Mathura
Mathura Art & Culture
The
artists of Mathura and Gandha were pioneers who carved out images of the Buddha.
Images of Jain Tirthankars and Hindu deities were also made in Mathura. Generally,
all these intial images were huge in size. Their excellent specimens are still
preserved in the museums at Lucknow, Varanasi, Allahabad and Mathura. Colossal
images, in seated or standing postures, of Kushan emperors Vim Kadphises and
Kanishk and Saka ruler Chashtan have also been found at Math in Mathura district.
They are stated to have been installed in dev-kul (probably a place for worship
of ancestors).There is not doubt that Mathura was the center of manufacturing
of stone images (sculpture) during the Kushan Period. These images had a great
demand in other parts of the country. Scenes depicted on Stone pillars found
in Bhuteshwar and other places in Mathura district present glimpses of contemporary
life including dresses, ornaments, means of entertainment, arms, household furniture,
etc.Stone carvings of intoxicated groups of people that have been found, speak about foreign (Hellenistic) influence on this school of art. Considerable construction activities have come to notice in Sarnath also in Kushan Period, ruins of several monasteries, temples and Stupas of that period lie catered there even today.
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