The remains of what must have been a jewel of a Buddhist monastery, perched high on a granite massif, have been found at Phanigiri, 150 km from Hyderabad. The remains date between the 2nd to 4th centuries AD--a decisive period when Buddhism was sharing space with a rising number of other organized sects. This book draws our attention to what this ancient Buddhist site looked like and the rich landscape it was situated in. The site is ringed with reservoirs, agricultural fields, forests and land minded for limestone and granite (and for diamonds and gold in antiquity). Bringing together research and images drawn from excavations carried out over six decades, this is the first comprehensive volume on the site's sculptures, buildings and inscriptions. Six leading specialists from across the world come together to assess Phanigiri's importance within the larger network of contemporaneous Buddhist complexes in India and Asia, and the lessons and opportunities it holds for heritage management and ecological living.