《On the Trail of Buddha—A Journey to the East》 is a unique sojourn in search of the spiritual, philosophical, and cultural linkages that bind India to the East Asian civilisations. From the wandering monks of Asia to the temples and monasteries they visited; from the statues and frescoes in grottoes to those in the museums; from the diverse ethnicities of the people to their common gods and goddesses—the book explores the ‘ancient India’, beautifully preserved in the traditions, art, and architecture of China, as also in Mongolia, Korea and Japan, to where it spread from China.

It discovers the unity in diversity of cultures connected by two thousand miles of the Silk Road and separated by two thousand years of history. It has taken the author nine years to come out with this work.

Deepankar Aron,

an alumnus of IIT Delhi, recognised with the Presidential Award for his contribution as an Indian Revenue Service officer, is also a passionate traveller and a consummate photographer and writer. His articles have, over the years, appeared in various magazines and newspapers. World Heritage Sites of Uttarakhand, his first pictorial book was published in 2010.