Origins of the Gandharan Style: A Study of Contributory Influences

Abstract

This study throws light on the origins of the Gandharan style of sculpture. Three broad themes discussed are the systematic analysis of how much Gandharan sculpture drew from Graeco-Roman, Parthian, Central Asian and Indian traditions; the extent to which Hellenization penetrated the East and the remarkable cultural resilience of Hellenism long after the political collapse of the Greek kingdoms; and the formulation of a native Gandharan style from absorption, transformation and rejection of stylistic elements at work in the Gandharan region.