and political context and its relationship with mythology and literary traditions. Maps, plans and travel information complete each chapter.

The monuments presented in this guide encompass a broad historical framework ranging from the Indus Valley civilization to well-known Buddhist, Jain, Hindu and Christian shrines and masterpieces of Islamic architecture.

Author Dr. Shobita Punja has degrees in Art History, Ancient Indian History and Art Education. Her books include Odyssey Illustrated Guide to The Museums of India and Divine Ecstasy. Since 1990, photographer Fredrik Arvidsson has been travelling through India, Pakistan, Nepal and Shri Lanka on his 500cc Enfield motorcycle taking photographs.