Silk Road: KUSHAN CULTURE

“In India art is not an object but a conception that stands before us”. The history of India and its culture can be drawn from a very long period. Their stylistic sculpture and art can be quiet mesmerizing. Their monuments such as the stupas and other major landmarks deserve the global attention it receives till today. Key findings can be traced from the first century till the third century AD, when the Kusana Empire flourished, from the Gangetic plains to the central Asian regions. The Kusana king Kaniska I, was not only renowned for being a powerful ruler but also, for his interests in arts and sculptures. The Kusana Empire ruled over India for about three hundred years and produced work of arts reflecting indigenous traditions and external influence. Their Empire included trade routes that stretched from the Mediterranean to India till China. This permitted exchange and diplomatic relations between Rome and India. This helped transmit culture and religion in India. Many artistic trends emerged at that time. Two of the influential school of sculpture that was famous at that time was called Mathura and Gandhara. All this was not done by only one figure; there were many influential figures behind it. Like Kaniska II and Kanisk III, they all contributed to this admittance of fine arts.

The location of the empire gave the ruler vast advantage of the trade routes. The adoption of Roman coinage and sending emissaries to Roman court helped maintain close ties with the Romans. It was also noticed that, the existence of Buddhism in the Kushan Empire was momentous. Lui’s article states that there was a large amount of Buddhist art and sculptures; this shows the popularity of the religion. It was found in many locations through the Empire. There were many other religions but Buddhism seemed to be the prominent one. It brought many changes to Kushan culture.

Art had a great impact on Gandharan Buddhist art. Retrieving ancient art and sculpture in orderly form is very challenging. Buddha images were found simultaneously in both the Mathura and Gandhara schools, around the beginning of the Kaniska era. If it comes to question that, which school had a bigger impact on creating Buddha image? It would definitely be Mathura, at least from an ideological perspective. The spread of Buddhist art and culture had a great impact on people during that time.

(TOP: COIN KNOWN AS THE BODDO COIN

BOTTOM LEFT: SCULPTURE OF BUDDHA BOTTOM RIGHT:STATUE OF KANISKA