Gandhara art inspires legends

"Gandhara art brings two major changes. On one hand, the art form exerted an influence on the neighboring regions where people followed Buddhism, including China. On the other hand, it created the first images of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas."

Before the birth of this art, there were no images of the Buddha. Rather, people worshipped things related to him, like his footprints and turban. The exhibition shows Buddha footprint carvings and stonework depicting deities worshipping his turban.

"We cannot see Buddha in the carvings, but we can feel his presence," says Luo, the curator.

A highlight of the statues on display is a standing Buddha nearly 1.8 meters high. He is barefoot, wearing a robe. He lifts his left foot slightly, revealing a little of his left knee.

"This shows that he is ready to leave," says Luo. "The Buddha's curly hair, his face and clothes are all in typical Greek style, but he has an urna (a spiral or circular dot on the forehead), a symbol of Buddhism, which means the statue is carved in accordance with Indian Buddhist classics. Therefore, it is a combination of Greek and Indian culture. This Buddha figure style later profoundly influenced similar figures in the Yungang Grottoes and Mogao Caves, ancient Buddhist sculptural sites in China."