Gandhara Sculpture of the Patna Museum

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Gandhara Sculpture of the Patna Museum, authored by C.P. Sinha and Arabinda Singha Roy, offers an insightful exploration of the Gandhara sculptures housed in the Patna Museum. These sculptures, originating primarily from the Peshawar region of Pakistan, reflect the rich Indo-Greek and Greco- Buddhist art traditions that flourished in the Gandhara region between the 1st century BCE and the 4th century CE. The Patna Museum's collection, consisting of stone and stucco sculptures loaned by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1923, includes pieces from renowned Gandhara sites like Sahr-i-Bahlol, Takht- i-Bahi, and the Swat Valley.

The book begins with an introduction to the Gandhara School of Art, detailing its foundations in Greco-Buddhist traditions. Influenced by Hellenistic culture brought to the region by Alexander the Great's conquests, Gandhara artists used Greek and Roman techniques to depict Buddhist themes with great naturalism and realism. The sculptures, primarily made of schist stone and stucco, feature finely crafted details like serene expressions, drapery folds, and intricate hairstyles, marking the cosmopolitan essence of Gandhara art. The authors divide Gandhara art into two phases: the first, beginning in the 1st century CE, represents the Buddha in human form, departing from earlier symbolic representations; the second phase, in the 3rd century CE, sees an increase in Bodhisattva images. Many sculptures in the museum are busts or heads, with only a few complete figures intact. The book provides a detailed catalog of these artifacts, highlighting their artistic significance.

A comparative analysis of the Patna Museum's collection with other Gandhara collections across India underscores the cultural exchange between the Gandhara region and the broader Indian subcontinent. The monograph serves as a valuable resource for researchers, shedding light on the role of Gandhara art in the spread of Buddhist art throughout South and Southeast Asia.

C.P. Sinha, Former Director of K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute, Patna is an eminent Art Historian and Indologist. Dr. Sinha has many academic distinctions to his credit. He is Advisor, Indian Art History congress and was President of the Bihar Puravid Parishad. He is recipient of Senior Academic Fellowship from Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi. He has authored several books, edited more than 35 volumes on art, archaeology and culture. He has also contributed 246 research papers on different aspects of art and iconography in reputed journals which are known for their authenticity. Some of his well acclaimed works are: Early Sculpture of Bihar (1980), Prachin Bhartiya Abhilekhiki Evam Lipi (1975), Jharkhand ke Pramukh Shaiva Mandir (2014), Pre-history and Protohistory of Jharkhand with Arbindo Singha Roy (2018), Art and Archaeology in Bihar (2018), Bihar Pride of India and the World (2020).

Dr. Arabinda Singha Roy is a currently serving as an Assistant Professor at Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal (Formerly known as West Bengal University of Technology), and as a visiting faculty member at Sidho- Kanho-Birsha University, Purulia, West Bengal. Additionally, he is deputed to assist Raj Bhavan officials in cultural, heritage, and media affairs. He holds a PhD in Archaeology from the University of Calcutta. His expertise spans urbanization, heritage management, prehistory, proto- history, geoarchaeology, and art and architecture. Dr. Roy has gained significant professional experience through roles in prestigious institutions such as the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Haryana, Department of Archaeology, University of Calcutta, West Bengal Heritage Commission, Directorate of Archaeology, Govt. of Bihar, and the University of Edinburgh. He has been recognized with the Prof. Amita Roy Memorial Award for his contributions to the field. His scholarly work includes numerous publications in national and international journals.

The Gandhara Sculptures are the prized collection of the Patna Museum, Patna. The Patna Museum Patna has the privilege of housing the sizeable number of Gandhara stone sculptures and stucco figures. Nearly 42 Gandhara sculptures and stucco figures from the Peshwar Museum were received in the Patna Museum as loan from the Director General of Archaeological Survey of India in 1923 (Patna Museum Annual Report). A perusal of the Patna Museum records reveals that the following sites or localities are represented in the Patna Museum Sahr-i-Bahlol, Takht-i-Bahi, Jamalgarhi, Swat Valley, Hadela and Jaucian (Taxila).

The first author, was in-charge of Archaeological section of the Patna Museum which includes stone sculptures, terracotta art, bronzes inscriptions, pre-historic objects, copper hoards and Indus Valley objects during the 1973 to 1978. At that time he had collected materials pertaining to Ghandhara art presented in the Patna Museum.

The Gandhara school of art is a medium for portrayal of Indian Buddhist legends and schools of art in South and Southeast Asia. It is also known as Greco-Roman, Indo-Greek, Greco-Iranian, and Indo-Hellenistic art, generally made on soft bluish, grey, schist or slate stone quarried from all the local hills.

This entire Buddhist school can be designated into two phases, i.e., Buddhist and Bodhisattva images could be made during the first century A.D. and a part of it could be made during the 3rd century A.D.

Among the total images, most of these are heads without body or bust. Complete forms are also found. Accumulatively, through this monograph, an attempt has been made to compile all the antiquities related to the Gandhara school of art in the museum. The first chapter of this monograph is only the introduction of the Gandhara art, its importance, relevance, and influence in Indian art with a note about the stored images in the Patna Museum. The next chapter basically a compilation of all the Gandhara objects which are in the museum with a short description. An overview on the entire collection comparing with the collections of the other parts of the country is made in the last chapter of this book.