Gandhara
(800 BC to 500 AD)
What happened?
Gandhara is the name of an ancient region in present-day (2022) northwest Pakistan. It was also partially located in parts of northeastern Afghanistan. The area centered around the Swat River Valley and the Peshawar Valley. The cultural influence spread beyond that.
Between 1500 BC and 1200 BC. Gandhara existed as an unbelievably beautiful place. Gandhara was founded in the 6th century BC. conquered by the Persian Achaemenid Empire. In 327 BC. Alexander the Great conquered the region and introduced to classical traditions that became important to the Gandharan’s artistic vocabulary over the next seven centuries. This resulted in the establishment of overland trade through the Parthian empire and Indo-Greek cities. The trade increased with the introduction of ocean routes about 50 BC. Gandhara became very wealthy due to the control of the high mountain passes.
Before being a center of the Indo-Greek kingdom (200 BC – 10 AD) it became part of the Maurya Empire (322 BC – 184 BC). Luxury goods found in ancient, fortified cities constitute some of the earliest remains from Gandhara.
Buddhism reached Gandhara in the 3rd century BC. The physical presence of the Buddha’s holy relics was the primary focus for Gandharan worship. Sacred places served the local population and were vital centers of pilgrimage. About the 1st century AD, connections with the Greco-Roman art of the Mediterranean began to rise. The artist focused on the anatomy. About the same time, the Kushan dynasty captured this area. Most of the Buddhist centers of Gandhara were founded in the 2nd century AD.
Under later dynasties of Indo-Greek and Gandharan Buddhism, it was an important center for Greco Buddhism. An incredible surge in the patronage of Buddhist sacred areas a monastic institution dates to the 3rd to mid-5th century.
After the violent invasion by Alchon Huns in the 6th century, the region continued to decline. The major period of Buddhist patronage closed. After the capture of Mahmud Ghaznavi in 1001, Gandhara disappeared for good. The taste for classical forms eventually faded, and with the coming of the Islam, the Buddhist tradition ends in Afghanistan.
Schist Heads. Found: Vale of Peshawar, Pakistan (JN0682)
Gandhara - Art Style
± 200 to ± 300
This *is an interesting pair of heads carved from schist. One head belongs to a woman, the other to a grotesque man, possibly a sick man, asking to be healed by Buddha. It was part of a larger panel. Gandhara is especially famous for its unique art style. Heavily influenced by the classical Greek and Hellenistic styles, Gandhara reached its peak from the 1st- to 5th centuries during the Kushan Empire.
Gandhara thrived at the crossroads of India, Central Asia, and the Middle East. It linked the trade routes and absorbed cultural influences from different civilizations. In the 1st century, the rulers of the Kushan Empire maintained contacts with Rome. The Gandhara school has incorporated many motifs and techniques from classical Roman art into the interpretation of Buddhist legends. However, the basic iconography remained Indian.
Green phyllite and grey-blue mica slate, such as schist, were used for sculpture. Stucco became more common after the 3rd century. Originally the sculptures were painted and gilded.
Gandhara played a key role in the evolution of the Buddha statue. It seems clear that the schools of Gandhara and Mathura each independently developed their own characteristic image of the Buddha. Gandhara's school drew on the representation of Roman religion and represented the Buddha with a youthful Apollo-like face. The clothing was remarkably like that of the Roman Imperial statues. The seated Buddha was less successful in Gandhara.
Both schools influenced each other. The general trend was away from a naturalistic view towards a more abstract view. Gandhara's craftsmen made a lasting contribution to Buddhist art by staging events in the Buddha's life.