This book embodies my selective research papers on the subject. The diverse topics in the book reflect intensely the schematic presenta- tion of the subject lending latitude for building up a picturesque panorama of Indian culture in retrospect. For the compact summa- tion of this study, I have pieced together some of my research papers which have appeared in different journals and periodicals from time to time. Substantial information on schools and sects of Buddhism has been drawn from Shri A.C. Banerjee’s paper in the anthology, 2500 Years of Buddhism. "K. Krishna Murthy"