UPSC Mains 2019 GS Paper 1 Q1: model answer

The Buddha from Gandhara often looks like a Greek god in a monk's robe, while the bodhisattvas beside him wear the turbans, jewellery and moustaches of Kushana nobles. That double look is the answer in one line. The school flourished from about the 1st century BCE to the 5th century CE.

Greco-Bactrian elements

• Inherited from the Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms: realistic anatomy, wavy hair, Apollo-like faces.
• Classical drapery with heavy folds; Corinthian capitals; acanthus and vine scrolls.

Central Asian elements

• Kushana royal costume: tunics, trousers, boots and heavy coats, also seen in Kushana royal statues.
• Moustached, richly jewelled bodhisattvas reflecting the dress of the Kushana elite.
• Blue-grey schist, and later stucco, as the main media.

Indian Buddhist content

• Jataka scenes, the Buddha's life, mudras and the urna mark.

Examples

• The standing Buddha from Takht-i-Bahi; the Bimaran casket; the Hadda stucco heads.
• Peshawar and Taxila museums hold some of the best examples.

To sum up

Gandhara art blends Hellenistic forms and Central Asian dress with Indian Buddhist themes, a product of the cosmopolitan Silk Road world under Kushana patronage.