About the Book : Among the places of Hindu pilgrimage Gaya holds a pre-eminent position for reasons more than one. It is only in Gaya that last obseisance to the departed father and forefathers is traditionally paid to let their soul achieve salvation. It is Gaya  again which has remained largely unchanged throughout history, thus becoming the focal point of the cultural unity and continuity of Indian civilization. The temples, the kunds, the holy trees, River Falgu, and the other sacred zones of Gaya have their own charming mythology and history attached to them Equally exotic is the family history, life, styles, and functions of the sacred priests (traditionally known as pandas) without whom the pilgrimage to Gaya is unthinkable. This study opens up the mythology, history, and the sacred geography of Gaya in its manifold dimensions. The community life of the Gayawals, the traditional priests, has also been analysed in the light of latest impact of modernism. A complete study of the sacred complex of Gaya in all its religious and sociological aspects, is a potent tool in the hands of social scientists, cultural anthropologists, and scholars of religion, mythology, and civilization. Originally published in 1961, the book earned international recognization and it is being published with a long introduction updating the text by the author. About Author : Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi (b. 1931) received his doctorate from the University of Chicago and is now Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Ranchi, India. Currently (1974-1978) he is the President of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences and of the 10th International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences to be held in India in 1978. Dr. Vidyarthi is the President of the Indian Anthropological Association, a Founder-Member of the Indian Council of Social Sciences Research, Chairman of the Task Force on Development of Tribal Areas of the Planning Commission, and a Member of the Central Council on Tribal Research Institute of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. He is Founder-Editor of The Journal of Social Research, The Indian Anthropologist, and The Research Journal of Ranchi University. His major fields of research are the Tribal Culture of India including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Urban-Industrial political, and action Anthropology; Indian Civilization, the History of Indian Culture, Folklore, village studies and History of Anthropological Theories. He has to his credit several internationally popular books.