Exploring the Rich Legacy of Gandhara Art in Pakistan

Historical Background of Gandhara

“Gandhara” literary meaning the land of fragrance was the ancient name of the tract of country on the west bank of the Indus River which comprises the Peshawar valley and the modern Swat, Buner, and Bajaur. It was a country with rich, well-watered valleys, clear-cut hills and a pleasant climate. Situated on the borderland between India and Western Asia, Gandhara belonged as much and as little to the one as to the other. In the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. it formed part of the Achaemenid empire of Persia. In the fourth it was occupied for a brief period by the armies of Alexander the Great. Thereafter it was conquered by Chandragupta Maurya, but after a century of local rule the West again asserted itself, and in the second century BC. Greek dynasts took the place of Indian. Then came, early in the first century BC. the victorious Sakas or Scythians, to be followed, after yet another century, by the Parthians and Kushans. And even then the tale of foreign conquest was not ended. For in the third century AD. Gandhara again reverted to Persia, now under Sasanid sovereigns, and was again re-conquered by the Kidara Kushans in the fourth. Finally, the death-blow, .to its prosperity was given by the Ephthalites or White Huns, who swept over the country about A.D. 465, carrying fire and sword wherever they went and destroying the Buddhist monasteries.

Origins and Significance of Gandhara

With such a history behind them, it is not surprising that the people of Gandhara were thoroughly cosmopolitan in their culture and their outlook.

Cultural Influences and Crossroads of Civilizations

The common speech of the people was an Indian Prakrit, but the script they used for the writing of this vernacular was Kharoshthi a modified form of the Aramaic of Western Asia, which had been adopted for official use throughout the Persian Empire during Achaemenid times.

Key Historical Events Shaping Gandhara’s Artistic Development

Nevertheless, it is true to say that Gandhara took its everyday speech from India and its writing from the West. This intimate fusion of widely divergent elements was equally apparent in the religious life of the people.

Artistic Expression in Gandhara

The impetus given to Buddhists by the Mauryan Emperor, Asoka, and the artistic impulses emanating from the Bactrian Greeks in Central Asia led to the fruition of Gandhara Art under the patronage of the Kushanas and their successors. The period from the 1st Century A.D. to the 4th Century A.D. is remarkable in the history of Pakistan when sculptural art became a handmaiden to spiritual zeal.

Synthesis of Cultures: Indian and Western Influences

Initially, the medium of sculptural art appears to have been the grey schist in Taxila, Peshawar, Mardan, Malakand, Dir, Swat, and Buner regions, but then other kinds of locally available stones like phyllite, soapstone, green schist, chlorite, etc. were also used for carving sculptures along with the more plastic stucco to fulfill the insatiable demand of Buddhist devotees who filled the innumerable monasteries and stupas thickly dotting the whole Gandharan country of that time.

Materials and Techniques: Sculptures, Stucco, and Architectural Styles

While Graeco-Roman impulse was responsible for initiation and development of Gandhara art, the local talent made it what it looked like the representation of the true society of the elite and the religious monks who roamed about with an aura of spiritual dignity.

Iconography and Symbolism in Gandhara Artworks

Besides sculptures, the architecture of Gandhara also has a marked characteristic of its own composition in nature and scope lending towards Ionic and Doric style of Classical Greeks.

Architectural Marvels of Gandhara

The city plan of Sirkap in Taxila, the remains of religious establishments Stupas and Monasteries at Jaulian, Mohra Moradu, Dharmarajika etc. around Taxila, and those at Takht-i-Bahi, Jamal Garhi, Sehri Bahlol in Mardan district, are remarkable ensemble of the dissemination and blending of foreign and local traditions of the art of building. Besides, Butkara, Panr, Udegram, Nimogram, Chat Pat, Andan Dheri, Saidu Stupa, Shingardar Stupa, Thokardara Stupa, to name only a few, are some of the famous sites in Swat and Dir area which provide ample evidence of the extent of this religious cultural phenomenon.

Influence of Greek-Roman Aesthetics on Gandhara Architecture

The decline of the Buddhist Art of Gandhara started with Sasanid and Hun invasions which resulted in mass destruction of the cities and religious establishments of the area. The society and its norm were annihilated, while the art and architecture adversely affected when monumental buildings, both religious as well as secular, were put to fire.

Notable Architectural Sites: Stupas, Monasteries, and City Plans

The havoc was faced throughout the areas which are now Pakistan. The Chinese Pilgrim Hun-Tsang’s account of the ruined monasteries, stupas and other secular buildings that he saw everywhere in the region is an awesome but accurate description of the horrible desolation of these once flourishing centers. However, the Buddhist faith was not wiped out completely from these areas. We come across its manifestation at many places especially in today’s Sind and in the N.W.F.P.