The ancient civilization of Gandhara
thrived in the region encompassing
modern northeastern Afghanistan and
northwestern Pakistan. Situated at a
confluence of trading paths along the
Silk Route, the area was flooded in
diverse cultural influences ranging from
Greece to China. Gandhara flourished
under the Kushan Dynasty and their great
king, Kanishka, who is traditionally
given credit for spreading the
philosophies of Buddhism throughout
central Asia and into China. This period
is viewed as the most important era in
the history of Buddhism. After the
conquests of Alexander the Great, the
creation of Greco-Bactrian kingdoms, and
the general Hellenization of the
subcontinent, Western aesthetics became
prominent. Greek influence began
permeating into Gandhara. Soon sculptors
based the images of the Buddha on Greco-
Roman models, depicting Him as a stocky
and youthful Apollo, complete with
stretched earlobes and loose monastic
robes similar to a Roman toga. The
extraordinary artistic creations of
Gandhara reveal link between the
different worlds of the East and West.
In the Buddhist religion, Bodhisattvas
are souls who have attained
enlightenment and no longer need to
reincarnate, but forsake nirvana and
choose to come back in order to
alleviate the suffering of others. This
stunning Gandharan sculpture of a
Bodhisattva, created by the first
culture to represent the Buddha in his
human form, reveals that these spiritual
beings were celebrated even then, as
Buddhism began to spread from India
eastwards. This Bodhisattva is depicted
wearing elaborated modeled robes with
carefully carved folds. He sports and
elegant coiffure and is adorned in fine
jewelry as was appropriate for a worldly
incarnation of the Buddha. Originally,
this sculpture probably stood in a niche
on the exterior of a stupa or shine
where it would have guided the masses on
the path towards enlightenment.
- (X.0187)
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