A History of Fine Art in India and Ceylon, from the Earliest Times to the Present Day c11.s2.67

c11.s2.67

expressed by so high an authority has not deterred Mr. Oertel and Mr. Marshall from fruitful explorations, which have proved the superficial character of the earlier researches, and have revealed an astonishing wealth of sculptures extending from the age of Asoka to the twelfth century. During that long period of about fourteen centuries, Sārnāth, the scene of the first preaching of the Law, continued to be regarded by Buddhists as one of the four most sacred spots in the world, and to be visited by myriads of pilgrims. Pious kings and monks lavished their wealth and devotion on the adornment of the numerous buildings which sprang up on the holy