A Glimpse of Gandhara Buddhist Heritage

ASIAN TRIBUNE
By Janaka Perera


SRI LANKA - The exhibition in Sri Lanka of Sacred Relics of the Buddha and other Buddhist artifacts from Pakistan during this Poson season (June) should widen the horizon of ordinary Buddhists here on the great Gandhara Buddhist civilization. Although many of them are aware of the Buddhist heritage of other Asian Buddhist countries, not many Sri Lankans – even of they have heard of the name Gandhara – know where exactly it is and that it was seat of Buddhist civilization in the Indian subcontinent. To Sri Lankan Buddhists these artifacts are of religious value while to Pakistanis they are of archaeological importance, since they are part of that country’s pre-Islamic heritage. The ancient Gandhara kingdom which stretched across parts of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan was a vital commercial center for West Asians at the time. It was here that a sculptural representation of the Buddha first emerged during the rule of Bactrian-Greek kings who finally embraced Buddhism which had spread far and wide during the reign of Emperor Dharmasoka. The statues – inspired by Greco-Roman art – became an inspiration for Buddhist art in Sri Lanka and other Asian Buddhist countries. [link]