A new publication by the British Museum Press explores ancient India (c. 200 BCE – 600 CE) through three of its major religions – Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism – to illuminate how they reflect political power, artistic innovation and changes in peoples’ daily lives.
The accompanying major exhibition, Ancient India: living traditions, opens at the British Museum on 22 May 2025.
Ancient India was a dynamic, cosmopolitan centre of creativity. The visual traditions of its major indigenous religions were closely interrelated, reflecting political power, changes in peoples’ daily lives and artistic innovation. Exported beyond the Indian subcontinent in antiquity, these three major religions – Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism – are living traditions and their devotional works of art impact on the daily life of billions of people across the world.
This major new publication traces the development of religious imagery from around 200 BCE, when it focused on the depiction of nature spirits, to 600 CE, by which time devotional images of Jain, Buddhist and Hindu deities and teachers had taken definitive shape. Moving from symbolic to human form, such imagery employed attributes, divine attendants and animal vehicles that we still recognise today and are found across the global diaspora. Examples of these ancient images are found not only across South
Asia, but also in Central, East and Southeast Asia – and they transformed the religious landscape of these regions too.
The authors explore fascinating topics such as the first devotional images of the twenty- four jinas (enlightened Jain teachers); the transformation from symbolic depictions of the Buddha to those that showed him in bodily form for the first time; and the formalisation of divine representations and devotional sculpture in Hindu traditions, such as images of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, associated with wealth and good fortune, that have remained largely unchanged for over two millennia.
Showcasing more than 180 objects – including 2,000-year-old sculptures, vibrant paintings, drawings, and manuscripts – this beautifully illustrated book reveals the ancient roots of the images and depictions of these world religions that many will find familiar today.
Authors
Sushma Jansari is Tabor Foundation Curator of the South Asia Collections at the British Museum, and Curator of the exhibition Ancient India: living traditions.
Sureshkumar Muthukumaran is a Lecturer in the Department of History at the National University of Singapore.
For more information, please visit the Ancient India: living traditions exhibition webpage: britishmuseum.org/ancientindia
Visitor information
Open Saturday to Thursday 10.00–17.00, Friday 10.00–20.30. Early bird tickets available from £16, under-16s free when accompanied by a paying adult, 2-for-1 tickets for students on Fridays, and concessions and group rates available.
About The British Museum Press
The British Museum Press publishes award-winning illustrated books for general readers, families, academics, and students. Inspired by the famous collections of the British Museum, our titles range across the fine and decorative arts, history, archaeology, and world cultures.
Published to accompany the British Museum’s innovative exhibition programme, to celebrate key areas of the collection, and to tell the stories of some of its amazing objects, our books shed light on new discoveries of global interest and provide fresh insights into well-known objects and periods of history. Beautifully produced and written by experts in their fields, our titles are sold throughout the world in many languages with all profits going to support the work of the British Museum.
The British Museum Press is a division of the British Museum Company Ltd, a company and a charity wholly owned by the Trustees of the British Museum.
Where to buy
For UK and Export trade orders please contact sales@thameshudson.co.uk
For US and Canada trade orders please contact sales@casematepublishers.com
For individual customer orders please visit the British Museum online shop
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