The Buddha and the Sahibs

The men who discovered India's lost religion

By: Charles Allen

Narrated by: Sam Dastor

The Buddha and the Sahibs: The Men Who Discovered India’s Lost Religion by Charles Allen.

For nearly 1,000 years, from the destruction of temples and monasteries by Muslim invaders in the 11th and 12th centuries, followed by Hinduism’s increasing power, Buddhism vanished from the country of its origin. Though hugely influential throughout Asia, the religion was forgotten in India.

This is the story of the men from the British Raj who rediscovered the history of the Buddha and his teachings and the role played by key Buddhist rulers such as Ashoka. British rule brought soldiers, administrators and adventurers to India.

From the late 18th century, a handful of remarkable individuals, amateur linguists, archaeologists and explorers - who became known as the Orientalists - began investigating the subcontinent’s lost past. By deciphering scripts, excavating and dating massive stone ruins and discovering huge and richly decorated monastic cave complexes, these men returned Buddhism to its place in Indian history.

Charles Allen's audiobook is a mixture of detective work and storytelling, as this acknowledged master of British Indian history pieces together early Buddhist history to bring a handful of extraordinary characters to life.

©2002 Charles Allen (P)2015 Ukemi Productions Ltd

Critic reviews

"A gripping story of intellectual exploration, a tightly written piece of narrative history." (William Dalrymple)

Some less known history

I have a broad overview of this part of history. But this book took me somewhere new. Good narration.

Great subject and story ruined by sub pa narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The history of rediscovery of Buddhist origins in India is a fascinating one and the British characters involved are so interesting. However this audiobook is made bad by the sub par performance of Sam Dastoor. I have listened to a few others by this narrator and I do not understand how he keeps getting the job! His voice is monotonous and dull. And the worst of it, having seen the pattern of him narrating Indian stories I have noticed that he is terrible at pronouncing even the basic Indian words let alone difficult names. What's the point of getting someone like him for narration then?

GREAT BOOK

This is a great book if you are interested in part of India’s history. It covers the origin of Buddhism, through archaeological diggings and how it intertwined with Hinduism.
The book is a must read for Buddhists.
Google Earth is a great help to locate the places mentioned.
The author held my attention throughout the book and the narrator, mr. Sam Dastor is a pleasure to listen to ( as usual).
My thanks to all involved, JK.

Purchased book because I'm a fan of the narrator

This book was painful i could not finish and it felt like a disjointed textbook