When Alexander the Great arrived in Pakistan and India two very different civilizations confronted and were influenced by each other.

India is a country in South Asia whose name comes from the Indus River. The name 'Bharata' is used as a designation for the country in their constitution referencing the ancient mythological emperor...

Detailed archaeological excavations were started at sites in northern Pakistan and Afghanistan in the late-19th century. Through these excavations, eminent archaeologists such as Aurel Stein, Alexander Cunningham, John Marshall, J. Barthoux and Professor A.H. Dani recovered hundreds of thousands of beautiful stone sculptures belonging to the Gandhara Civilization. In the last century or so, much has been written about the artistic quality of these beautiful stone sculptures. But hardly anything has been written about the Civilization itself that gave birth to these extraordinary pieces of art. In this book an effort has been made to present Gandhara in its wider perspective, highlighting the different features of a unique civilization in which many different races contributed and many cultures merged to bring about a major sociological change and establish a distinct cultural identity in this region of the South Asian sub-continent. This book is based on the author's analysis of the reports of renowned archaeologists who carried out excavations at various sites, information gathered during the past decade through extended visits to numerous archaeological sites associated with the lost Gandhara Civilization including those in the Taxila, Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan and Swat regions in Pakistan, and study of the large number of artifacts from these sites which are on display in museums. His research reveals a great deal of continuity in the field of socio-cultural development of the region, which is referred to in this book as Greater Gandhara, from the time it became a part of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BCE till the end of Kidara Kushan’s rule in the 5th century CE. Further, it reveals that after the Achaemenids had established the physical and administrative infrastructure in Greater Gandhara, the continuity in socio-cultural development in the region was maintained mainly by the growing Buddhist population. This book illustrates the spirit of independence and features in the character of the ancient people of the Gandhara region which facilitated the sustained progress towards the emergence of the Gandhara Civilization. Following the invasion of Alexander the Great, his successors had no difficulty in colonizing Bactria (Northern Afghanistan) and Sogdia (Uzbekistan), but they could not do the same in Gandhara. Similarly the Scythians, Parthians and the Kushans ruled over the Central Asian region as colonizers, but not so in Gandhara. Here they ruled not over the people, but with the people. Their administration was highly de-centralized, with the locals playing a major role in the regional administration and having a major say in the social and cultural affairs of the entire population. Finally, the book highlights the interactive environment which prevailed in Gandhara throughout the transient and mature phases of the Gandhara Civilization: Alexander’s companions hobnobbing with the naked fakirs of Taxila; Menander, the great Indus-Greek ruler, finding time to engage in prolonged question-and-answer sessions with Buddhist scholars at the monastery near Sagala (Sialkot); and the greatest of the Kushan conquerors, Kanishka, finding pleasure in the company of local intellectuals and artists such as Asvaghosha and Vasumitra, and presiding over the official launch of Mahayana Buddhism.

When Alexander the Great arrived in Pakistan and India two very different civilizations confronted and were influenced by each other.

Buddha of Bamiyan Afghanistan 1992 before destruction, Steve Mc Curry Built in 554 AD in the blended classic Gandhara art. Destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.

The Gandhara Civilization existed in what is now Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan from the middle of the 1st millennium BCE to the beginning of the 2nd millennium CE. Although multiple major powers...

A lovely collection of portraits!

Argumentative Indian, a book written by Amartya Sen, is about Indian history and contemporary issues country is facing. Read the full review of the book.

Are you a kitabi keeda?

Best Indian novels to read in 2021. Famous Indian books to read if you love reading about life of people in India, culture. Popular Indian books are worth adding in your reading list.

According to written sources from ancient China, the chariot is reported to have been first used during the Xia dynasty. A Xia minister by the name of Xi Chong is credited with its invention, and the chariot is also said to have been deployed during the Battle of Gan in the 21st century BC.

A LIFE-SIZED TERRACOTTA HEAD OF VAJRAPANI IN THE FORM OF HERACLES, GANDHARA Ancient region of Gandhara, 4th-5th century. Powerfully modeled with a stern facial expression, framed by dense facial hair arranged into long voluminous curls, with a billowing moustache and beard, and wavy hair tied into a bun on the side. The furrowed brow, indications of age, and piercing gaze reflect a taste for naturalism. Provenance: Arthur Huc (1854-1932). Marcel Huc, inherited from the above. Thence by descent within the same family. In 1954, L. Magniette, bailiff of the court in Toulouse (Huissier), was ordered to compile a complete inventory of the collection inherited by Marcel Huc from his father, Arthur Huc, the so-called “Inventaire Huc”. The present lot is listed in this inventory as follows: “Serie de vingt deux têtes en terre-cuite. GANDHARA” (series of twenty-two terracotta heads. GANDHARA). A copy of the inventory list and cover page are accompanying this lot. Arthur Huc was the chief editor of La Dépêche du Midi, at the time the leading newspaper in Toulouse, France. He was also an accomplished art critic and early patron of several artists, including Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec. At the same time, Arthur Huc was a keen collector of Asian art, a passion that he inherited from his legendary ancestor Évariste Régis Huc, also known as the Abbé Huc (1813-1860), a French Catholic priest and traveler who became famous for his accounts of Qing-era China, Mongolia and especially the then-almost-unknown Tibet in his book “Remembrances of a Journey in Tartary, Tibet, and China”. Condition: Excellent, almost unique condition, fully consistent with the age of the sculpture, some firing flaws and insignificant material loss to some exposed areas, hardly noticeable due to a light-colored varnish coating which was applied long time ago. Scientific Analysis Report: A Thermoluminescence sample analysis has been conducted by Oxford Authentication, TL test no. N116n9, dated 18 October 2016, and is consistent with the suggested period of manufacture, a copy of the thermoluminescence analysis report accompanies this lot (the original is lost). Weight: 10.4 kg in total Dimensions: Height 34 cm (the head) and 47 cm (incl. base) This large terracotta head is an extremely rare legacy of the ancient kingdom of Gandhara, encapsulating the rich cultural interplay and hybrid art styles derived from Hellenistic and Indian influences. It depicts the bodhisattva Vajrapani, the protector of Buddhism, represented with the iconography of the Greek god Hercules, who was widely venerated as a hero and savior in western Asia during the early centuries of the present era. As a great champion, yet one who nevertheless understood the human condition, Hercules was easily assimilated into Mahayana Buddhism. Like other Gandharan bodhisattvas, he is depicted as an earthly prince with his aristocratic bearing and posture. However, his heavily moustached face belongs to the Indian world, while the naturalistic face is reminiscent of Greco-Roman sculpture. The kingdom of Gandhara lasted from 530 BC to 1021 AD, when its last king was murdered by his own troops. It stretched across parts of present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Gandhara is noted for its distinctive style in Buddhist art, which developed out of a merger of Greek, Syrian, Persian and Indian artistic influence. Gandharan style flourished and achieved its peak during the Kushan period, from the 1st to the 5th century. In the first century AD, Gandhara was the birthplace of some of the earliest Buddhist images. The use of hard-fired ceramic instead of stone such as schist was popular during the later Gandharan period from the 4th to the 6th centuries C.E. Fired clay was expensive in the area, because the wood needed for the firing process was scarce. Therefore, such an expensive sculpture would have been a highly meritorious Buddhist offering. Only very few terracotta statues from this period and size have ever been recorded. Literature Comparison: Compare with a terracotta head of Dionysos (The God of Wine and Divine Intoxication), 4th–5th century, strongly resembling the present lot, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (accession no. 1979.507.2). Mounted on an associated base. (2) Auction result comparison: Compare with a closely related terracotta statue of Vajrapani in the form of Hercules at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in Curiosity V, 02 April 2019, lot 3105, bought in at an estimate of HKD $1.5 million to HKD $1.8 million 赤陶金剛手菩薩頭像，以海克力斯形象出現，健陀羅 健陀羅，四至五世紀，嚴厲的表情，濃密的波浪長髮捲曲在頭上結成髻，鬍鬚濃密。皺著眉頭，嚴厲的目光，顯示出自然主義的品味。 來源：此像源自法國阿瑟∙胡克（1854-1932）收藏。馬爾塞∙胡克繼承，家族保存。1954年1954年，圖盧茲法院的法警L. Magniette受命對馬爾塞∙胡克從其父親阿瑟∙胡克（即所謂的“ Inventaire Huc”）繼承的藏品進行完整的清點。藏品清單中可見現有拍品。隨附清單拷貝。阿瑟∙胡克先生曾是圖盧斯市《快訊》極受歡迎的時政記者，直至1932年去世，他還是一個著名的藝術評論家。同時，他也開始收藏亞洲藝術。其收藏可追溯到額法李斯特∙雷吉斯∙胡克，又名阿貝∙胡克（1813-1860，中文名古伯察Évariste Regis Huc），一個法國傳教士，他在蒙古、西藏及中國的游記《鞑靼西藏旅行记》使他成名。 品相：極佳的獨一無二的品相，符合雕像的年代，一些燒製缺陷和一些裸露區域的材料缺損，這是由於很久以前使用的淺色清漆塗層，但不明顯。 隨附牛津熱釋光測試檢測證書拷貝 重量：縂10.4公斤 尺寸：頭像高 34厘米，含底座47厘米 文獻比較：一件赤陶狄俄倪索斯頭像，四至五世紀，與此拍品非常相似，可見紐約Metropolitan Museum of Art (編號 1979.507.2). [HardstonesandJades] [CeramicandPorcelain] [BuddhismandHinduism]

This article describes the characters of Sita from Ramayana and Draupadi from Mahabarata - the two most important female characters in Hindu mythology, that shape the Indian woman of all times. Through various tales it tells us about the strengths of the two women. It also describes the similarities and dissimilarities of Sita and Draupadi.