Buddha Stone Images in Sub-Regional Office Peshawar: Classification and Stylistic Analysis

Abstract

This study of Buddha images housed in Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa identified as Collection of Sub-Regional Office (S.R.O) Peshawar presents the significant features of the classical Buddhist art of Gandhāra. The features are elaborated by depictions of postures, stylistic elaborations in the representation of garments and their detailed iconographical importance. These features signify the cultural diversity in local traditions practiced among the Buddhist believers of Gandhāra region developed during first century CE to fifth century CE. Beside this, these images also portray the high quality of art, socio-economic stability, and devotion towards the cults connected to Buddhism. In this work of art the foreign influence over local Buddhist tradition is dominantly observable; this played a vital role in the development of different stylistic elements. This inquiry was aimed at to resolve the issue of provenance of such sculptures collected from different sources through comparative analysis, material evidences and stylistic features. The Buddha images stored since early 20th century has been attended first time for scientific documentation and research study. The features of most of the Buddha images were found as unsurpassed in any other plastic art form. This research provided substantial results to understand more about the historical significance of this area from a selected sample of data available at Sub Regional Office (S.R.O) Peshawar. The scope of this study only covers the study of sculptural representations of Buddha in schist medium from Gandhāra. While holistic approach was adopted for the study and anslysis of the sculptures, the comparison of these images was made on the basis of important and striking features of Buddha sculptures with those found from other sites and having striking resemblance in certain particular aspects. The study as well as comparison was enlarged for valid reason to gain more authenticity for the findings and acceptance for the outcome of this study. It was on the basis of the multipronged approach, diverse study and analysis in addition to the researches carried out by the earlier scholars on Gandhāra art that final conclusion was derived.