ABSTRACT
Mobility and travel were integral to the self-identity of Buddhists and critical factors that aided the expansion of the religion across South Asia. Travel and pilgrimage also provided interconnectedness to the Buddhist world as monastic centres spread across the seas. One objective of this chapter is to discuss transformations in Buddhist rituals in the early medieval period and their overlap with those of Śaiva affiliation. Particularly important was the development of ritual texts from the eighth to the ninth centuries onwards, such as the kriyā and caryā tantras, which emphasized the maintenance and worship of stupas. This complexity of ritual practices was matched by an expansion of the Buddhist pantheon with the inclusion of several new deities. The final section deals with the incorporation of maṇḍalas in Buddhist art and architecture and regional specificities in the organization of ritual and arrangements of sculptures and architecture.
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