With its introduction of new ceramics, new burial rites, and the horse, the gandhara grave culture is a major candidate for early indoaryan presence. Gandhara region, comprising taxila, peshawar and swat valley is very rich in cultural heritage and is a sacred land for the buddhists. In the grave was a female 30 to 35 years old and a child with red ochre. Gandhara grave culture start time 1200 bc levant, statement with gregorian date earlier than 1584, 800 bc central europe, statement with gregorian date earlier than 1584, 1050 bc greece, statement with gregorian date earlier than 1584, 900 bc italy, statement with gregorian date earlier than 1584, 500 bc northern europe. Images of the art of gandhara also known as gandhara art, which was centred around the region of gandhara in northwestern pakistan, eastern afghanistan and parts of kashmir and tajikistan. Gandhara is a kingdom grouped among the western kingdoms in the epic mahabharata. The historical origins and development of gandhara art.
By grave ritual and form, kurgan 1, grave 1 appears to be a yamnaya culture grave. The gandhara grave culture a companion to south asia. Beauty and mystery of gandhara art and architecture the gandhara art and architecture represents one of the finest arts not only in pakistan but also in the entire world. This page was last edited on 29 decemberat inthe british library acquired a group of some eighty gandharan manuscript fragments from the first half of the 1st century. Gandhara, historical region in what is now northwestern pakistan, corresponding to the vale of peshawar and having extensions into the lower valleys of the kabul and swat rivers in ancient times gandhara was a trade crossroads and cultural meeting place between india, central asia, and the middle east. It mostly spread along the indus and the punjab region, extending into the ghaggarhakra river valley and the gangayamuna doab, surrounding most of what is now pakistan, the western states of modernday india, as well as extending into southeastern. The germanic peoples also called teutonic, suebian, or gothic in older literature are an indoeuropean ethnolinguistic group of northern european origin. In china, japan and korea alone, the buddhist population exceeds 100 million. Gandhara grave complex does not imply that the graves are only in gandhara, but simply that in the present state of our exploration, we know the graves are spread throughout this region. Vedic period simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Mani joint directorgeneral archaeological survey of india gandhara is mentioned in the rigveda in the context of producing quality wool. The artefacts, including pottery, remains of metallic tools, and stone items, point to a link with harappa and mohenjo daro civilisations the two cradles of indus valley civilisation. So, different influences came from greece to gandhara.
Narratives and architectural context the architecture of gandhara, like its sculpture, combines local characteristics with elements derived from both indian and western precedents. Pdf the geographical distribution of gandhara grave culture or. How gandhara became kandahar rajiv malhotra infinity. The artefacts, including pottery, remains of metallic tools, and stone items, point to a link with harappa and mohenjo daro civilisations. The indus valley civilization ensued during the bronze age 33000 bce. A glimpse on gandhara civilizationa glimpse on gandhara civilization preparedby. The period lasted from the 1st century bc to the 7th century ad. Gandhara artefacts to be moved to museum as experts. The discovery suggested that there was a civilisation in the area long before the gandhara civilisation. Gandhara article about gandhara by the free dictionary. It was a major buddhist intellectual hub for centuries. It mostly spread along the indus and the punjab region, extending into the ghaggarhakra river valley and the gangayamuna doab, surrounding most of what is now pakistan, the western states of modernday india, as well as extending into south.
Gandhara, historical region in what is now northwestern pakistan, corresponding to the vale of peshawar and having extensions into the lower valleys of the kabul and swat rivers. The historical origins and development of gandhara art iqtidar karamat cheema11 the region of gandhara was the part of achaemenian empire in the time of cyrus the great in 6th century b. The vedic period saw the emergence of social classes, and developed into kingdoms known as the janapada. Secondary burial was documented at udegram, along with the use of perishable containers and other objects as grave goods. Some recovered gandhara artefacts found to be forgeries. Timargarha and gandharan grave culture, ancient pakistan 3. Besides early reference in the vedas, ramayana and mahabharata, gandhara was the locus of ancient indianpersian interaction, a center of world trade and culture. Gandhara is the ancient name of a region in northwest pakistan bounded on the west by the hindu kush mountain range and to the north by the foothills of the himalayas. Survey and full documentation of sites in gandhara and adjacent territory. Gandhara s strategic position and wealth attracted many invaders, including the greeks, parthians, and kushans, who brought with them diverse religious traditions and artistic conventions.
Gandhara was the name given to the land and its associated civilization that existed in what is now northern pakistan and afghanistan from the mid 1st millenium bce to the beginning of the 2nd millenium ce and consisted of multiple dynasties which ruled over the same area but which were linked by their adoption of buddhism as a religion for the most part and also of the indo. Role of gandhara in spread of styles, influence of gandhara. The epic ramayana also mentions it as a western kingdom. Gandhara is a later form of the name of the people. Gandhara satrapy was established in the general region of the old gandhara grave culture, in what is today khyber pakhtunkhwa. Gandhara grave culture style sites have also been discovered along the pakistan and afghanistan border in chitral district, and in bajaur and mohmand tribal agencies ali and rahman, 2005. In the last two decades, the discipline of art history has entered a new stage of methodological debate. It was originally a province of the persian empire and was reached 327 b. It has been regarded as a token of the indoaryan migrations, but has also been explained by local cultural continuity. The art of gandhara in the metropolitan museum of art.
Situated astride the middle indus river, the region had taxila and peshawar as its chief cities. The core region was in middle swat river although it is used the name gandhara, which lies in modernday pakistan and afghanistan. The region was subject to achaemenian persia in the 6th and 5th. The art of gandhara is therefore a byproduct of buddhism representing an interesting medley of cultural flavours. Protohistoric graveyards of the swat valley, pakistan. In the last two decades, the discipline of art history has entered a. About 1800 bce, there is a major cultural change in the swat valley with the emergence of the gandhara grave culture.
Role of gandhara in spread of styles, influence of. A pakistani family crosses the river swat by bridge at the hill station of madyan. The gandhara grave culture or protohistoric cemeteries were first discovered in the early part of the 1960s by teams of archaeologists from the italian archaeological mission to pakistan and the university of peshawar, pakistan, in the swat and dir. It has been regarded as a token of the indoaryan migrations, but has also been explained by. It is further mentioned in the alharvaveda, sulra literature and many of the sanskrit and pali texts of. Gandhara civilization, buddhist remains taxila promo duration. Gandhara civilization ancient history encyclopedia. The analysis of the grave goods within the protohistoric cemeteries reveals that the majority of the graves contained fewer than five artifacts.
Viewed as a whole, it appears to have been the outcome of a kind of religious propaganda which, in the form of sculptures and paintings, brought before the eyes of. The graecobuddhist style of gandhara a storia ideologica, or how a discourse makes a global history of art. New perspectives on protohistoric cemeteries in northern and northwestern pakistan chapter pdf available april 2016 with 1,018 reads how we measure reads. Sakunis sister was the wife of the kuru king dhritarashtra and was known as gandhari. In gandhara, sculptors fashioned representations of the buddha in both free.
The gandhara civilization was not only the centre of spiritual influence but also the cradle of the world famous gandhara culture, art and learning. Gandhara civilization pakistan is the land which attracted alexander the great from macedonia in 326 b. The event titled hindko literature and culture was organised by the gandhara hindko boards hazara chapter. Although the extent of the culture may be expanded to a region far greater than the extent of the satrapy of gandhara, the term gandharan grave. Masters programmes in hindko demanded a 2,000yearold rare buddhist manuscript, originally from gandhara in norther afghanistan and pakistan, was opened to public in the library of congress. With the existing pace of development of the gandhara region, this area is fast becoming a preferred place of visit read more.
These two cultural complexes are the gandharan grave. Gandhara, one of 42 provinces of the persian achaemenian empire 6th 4th century bce comprised peshawar valley, buner, swat, bajaur, western punjab and. Recent excavation of two graveyards in the swat valley has provided new dating evidence and a much better understanding both of grave structure and treatment of the dead. Regal effigies of gods, warriors and noble beasts, cultural ornaments and masks steeped in myth make up a portion of the gandhara artefact collection. About 1800 bc, there is a major cultural change in the swat valley with the emergence of the gandhara grave culture. This area also attracted alexander the great in 320 b. Religious developments in ancient india ancient history. Much of gandharan art is thus a compelling fusion of foreign styles that ultimately gave visual form to the regions buddhist religious ideals. This chapter describes the manner in which the archaeological record of northwest pakistan was initially interpreted and new insights from more recent work on the gandharan grave culture. This is the dimension to which this paper is going to be taking to the readers.
So, gandhara grave culture can treated as the one of the many regions of early evolving vedic culture. Kumar is thought to be the direct descendant of bharata. Gandhara grave culture and the aryan problem, journal of central asia 1. The major archaeological sources for the architecture and sculpture of gandhara are the remains of religious establishments such as stupas and monasteries. Of the 300 gandhara artefacts, many of them are copies, says sindh culture secretary. Not only that their influences became a part of gandhara, but they also took some of the influences of gandhara and adopted them in their art of later period. Pdf new exploration in the chitral valley, pakistan. In ancient times gandhara was a trade crossroads and cultural meeting place between india, central asia, and the middle east.
A substantial and informative book of nearly 300 pages that offers a timeline history of gandhara in six chapters, followed by chapters describing an array of stupa complexes sangharamas in gandhara, the famous sculptures of gandhara, the gandhari language sometimes called northwestern prakrit and the kharoshthi script, literature produced in gandhara, the influence of gandhara in. Gandhara culture article about gandhara culture by the free. Gandhara prince sakuni was the root of all the conspiracies of duryodhana against the pandavas, which finally resulted in the kurukshetra war. The gandhara grave culture a companion to south asia in the. The two new burial ritesflexed inhumation in a pit and cremation burial in. The gandhara civilization was not only the center of spiritual influence but also the cradle of the world famous gandhara culture, art and learning. The cultural phase of the late bronze age and early iron age in europe c. As buddhism and by extension the gandhara culture was already at an ebb by this time, the invasion caused both physical destruction and, due to the huns adoption of the shivite faith most especially of their ruler mihirakula and by extension the culture of the hindu gupta empire which at this time was ascendant, the importance of buddhism. During achaemenid rule, the kharosthi alphabet, derived from the one used for aramaic the official language of achaemenids, developed here and remained the national script of gandhara until 200 ad. Culture was a name chosen by the doyen of pakistan archaeology, professor dani, to. New perspectives on protohistoric cemeteries in northern and northwestern pakistan chapter pdf available april 2016 with.
Ancient tombs discovered in pakistans swat 24 november 2012 file picture. Ancient gandhara then and now india international centre. Meditating buddha, from gandhara, pakistan, second century ce. The giant buddhist statues recently destroyed by the taliban were in bamiyan, one of the important buddhist cities of ancient. Apr 02, 2009 gandhara civilization, buddhist remains taxila promo duration. According to the records of famous epics religious books of hindus ramayana. Gandharas strategic position and wealth attracted many invaders, including the greeks, parthians, and kushans, who brought with them diverse religious traditions and artistic conventions. The gandhara grave culture, also called swat culture, emerged c. Ancient buddhist scrolls from gandhara will appeal to a broad audience with interests in buddhism, comparative religion, and asian languages.