On the wings of Buddhism

Benoy K Behl, historian and Buddhist expert, at a Buddhist temple in Mongolia.

During Emperor Ashok's (in the 3rd century BCE) era, Buddhism spread not only to all corners of India but also throughout Asia. The religion and the art associated with it had a transforming effect on the countries which it reached and, till today, Buddhism flourishes all over the continent.

Emperor Ashok was the first great royal patron to honour Buddhist sites. The great stupas which he built, his commemorative pillars and sculptural railings are some of the most beautiful and oldest surviving architecture and art of the Indian subcontinent, said Benoy K. Behl, 62, a prominent Indian filmmaker, art historian and photographer.