Province in Pakistan from which came stone carvings combining Indian and Mediterranean influences. Early examples date from the 2nd and 3rd centuries and depict Buddha in Graeco-Rornan costume. Later examples, usually heads, are made of stucco or terracotta. The sculpture was much collected in Victorian times. Most common items seen today are reliefs, Buddha figures and miniature stupas (shrines).

A northern kingdom

Gandhara was a central region of Kushan influence. It lies in northern India, south of the Hindu Kush, at the convergence of the rivers that form the Indus. The area is part of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan. Gandhara was the site of several Greek kingdoms before falling under Parthian and the Kushan domination, in the first century BC. The region was also a center for new artistic trends in the Kushan period. This new artwork produced the first images of the Buddha along with Mathura.