‘Gandhara Art’ is influenced by which ancient regional style?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Greek
The images of the Buddha and Bodhisattas from Gandhara, found in the northwest in cities such as Taxila and Peshawar, were evidently based on Greek models. Indo-Greek rulers had established kingdoms there in the second century BCE.
NCERT (2026-27): “11.1 Grappling with the unfamiliar … These early scholars tried to make sense of what appeared to be strange images by comparing them with sculpture with which they were familiar, that from ancient Greece. While they often found early Indian sculpture inferior to the works of Greek artists, they were very excited when they discovered images of the Buddha and Bodhisattas that were evidently based on Greek models. These were, more often than not, found in the northwest, in cities such as Taxila and Peshawar, where Indo-Greek rulers had established kingdoms in the second century BCE. As these images were closest to the Greek statues these scholars were familiar with, they were considered to be the best examples of early Indian art.…”
Fig. 4.29 A Bodhisatta from Gandhara Note the clothes and the hairstyle. |
