Structural Design of the Buildings in Gandhara as Gleaned on Sculptures

IntroductionThe study of the material culture defined in the Gandhara sculptures is based on the hypothesis that the sculptors of Gandhara, as they depicted the Buddhist themes, had in their mind the contemporary persons and things around them. By using skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, the sculptors supplied the personnel and the background in accordance with the requirements of the texts. In carving the Buddhist themes, on stone, the artists were fully aware of their limitations. However, they took that much liberty as would not come into conflict with the general trend of the text. It is quite possible that they have supplied the exact parallels with those occurring in the Jatakas and life scenes from amongst their society and environment. Thus, many of the items found in the sculptures, may have been indigenous to the country of which Gandhara region and its surrounding formed part.Buddhist, Jaina and Hindu art is dominant on the architectural monuments, paintings and stone relief. The main purpose of this material culture is to teach and popularize the Buddhist religion in the particular area of the Kushan Empire. In Gandhara art one can visualize the trend of Buddhist art through the ages within Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. In Buddhist Mythology and legends, the Buddha has been represented as superior than popular cult divinities of the area, such as Yaksas, nagas, Indra, Brahma and others of the earlier Brahmanical pantheon. Buddhist religion has been reflected faithfully in Gandhara art. In early Buddhism, no anthropomorphic image has been found, but the Buddha was regarded as idea human being. In primitive Buddhism there is only symbolic representation of Buddha, such as empty throne, Budhi tree, a pair of footprints, wheel of Law (Dharma-chakra), lotus flower or the other aspect of his life.Emperor Kanishka is the one who is known as the founder of Gandhara art due to his personal interest in Buddhism and artistic wisdom. Kushan Empire had a commercial relationship with the Roman Empire that is why the artist from Rome came to his empire and contributed to the art of Gandhara. The archaeological evidences show that the GraecoRoman features from Taxila and other area of the Kushan Empire. Many artifacts have been exhibited in various museums, particularly in Taxila.The Yueh chi tribe were nomadic and do not know the tradition of monumental art and architecture, they invited skilled artisans from different areas to fulfil the requirement of artistic taste of the Emperor and to construct Buddhist monuments and sculptures. Most of the Gandharan sculptures are produced by the local craftsmen with amalgamation of foreign influences.The craftsmen used local material, such as soft local schist stone in varied colour from light to dark gray with shining mica particles. Some of these sculptures were coated with gold leaf to give them shine in gloomy interiors. They had used the popular media for making a sculpture and other artifacts, such as stucco and terracotta. These sculptures were fragile and mostly attached to the stupa walls to give them three dimensional appearance. The images of Buddha were represented in various ethnic types and expression. Bodhisattvas were also shown on the walls of stupa with rich jewelry and ornaments.MethodologyThe narrative stone sculptures, decorative reliefs, or images of Gandhara are an important tool with the help of which an attempt has been made to understand the various aspects of the Kushan's multi-ethnic blend of many cultures, history, architecture, and religion. Gandharan studies in general and studies of Gandhara art in particular have traditionally been, and continue to be, dominated by archaeologists and art historians. In fact, until very recently materials falling within the purview of these fields - mainly artistic and archaeological remains, including stone sculpture, inscriptions and coins - were nearly all that we had at our disposal for the study of Gandhara art. …