The present work is the outcome of an International Conference on "Buddhism and Gandhara Art" organized in the joint collaboration of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla and Jnana-Pravaha - Centre for Cultural Studies, Varanasi. The idea evolved at the juncture when the then Taliban government of Afghanistan was bent upon destroying the marvelous creations of Gandhara art including the great Bamiyan Buddha. It is an academic homage to those splendid treasures of Gandhara art, many of which are no more to be seen. The papers presented by a galaxy of art historians and archaeologists impart an excellent glimpse of the cultural development of Gandhara region from the pre-Christian era to the Islamic period. The book aims at presenting various facets of Gandhara art in a historical perspective and contains not only the unpublished material but also the analyses and fresh interpretations on the different aspects of Gandhara art including the emergence of the great school of Gandhara sculpture, the creation of Buddha image, development of Buddhist pantheon, interaction with several art styles in the neighbouring countries, construction of monasteries and stupas in the vast area termed as Greater Gandhara, and the delicate issue of Islam and iconoclasm. The documentation and research as a result of archaeological expeditions in several areas during the last two centuries have also been highlighted. The book thus presents important milestones of religious, cultural and the artistic journey of Gandhara area, now in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Buddhism and Gandhara Art, Aryan Books, Hardcover, 2004. 216 Pages, $100.00
Pranati Ghosal is a promising scholar in the field of Sanskrit and Vedic studies and engaged in the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Varanasi Branch. She has contributed brilliant papers in different seminars and co-edited five issues of the Annual Research Bulletin and twelve proceedings of Jnana-Pravaha. Her two books, Prasnavati and Everyday Life in Vedic India are in the process of publication. Beside the present volume, she has also co-edited the proceedings of another International Seminar on the Interaction Between Brahmanical and Buddhist Art, to be published soon.
Prof. R.C. Sharma headed important Museums of the country like Government Museum, Mathura; State Museum, Lucknow; Indian Museum,, Kolkata and finally, the Natioinal Museum, New Delhi as the Director-General and Vice-Chancellor, National Museum Institute. He also served the Banaras Hindu University as the Director, Bharat Kala Bhavan and Professor of Indian art and Museology. Presently, he is the Honorary Director / Acharya of Jnana-Pravaha - Centre for Cultural Studies, Varanasi. Beside authoring several books and editing journals and bulletins in the field of Early Indian Art, he has contributed a large number of papers published in the journals in India and abroad.
Preface
List of Contributors
1. Introduction
2. Fifty Years of Research in Gandhara Art (1947-1997)
3. Physical and Historical Geography of Gandhara
4. Society of Gandhara Region
5. Islamic Gandhara: History, Society and Culture from the Eighth Century AD
6. Islam and Iconoclasm
7. Islam and Icons
8. Mathura and Gandhara: The Two Great Styles
9. Central Asia: Buddhism and Gandhara Art
10. Greater Gandharan Art Vs. Gandhara Art
11. Recently Excavated Sites in Udyana and Gandhara
12. Excavation at Ambaran and Akhnur Terracottas
13. The Origin of Buddha Image
14. Dipankara Jataka in Gandhara Art
15. Bodhisattva-cult in Afghanistan
16. First Sermon Relief in Mathura and Gandhara
17. Images of Buddha and Gandharan Influences
18. Brahmanical Sculptures in the Gandhara Art
19. Svastika: The Gandharan Enigms]
20. Decorative Trays from the Gandhara Region
21. Lady Holding the Mirror
22. The Metal Craft and Art of Gandhara Region
23. The Metal Craft and Art of Gandhara Region
24. Kusana Portraits
25. Digital Documentation of Gandhara Art in Chandigarh Museum
26. Early Epigraphs from Gandhara and its Neighbourhood
27. Coin Hoards from Afghanistan
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