Gandhara was an ancient region, once located in an area between modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan, to which a wide range of Buddhist stone sculptures with strong Hellenistic and Roman aesthetic features are attributed. Gandharan reliefs and statuettes of Buddhist immortals are famous for their harmonious combination of the local religious spiritual concepts and the idealised naturalistic styles of classical sculptures of Greek and Roman art. Gandharan art of this period, circa 2nd-4th AD, is almost exclusively Buddhist, and features depiction in high relief of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, usually attached to the walls of religious and domestic shrines. Within Buddhism, the term bodhisattva generally refers to as an enlightened being who is going to become Buddha. Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara appears in Gandharan art portrayed similarly to Bodhisattva Maitreya, and he is usually identified through the lotus flower he holds.
To discover more about Gandharan Buddahs, please visit our relevant blog post: Understanding Gandharan Buddha Poses and Postures.