The art of ancient Gandhara was little known in the West until the Taliban destroyed the gigantic statues of the Buddha at Bamiyan in 2001. But it was in the Gandhara region of Pakistan (present day Bamiyan in Afghanistan, Bactria, the Hindu Kush, and the Punjab of northwest India) that the first flowering of Buddhist figural art occurred from the 1st century BCE through the 5th century CE.
In 327 B.C, King Alexander the Great conquered Gandhara area and some of his troops settled in the area and established a number of remote small Greek city states, referred as Indo-Greek kingdoms, bringing the Greco art to Asia. Statues of Olympian Gods like Zeus, Apollo, Heracles, Dionysus were commonly founded from this era in Gandhara.
The Gandhara school drew upon the anthropomorphic traditions of Roman religion and represented the Buddha with a youthful Apollo-like face, dressed in garments resembling those seen on Roman imperial statues.
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In 327 B.C, King Alexander the Great conquered Gandhara area and some of his troops settled in the area and established a number of remote small Greek city states, referred as Indo-Greek kingdoms, bringing the Greco art to Asia. Statues of Olympian Gods like Zeus, Apollo, Heracles, Dionysus were commonly founded from this era in Gandhara.
The Gandhara school drew upon the anthropomorphic traditions of Roman religion and represented the Buddha with a youthful Apollo-like face, dressed in garments resembling those seen on Roman imperial statues.
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Hercules and Buddha Walk into a Bar
How Hercules Became a Buddhist Deity
Hercules is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmene. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
This video shows his transformation into a Buddhist Deity.
How Hercules Became a Buddhist Deity
Hercules is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmene. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
This video shows his transformation into a Buddhist Deity.
Forwarded from Global Resistance News (إلياس حيدر)
— BREAKING: Flag of the Northern Alliance has been raised in Panjshir, Afghanistan
The movement is officially alive for the first time since 2001, now led by Ahmad Massoud, son of its legendary ex-leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud.
🔴 @Cultures_of_Resistance
The movement is officially alive for the first time since 2001, now led by Ahmad Massoud, son of its legendary ex-leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud.
🔴 @Cultures_of_Resistance
GREEK SCULPTURE ~ THE MOTHER OF BUDDHIST ART
It is now commonly agreed that the figure of Buddha was modelled after the prototype of Apollo.
So, especially the bump of intelligence on the top of Buddha’s head, has been changed into a top knot of his hair, which happened to be fashionable in those days in Athens and is quite obvious in the Apollo Belvedere.
A specially remarkable evidence of the Greek character of Buddhist art is a statue found among the Buddhist Gandhara sculptures
at Peshawar, now in the museum at Calcutta. That the
statue is Greek in origin and type is clearly evident by the name Yavanis, which the Hindus have popularly given to all statues of this type.
Yavani is the Indian pronunciation of the name Ionian by which all people of Hellenic origin are denoted.
Article
It is now commonly agreed that the figure of Buddha was modelled after the prototype of Apollo.
So, especially the bump of intelligence on the top of Buddha’s head, has been changed into a top knot of his hair, which happened to be fashionable in those days in Athens and is quite obvious in the Apollo Belvedere.
A specially remarkable evidence of the Greek character of Buddhist art is a statue found among the Buddhist Gandhara sculptures
at Peshawar, now in the museum at Calcutta. That the
statue is Greek in origin and type is clearly evident by the name Yavanis, which the Hindus have popularly given to all statues of this type.
Yavani is the Indian pronunciation of the name Ionian by which all people of Hellenic origin are denoted.
Article