Gandhara school of art was one of the major schools of art in the history of ancient India. It flourished and developed during th…

Question

Gandhara school of art was one of the major schools of art in the history of ancient India. It flourished and developed during the rule of which of the following dynasties in India?

1. A. Kushana dynasty (Correct answer)
2. B. Satavahana dynasty
3. C. Maurya dynasty
4. D. Gupta dynasty

Correct Answer

Option A — Kushana dynasty

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Kushana dynasty.

Key Points

• The Gandhara school of art flourished in the northwestern Indian subcontinent (present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan) during the 1st to 5th centuries CE, primarily under the patronage of the Kushana dynasty, especially Emperor Kanishka I. Gandhara art is famous for blending Hellenistic (Greek) artistic techniques with Buddhist iconography -- particularly in creating the earliest human representations of the Buddha.
• The school was influenced by Roman and Bactrian Greek art following Alexander's conquests.