Chapter 13: Timeline of Gandhara Art

The development of Gandhara art spans centuries, shaped by multiple empires and cultural interactions.

 

Here’s a clear timeline:

4th Century BCE: Alexander’s Campaigns

• Greek armies marched into northwestern India.
• Hellenistic cities and sculpture traditions planted seeds for Gandhara art.

 

3rd Century BCE: Age of Ashoka

• Buddhism spread widely across the subcontinent.
• Early stupas and stone reliefs appeared in Gandhara.

 

2nd Century BCE – 1st Century CE: Indo-Greek & Kushan Rise

• Fusion of Hellenistic and Indian cultures.
• Gandhara emerged as a hub of Buddhist transmission and artistic innovation.

 

2nd Century CE: Buddha Images Take Shape

• Standing and seated Buddha statues became common.
• Draped robes and realistic faces merged with Indian religious iconography.

 

3rd – 4th Century CE: Golden Age

• Under the Kushans, Gandhara art flourished.
• Narrative reliefs and stupa decorations reached new heights.

 

5th – 7th Century CE: Legacy and Diffusion

• Gandhara declined, but its influence spread to Xinjiang, Dunhuang, and Chang’an.
• It became a foundation for China’s cave temple traditions.

 

The Gandhara timeline is a chronicle of cultural exchange. From Greece to India, then to China, it maps the globalization of Buddhist art.