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History Optional PYQ Master Pack · Model answer

Write brief essay on Origins, chronology, characteristics and geographical spread of Gandhara art.

  • UPSC 1991
  • Post-Mauryan Period

Gandhara art is the sculptural expression of Greco-Buddhist syncretism — a fusion of Hellenistic form with Buddhist content that matured under the Kushanas. It marks the moment the Buddha was first rendered in human form, and its story runs from Alexander's successors in Bactria to the Hun invasions eight centuries later.

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What the full answer covers

  • Origins: From Bactrian Hellenism to Kushana Patronage
  • Chronology: Precursors, Peak, and Decline
  • Characteristics: A Hellenistic Idiom for a Buddhist Subject
  • Geographical Spread: From the Peshawar Valley to the Silk Route

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