RAS question
Gandhara art, which flourished under the Kushans, is characterized by:
Correct answer: (B) Greco-Roman influence on Buddhist sculpture.
Gandhara art under the Kushans is characterised by Greco-Roman influence on Buddhist sculpture, especially the human image of the Buddha with Greek-style drapery, wavy hair and realistic bodily modelling.
Explanation
Gandhara art is linked with the Kushana kingdom of Gandhara, whose main centre was the Peshawar valley, in the Peshawar-Taxila region. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Training Package on Art Education explains that Greek influence led to the development of the Buddha in anthropomorphic, or human, form instead of symbolic representation. It also compares a Gandhara Buddha with a Roman copy of a Greek sculpture and notes the Greek-style toga-like drapery and emphasis on the human body. That is why option B is the best answer: the defining feature is not a new Buddhist subject alone, but Buddhist sculpture shaped by Greco-Roman stylistic conventions such as drapery, wavy hair and realistic musculature.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Egyptian influence is not the identified feature; the support is specifically Greek and Roman comparison around Gandhara Buddha images.
- (C) Gandhara art cannot be reduced to only terracotta figures because the question and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Training Package on Art Education discuss Buddhist sculpture, including a Gandhara Buddha image in human form.
- (D) Abstract geometric patterns do not fit the described Gandhara style, which is centred on anthropomorphic Buddha images with drapery and bodily realism.
Concept
This tests ancient Indian art and cultural syncretism under the Kushans: how Gandhara turned Buddhist themes into a recognisable sculptural style. It recurs in RAS because art-history questions often ask candidates to identify schools through region, dynasty and visual features.