CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY 
Frederick M. Asher was a specialist in South Asian art. His research considers the architecture of contested religious space and the issue of copying/originality in Indian art. His scholarship focused on issues related to art as commodity, particularly looking at patterns of trade as they relate to works of art in India, and the site of Bodh Gaya. He also examined present-day artists working in traditional modes both because they are interesting in themselves and because they offer models for pre-modern modes of artistic production; they further offer the opportunity to think about the role of the artist in art history that has focused primarily on the product. He was Editor-in-Chief of caa.reviews, the electronic journal of the College Art Association, President and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Institute of Indian Studies. He was also President of the National Committee for the History of Art, and South Asia editor for Archives of Asian Art.
The Mahabodhi temple marks the site of Buddha’s enlightenment. The temple’s structure was rebuilt in several phases. The Kushan or Gupta period temple was the foundational structure and the most significant construction phase was during the Pala period. In early fourteenth century, the Burmese mission to Bodhgaya carried out repairs but the present structure is largely a product of the late 19th century. This collection covers the seven monuments that are said to be associated with Buddha’s first seven weeks after his enlightenment-The Bodhi Tree, Animeshalochana Chaitya, Ratanachankrama, Ratangraha Chiatya, Ajapala Nigrodha Tree, Muchilinda Lake and Rajayatana tree.
Inscriptions and travel accounts show that pilgrims from beyond India have been visiting Bodhgaya since long. Today Bodhgaya is home to over sixty monasteries. This collection includes documentation of monasteries from Thailand, Tibet, Japan and Myanmar. Interestingly, Prof. Asher also photographed souvenirs associated with Mahabodhi temple that are profusely sold around the temple complex and are often taken home by devotees to continue to enjoy the benefits of their visit and share them with those unable to make the journey.