RAS question
The Gandhara school of art was influenced by which foreign art tradition?
Correct answer: (D) Greco-Roman.
The Gandhara school of art was influenced by the Greco-Roman art tradition.
Explanation
Gandhara art developed in the region of present-day northwestern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, and Britannica describes the style as being of Greco-Roman origin. That is why option D is the answer. The school emerged in a zone shaped by earlier Greek contact after Alexander's conquests and later contacts between the Kushan rulers and Rome. In Buddhist art, Gandhara did not merely borrow a label: it absorbed Classical Roman motifs and techniques while keeping the basic iconography Indian. This influence is visible in the human image of the Buddha, shown with a youthful Apollo-like face and garments resembling those on Roman imperial statues. The question therefore tests the foreign artistic influence behind Gandhara, not the religious theme of the art.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Persian influence is associated more with Mauryan art, whereas Britannica identifies Gandhara's foreign artistic source as Greco-Roman.
- (B) Egyptian art is not presented as a significant influence on Gandhara or on Indian art in this context.
- (C) Chinese influence is not the source of Gandhara's style; such influence is placed much later, while Gandhara is linked here to Greco-Roman forms.
Concept
This tests ancient Indian art and cultural contact, especially how Buddhist visual traditions changed through interaction with foreign styles. It recurs in RAS because Gandhara, Mathura, Mauryan art and Kushan-period cultural exchange are standard comparative themes in ancient-history MCQs.