A Group of Mendicants

A Group of Mendicants

Gandhar School, 1st Century CE.

The Gandhar artist was a keen ibserver of everyday life around him. He gives us glimpses of the life of that time. Here are a group of Sadhus (mendicants) walking in a circle, as though the were going around a holy shrine. They are not Buddhist monks, but are Hindu Sadhus. Surprisingly not much has changed in their attire or living condition. In many ways, we are today, what we were then.

Lord Buddha Preaching

Lord Buddha Preaching

Gandhar School,1st Century CE

Having attained enlightenment, having transformed himself from Prince Siddharth to Buddha, Buddha started preaching to the people about the Middle Path. Buddha wondered about the cause of misery in the world. His answer was "desire is the cause of misery." No desire, no misery is the answer. Buddha's first sermon was at Sarnath. There he set the wheels of law (Dharamchakra) into motion. Men and women were mesmerised by the simplicity of his language , by the greatness of his thoughts. In an age without social media, Buddhism swept the entire Asia.

Fasting Lord Buddha

Fasting Lord Buddha

Gandhar School,1st Century CE. 

Austerities is part of achieving knowledge. It was one practice adopted by Prince Siddharth. Sitting in deep meditation, he did not eat till his body became skeletal.

The Greek knowledge of human anatomy is well proven here. The protruding rib cage, the sunken eyes, the depleted stomach all portray an emaciated body. It also proves the temporary status of the body. Only the soul is eternal.

Temptations of Mara

Temptations of Mara

Gandhar School, 1st Century CE

While Prince Siddharth sat and meditated, he faced many temptations. As Arjun said in the Bhagwat Gita, the mind is the most difficult to control. One is tempted by one's repressed desires, by baser instincts. The inner fears manifest themselves. Temptations are common to all religion. In Christianity, both Jesus and St. Anthony were tempted. In Hinduism Vishwamitra was tempted by an Apsara.

Here we see the demon Mara tempting Prince Siddharth as he sits in the posture called "touching the earth." In Ajanta there is a beautiful depiction of Mara's voluptuous daughters dancing in front of Prince Siddharth. Here we see a bear standing on the right side. These are the images of a nightmare. We must conquer our minds to be victorious over ourself.

The Departure

The Departure

Gandhar School,1st Century CE.

At the dead of the night, leaving his wife, Yashoda and the new born child, Rahul fast asleep, Prince Siddharth left his palace at Kapilvastu. In order to make sure that the horse's hoofs did not make any noise, demi-gods lifted the horse (notice the 'man' lifting the horse's front leg). The other characters are the people of the night: a soldier, a woman. Whether these figures are actual people or the projections of the psyche of Prince Siddharth is an unanswered question. The artist leaves the answers to the viewer.

We have to leave behind our past in order to progress. We have to search within to discover the Divine. And the journey begins from home.

Two Episodes from Life of Prince Siddharth

Two Episodes from Life of Prince Siddharth

Gandhar School , 1st Century CE

Multiple narrations are the hallmark of Indian Art. Here the Gandhar sculptor simultaneously depicts two incidents from the life of Prince Siddharth : on the top the Prince is enjoying the palace life as a young man. In the bottom part, he is about to leave his sleeping wife, Yashoda and take to sanyasa ( the way of the mendicant ). Sacrifice and seeking enlightenment is considered an important part of life. We have shunned materialism. The outward journey of trying to understand matter is immaterial for us. It is the inner journey of trying to control the mind, to discipline the instinct and to liberate the soul which is essential. For Prince Siddharth the journey has just begun. Both these panels are interesting as they depict the life-style of 1st Century AD. Notice the horse-shoe shaped arches, the ones we find in Ajanta and Ellora. Notice the female guard on the left side. According to Kautilya, a King should have female guards as the are more loyal, more brave, more strong than men !

Two Ladies in Conversation

Two Ladies in Conversation

 Gandhar  School, 1st Century  CE

           In the ancient world the fine arts were dedicated  to religion. Thus, the awe inspiring  temples of Egypt,  Greece, India and China. But the Greek artist during  the period of Alexander  the Great started looking at the life around them. They started  depicting  the ordinary  people.
            Here is an instance of two urbane women talking to each other. The flowing robes  cover voluptuous bodies. The women  are so lost in their conversation  that they have forgotten  their own beauty.  They are oblivious  of the world around  them. The conversation  could be from mundane  to sacred.
          Slowly the Gandhar artist will begin to notice the beauty of Indian culture  and of its people.  Already the transition  has started. The voluptuousness of these ladies is more Indian than Greek. Gandhar  will produce the most beautiful  Buddha figures, will capture the humane quality of the Jataka stories, of the life of Buddha. It will give impetus to the Mathura  School and the ancient  Indian art will blossom under the Kushan dynasty.

Portrait of a Child

Portrait  of  a  Child

Gandhar  School, 1st  Century  BCE

            This is a portrait of a small child looking  at the world below. It is most likely  a funerary  figure,  a sculpture  which marks the grave of a small child. This beautiful  looking child must have died  early in life. He is a picture  of innocence.  Having  gathered a bed sheet about him, he looks out at the world from above, from heaven. Or is it a portrait  of an infantile Greek civilization  taking ginger steps in a new part  of  the  world, India?

Portrait of a Philosopher

Portrait of a Philosopher 

1st Century  BCE.

                Alexander the  Great invaded India  in 326 BCE. With him came the Greek  or the Hellinic culture.  The Greeks settled mainly in Afghanistan, and Pakistan. But their kingdoms existed well into India till Madhya Pradesh. They have left a treasure  trove of art and science  in India. Gandhar  School of Art to Yunani Medicine.  The Yavan period and the Kushan period of our history is a period of exchange of ideas, of growth,  of assimilation. 
           This is a typical face of a Greek philosopher: mid-aged, bearded, looking at the world, studying the world. Unlike an Indian Sadhu or a God, the Greek philosopher does not look inward, but outward. His is the empherical mind which seeks data, analysis and conclusion. He imbibes the scientific  temper.
            The Greek  artist believes in realism; in depicting  the figure, the way he/ she is. The emphasis is on the muscles  of the body, the liveliness  of the figure, the here and now. The present is the moment  to be lived, to be enjoyed.