Arrange the following sites in chronological order based on the stylistic development of Buddhist sculpture:

Question

Arrange the following sites in chronological order based on the stylistic development of Buddhist sculpture:

a) Mathura

b) Bharhut

c) Sanchi Stupa-1

1. A. b-c-a (Correct answer)
2. B. c-a-b
3. C. c-b-a
4. D. a-c-b

Correct Answer

Option A — b-c-a

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is b-c-a.

Key Points

• The stylistic sequence of early Buddhist sculpture runs:
  • Bharhut (2nd century BCE) — the earliest, with flat, low-relief carving and figures arranged in a shallow plane
  • Sanchi Stupa-1 (1st century BCE) — more rounded, naturalistic figures on its celebrated carved gateways
  • Mathura (1st-2nd century CE) — the mature phase, producing some of the earliest anthropomorphic images of the Buddha
• The order is therefore b - c - a.

Additional Information

• At Bharhut and Sanchi the Buddha is shown only through symbols — the empty throne, footprints, the wheel, the Bodhi tree, the stupa — since the aniconic convention still prevailed.
• The Mathura school used local red sandstone and developed indigenously, while the contemporaneous Gandhara school used grey schist and showed strong Greco-Roman influence.
• Sanchi, in Madhya Pradesh, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; its Great Stupa was begun under Ashoka, with the ornate toranas added later under the Satavahanas.

प्रश्न (हिन्दी में)

बौद्ध मूर्तिकला के शैलीगत विकास के आधार पर निम्नलिखित स्थलों को कालानुक्रमिक क्रम में व्यवस्थित करें:

a) मथुरा

b) भरहुत

c) सांची स्तूप-1

1. A. b-c-a
2. B. c-a-b
3. C. c-b-a
4. D. a-c-b