Cultures and Religions of the Himalayan Region

Summer 2004

Andrew Hall
Middle School Social Studies
Community Day Charter School, Lawrence, MA

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Gandhara: Foundation of Buddhist Art

The Gandhara school has produced some of the most fantastic examples of early Buddhist art. The Buddhist world owes a tremendous debt to the people and civilization of Gandhara. Who were these people? Where did they come from? How did their representations of Buddha and styles of architecture affect later artistic styles in the Buddhist world?

The ancient Kingdom of Gandhara, located roughly in northwestern India, between the Khyber Pass and the Indus River as well as the Kabul Valley in Afghanistan is a region that has experienced tremendous influence from both Eastern and Western sources. Situated along the ancient Silk Road (Karakoram Highway) placed Gandhara in a strategic location. The Silk Road brought traders, goods and religious ideas from throughout the known world. Gandhara in turn exported many of its own ideas, artistic styles and writing that was to endure for centuries to come.

The artistic style is has been called the, "Graeco-Roman Buddhist Schoool" by some scholars, noting the deep influences from classical Roman and Greek as well as Persian and Indic sources. Gandhara has produces wonderful examples of sculpture, early Buddhist writings, architecture, paintings and many other art forms. This website is focused on different forms of Gandharan art and the tremendous diversity and beauty that the Gandharan school produced.

Notice the strong influence of Classical Greek sculpture in these striking figures of Buddha. These busts take on a Hellenistic and Indian form imported from the Greek and Roman world and incorporated with the local sculpturing techniques.

This site was created by .... at the NEH Summer Institute "Cultures and Religions of the Himalayan Region," held at the College of the Holy Cross, Summer 2004