Holy Places of the Buddha (Crystal Mirror, Vol 9)

Rating:
Summary: where the Buddha lived the events and locations
Review: This book was a friendly companion on my trip to India and Nepal. It fully describes events of the Buddha's life that occured at each location. In doing so it brings these Holy Places to life both then and now.

Rating:
Summary: The most detailed guide available
Review: This is probably the most detailed and thorough guide available to the sacred sites of Buddhism in South Asia, where it first developed. Today this land includes not only the various regions of India, but also Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and "Holy Places of the Buddha" includes all of them. Each site is given a full description, including its place in Buddhist history and its condition today, and much of the text is accompanied by helpful maps and photographs. It would take a very long review just to list the many sites that are covered. The real value of this book is in providing a background understanding of the Buddhist holy places, but separate guidebooks (such as the Lonely Planet guides) will be required for instructions on how to get to each place. For anyone interested in Buddhism or South Asian history, and especially for anyone interested in making a pilgrimage to any of the sacred and historic places of Buddhism, I can't recommend this book highly enough.