When West Met East: Gandharan Art Revisited is based on hitherto unpublished or partly published sculptures and artefacts from Gandhara and Greater Gandhara dispersed in public and private collections across Asia, Europe, and the United States. Its subject is a form of figurative sculpture that emerged in the Gandharan region between the second and fifth centuries CD and reflects regional cross-cultural elements arising from its direct relationship with Buddhism and to some extent Hinduism, as both flourished in India at the time of the Kusan Empire.

The author's 'Introduction' presents the historical foundation of the innovative artistic expressions that characterize the singularity of Gandharan art. The First chapter covers the cross-fertilized nature of the art and examines how Western artistic inspirations were transformed into new forms of art to narrate stories of Indian origin. The Second chapter argues that Gandharan artists followed the chronological sequence established in the Sanskrit Lalitavistara, or pre-existing texts which may have inspired this sacred book, when depicting the scenes of the life of the Blessed One starting with the descent of the future Buddha from Tusita Heaven up to the first sermon in the deer park. Singling out one particular episode in the Buddha's life, the descent from the Trayastrimsa Heaven to Samkasya, the third chapter focuses on the literary sources that inspired Gandharan artists. The fourth chapter addresses the question of the first depictions of the Bodhisattvas Maitreya and Avalokitesvara in Gandharan art. And, finally, the fifth chapter looks at the symbolism behind the presence of Hindu gods in Gandharan art.

When West Met East: Gandharan Art Revisited, Osmund Bopearachchi, Manohar, 2 Volume Hardcover, (9" x 11"), 448 pages, $120.00

Osmund Bopearachchi is adjunct Professor of Central and South Asian Art, Archaeology, and Numismatics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Emeritus Director of Research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (C.N.R.S.-E.N.S. Paris). He holds a PH.D. from the Paris I-Sorbonne University, and a Higher Doctorate (Habilitation) from the Paris IV-Sorbonne University. He has published 12 books, edited six volumes, and published many articles in international journals.

CONTENTS: When West Met East
VOLUME I
Foreword by Sir John Boardman		ix
Preface		xi
Acknowledgements		xiii
Introduction		1
	GANDHARA: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE	1
	THE SOCIAL AND POLITCAL MILIEU AT THE TIME OF ALEXANDER'S INVASION	7
	CANDRAGUPTA AND THE FOUNDATION OF THE MAURYAN EMPIRE	15
	GRECO-BACTRIAN KINGDOMS	16
	SCYTHIANS AND PARTHIANS IN GANDHARA	24
	ARRIVAL OF KUSANS IN GANDHARA	25
	RISE AND FALL OF THE KUSAN EMPIRE	29
1.	Gandharan Art in a Cross-Fertilized Context	36
	MAURYANS AND THE EMERGENCE OF PLASTIC ARTS IN INDIA	36
	HELLENISTIC ART IN GANDHARA	44
	GREEK ARCHITECTURE AND PLASTIC AND GLYPTIC ART IN GREATER GANDHARA	46
	GREEK INTERACTION WITH INDIAN, BUDDHIST, AND HINDU ICONOGRAPHY	58
2.	Life of the Buddha from the Birth to the First Sermon	71
	BUDDHA LOOKING WITH UNBLINKING EYES AT THE BODHI TREE	72
	LALITAVISTARA, A SANSKRIT MAHAYANA BUDDHIST TEXT	73
	EVENTS RELATED TO THE BIRTH OF THE BODHISATTVA SIDDHARTHA	76
	LIFE IN THE PALACE OF THE YOUNG BODHISATTVA	79
	BODHISATTVA SIDDHARTHA AT SCHOOL	80
	FIRST MEDITATION	82
	WEDDING OF BODHISATTVA SIDDHARTHA WITH YASODHARA	84
	THE GREAT RENUNCIATION	90
	THE PHYSICAL PENANCE ( DUSKARAKRIYA)	94
	THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF THE BUDDHA GAUTAMA	98
	SEVEN WEEKS AFTER THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF THE BUDDHA	109
	THE TURNING OF THE WHEEL OF THE DHARMA AT THE DEER PARK AT VARANASI	121
	THE MAHAPARINIRVANA (THE GREAT PASSING) OF THE BUDDHA AT KUSINAGARA	123
3.	Utpalavarna and the Descent of the Buddha from the Trayastrimsa Heaven	128
	BIKSUNI TUPALAVARNA IN SACRED TEXTS	128
	DESCENT OF THE BUDDHA AT SAMKASYA FROM THE TRAYASTRIMSA	131
4.	World of Bodhisattvas: Maitreya and Avalokiteshvara	142
	THE GAUTAMA BUDDHA IN GANDHARAN ART	142
	THE BODHISATTVA MAITREYA IN GANDAHARAN ART	145
	THE BODHISATTVA AVALOKITESVARA IN GANDAHARAN ART	151
5.	Hindu Gods and the Emergence of Visnu: Narayana Imagery in Gandharan Art	159
	BRAHMA AND INDRA IN A BUDDHIST CONTEXT	159
	VISNU-VARAHA	160
	BALARAMA-SAMKARSANA AND VASUDEVA-KRSNA	163
	SYNCRETIC IMAGES OF HINDU GODS	170
	HINDU GODS IN A CODIFIED CONTEXT	172
	VISNU VAIKUNTHA CHATURMURTI	176
	VISNU WITH EIGHT ARMS	180
Conclusion		183
VOLUME II
Catalogue Nos. 1-190		185
Bibliography		419
Index		431