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Gandhāra
Gandhāra. A Buddhist kingdom situated between the lower Kabul Valley in present-day Afghanistan and the Indus river in Pakistan, which particularly flourished first under the rule of the Bactrian Greeks from the 2nd century bce and later under the Kuṣāṇas, a Scythian tribe from central Asia. Gandhāra forms the background to the famous Pāli work Milinda's Questions (Milindapañha), and the so-called ‘Fourth Council’ was convened here in the 1st–2nd century ce during the reign of Kaniṣka I or II (see Council of Kaniṣka). This council was dominated by the Sarvāstivādin school and resulted in the compilation of the major Abhidharma treatise, the Mahāvibhāṣā. Gandhāra is also noted as a centre of Buddhist art, especially sculpture, intially strongly influenced by Hellenic styles. Some of the earliest representations of the Buddha were produced in the region. Gandhāra ceased to exist as an independent kingdom by the 7th century ce and a Buddhist presence in the area continued on a small scale thereafter.
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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Gandhāra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "Gandhāra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Gandhra.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "Gandhāra." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Gandhra.html |
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Gandhara
Gandhara , historic region of India, now in NW Pakistan. Situated astride the middle Indus River, the region had Taxila and Peshawar as its chief cities. It was originally a province of the Persian Empire and was reached (327 BC) by Alexander the Great. The region passed to Chandragupta, founder of the Maurya empire, in the late 4th cent. BC, and under Asoka was converted (mid-3d cent.) to Buddhism. It was part of Bactria from the late 3d cent. to the 1st cent. BC Under the Kushan dynasty (1st cent.-3d cent. AD), and especially under Kanishka , Gandhara developed a noted school of sculpture, consisting mainly of images of Buddha and reliefs representing scenes from Buddhist texts, but with marked Greco-Roman elements of style. The art form flourished in Gandhara until the 5th cent., when the region was conquered by the Huns. |
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"Gandhara." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Gandhara." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Gandhara.html "Gandhara." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Gandhara.html |
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Gandhāra
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Gandhāra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Gandhāra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Gandhra.html JOHN BOWKER. "Gandhāra." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Gandhra.html |
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