Gandhara Art and Architecture
1st Century B.C to 11th Century A.D
Gandhara Civilization
1st Century B.C to 11th Century A.D
• Gandhara is the region that now comprise of
Peshawar valley, Mardan, Swat, Dir, Malakand,
and Bajuaur agencies in the North West Frontier
Province (NWFP), Taxila in the Punjab, and up to
Jalalabad in Afghanistan.
• It is in this region that the Gandhara civilization
emerged and became the cradle of Buddhism. It
was from here that Buddhism spread towards east
as far away as Japan and Korea.
Gandhara Civilization
1st Century B.C to 11th Century A.D
• Its main cities were Purushapura, Takshashila
and Pushkalavati which are now known as
Peshawar, Taxila and Charsadda respectively.
• The kingdom lasted from early 1st millennium
B.C. to the 11th century AD, attained its height
from the 1st century to the 5th century under the
Buddhist rule and decayed after the Muslim
conquests of 10th and 11th century ad.
Time line of Gandhara Civilization
• Alexander Conquest (326-305 B.C)
• Mauryan Dynasty (305-180 B.C)
• Rule of Ashoka (Mauryan Dynasty ) 273- 232
B.C.
• Indo Greek ( 180-97 B.C )
• Kushan Empire ( 75-230 A.D )
Taxila
• Taxila is the abode of many splendid Buddhist
establishments. Taxila, the main centre of
Gandhara, is over 3,000 years old.
Famous Cities and Archeology sites of
Taxila
There are around 50 archaeological sites in and around
Taxila including
• Dhamarajika Stupa and Monastery (300 BC – 200 AD)
• Bhir Mound (100 – 200 BC)
• Sirkap (200 BC – 600 AD)
• Sirsukh (1st century A.D – 5th Century A.D )
• Jandial Temple (c. 250 BC)
• Jaulian Monastery (200 – 600 AD).
Most of the archaeological sites of Taxila (600 BC – 500
AD) are located around Taxila Museum. Now the modern
town of Taxila is located 35 km from Islamabad.
Architecture of Taxila
Stupa – Introduction and Types
• Stupa – a solid hemispherical structure built to
enshrine the corporeal remains of Buddha , or as a
memorial of some remarkable event.
Types of Stupas
• Relic Stupa
• Comemorial Stupa
• Object Stupa
• Symbolic Stupa
• Votive Stupa
Dhamarajika Stupa and Monastery
(300 BC – 200 AD)
Dharamrajika stupa
• Dharamrajika stupa was built by Ashoka to enshrine
the relics of lord Buddha. The stupa was
unfortunately destroyed by Jagat Singh of Benares
in order to exploit the building materials in 1794
A.D.
Build by Ashoka to enshrine the relics of
Buddha.
Typical hemispheric Stupa with umbrella and
railings.
Is made up of concentric layers of wedge-shaped
bricks.
Originally had a 49’ diameter, after enlargement
attained 110’ diameter.
Rebuild or restored six different times, included
additions like a pradakshina path of 15’ width,
railings 4’5’’ high and doorways on cardinal points.
Had a relic casket with bones of Buddha and a few
pearls.
The Dharmarajika is about 3 kilometers from the
Taxila museum. Its importance lies in the fact that
once Buddha’s body-relics were buried there.
The name Dharmarajika comes from Dharmaraja, a
name given to Buddha who was the true Dharma
Raja.
Important remnants of
Buddhist construction are
stupas and other
buildings with clearly
recognizable Greek statues
and style elements like
support columns and
lengthy staircases.
Gandhara Art
• Gandhara art, named after the region of Gandhara
now in Pakistan, presents some of the earliest
images of the Buddha.
• The Gandhara style was profoundly influenced by
2d-century Hellenistic art.
The vast majority of sculpture in the Gandhara
Gallery come from two specific sites; Loriyan
Tangai and Jamal Garhi.
The archaeological site of Loriyan Tangai now
resides in modern-day
Jamal Garhi was a monastery from the 1st until the 5th
century CE at a time when Buddhism flourished in this part
of the Indian subcontinent
The hairstyle of these figures is reminiscent of the Greek god Apollo; the mustache may reflect
Roman influence. The toga-like garments, sandals, and necklaces are clearly Roman. It may be
that these objects, imported by traders, had become so familiar to Gandharans that it seemed
natural that divine beings would wear them.
Gandharans clearly remained interested in the
Gautama Buddha, however. The Gandharan style
continues the earlier tradition of depicting important
sites associated with the Buddha, but this times puts
the Buddha in the picture (clockwise from lower left):
• fasting (before his
enlightenment)
• teaching
• lying on his side
preparing to die
As in the case of the seated Buddha at Mathura, a number of the
stone Buddha sculptures that came into use during this period seem to
be intended for independent worship. Although these Buddhas
Roman robes, their faces remain clearly Asian.
The figure on the right
once again is seated atop
a scene depicting several
seated figures. Although
the exact context of the
scene is not clear, the
large size of the Buddha
seated above it again
echoes the
disproportionate size of
the monumental stupas
popular in earlier
periods.
Main features of Gandhara School of art :
• Theme is mainly Buddhist, depicting various
stories from the life of Buddha.
• Also, more stress is given to the bodily
features and external beauty.
• Sculptures were made initially on stone and
later on Stucco, both greys in colour.
• This school is influenced by Greco-Roman
techniques to a greater extent.
• One of the reasons is definitely the geographical
location of the school.
• Art was the depiction of human body in a realistic
manner with greater physical accuracy elaborate
ornamentation and complex symbolism.
• Gandhara School was heavily influenced by Greek
methodologies, the figures were more spiritual and
sculpted mainly in grey, and great detail was paid to
exact depiction of body parts.
