Uprooting the Bodhi Tree, Breaking the Diamond Throne: Archival Reflections on the History of Bodhgayā

Michael Willis (British Museum)

Abstract

The Cunningham archive in the British Museum prompts a review of the archaeology of Bodhgayā and Cunningham's interpretation of the site as its main excavator. Given the importance of Bodhgayā as one of the most important places in Buddhism, coupled with the many advances in Buddhist studies over the last century, a review is long overdue and leads to a rejection of many of Cunningham's theories and a different historical narrative for the key features of the site.

Bio

Michael Willis is an Indologist and historian at the British Museum. He is currently leading Beyond Boundaries: Religion, Region, Language and the State, a project funded by the European Research Council and hosted by the Museum.