The ancient civilization of Gandhara was located i the region encompassing modern northeaster Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. Situated at confluence of trading paths along the Silk Route, th area was...
The ancient civilization of Gandhara was located i the region encompassing modern northeaster Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. Situated at confluence of trading paths along the Silk Route, th area was flooded in diverse cultural influence ranging from Greece to China. Gandhara flourishe under the Kushan Dynasty and their great king, Kanishka, who is traditionally given credit fo spreading the philosophies of Buddhism throughou central Asia and into China. This period is viewed a the most important era in the history of Buddhism. After the conquests of Alexander the Great, th creation of Greco-Bactrian kingdoms, and the genera Hellenization of the subcontinent, Western aesthetic became prominent. Greek influence began permeatin into Gandhara. Soon sculptors based the images of th Buddha on Greco-Roman models, depicting Him as stocky and youthful Apollo, complete with stretche earlobes and loose monastic robes similar to a Roma toga. The extraordinary artistic creations of Gandhar reveal link between the different worlds of the Eas and West. In the Buddhist religion, Bodhisattvas are souls wh have attained enlightenment and no longer need t reincarnate, but forsake nirvana and choose to com back in order to alleviate the suffering of others. This stunning Gandharan stucco sculpture of the head of a Bodhisattva reveals that these spiritual being were celebrated even then, as Buddhism began to spread from India eastwards. This head was likely once attached to a body, the whole of which probably stood in a niche on the exterior of a stupa or shrine. The head of this Bodhisattva is crowned in a magnificent, complex headdress that reveals his prestigious social stature. Some representations of Bohisattvas ar believed to depict Gandharan kings and princes, as ma be the case with this particular example. Surely the prominent pointed divot in his lips may be an attempt to individualise the otherwise idealised portrait. The angularity of the strongly defined brow, which merge at the bridge of the narrow nose, is characteristic of the Gandharan style. The artists o Gandhara were the first to represent the Buddha in his human form, as opposed to a symbol such as hi footprint. This gorgeous head is a reminder of an ancient civilisation that, although vanished, helped spread the teachings of enlightenment throughout the heart of Asia.