Architecture
Usually hemispherical in shape, this monument was originally designed to enshrine the holy ashes (relics) of the historical Buddha.
What is a stupa?
This bodhisattva, often shown with a water flash and princely jewelry in Gandharan sculpture, embodied compassion as Buddhism spread along the Silk Road.
"XX carrying XX". Illustrating 4 Sogdians traveling.
What is the camel carrying musicians?
Often portrayed with a serene expression and a single raised hand offering reassurance, this figure represents the historical Buddha after attaining enlightenment.
Who is Shakyamuni?
This was placed over a woman, and it was made of silk, which represented immortality and cosmic order in the Han Dynasty.
Devotees interact with a Stupa not by entering it, but by performing this clockwise walking ritual to chant and meditate.
What is circumambulation?
Gandharan statues often blend Indian Buddhist iconography with this empire's Greco-Roman sculptural traditions.
What is the Hellenistic (or Greco-Roman) style?
The artwork on the railings of the Great Stupa, exhibiting Prince Siddartha leaving his palace?
What is the Great Departure?
Often shown touching his cheek or seated in deep contemplation, this "Pensive Bodhisattva" type was especially influential in Korea and traced back to Gandharan prototypes.
Who is Maitreya?
Daoists believed that immortals were sustained by jade, and this was worn in the hopes that it would protect the body.
What is the jade burial suit of Prince Liu Sheng?
This type of rock-cut cave is a "square residence" designed for lodging, often featuring small cells with stone beds for monks.
What is vihara?
Carved into cliffs along a major Silk Road oasis, these colossal statues once stood over 100 feet tall before their destruction in 2001.
What are the Buddhas of Bamiyan?
Also known as "Jug Sogidana"; an object representing how Sogdians loved to drink wine, sing, and dance.
What is the winged camel ewer?
The crown, jewelry, and rich garments seen on bodhisattva statues indicate not worldliness but this Mahāyāna ideal of remaining in the world to help others.
What is compassion (or the bodhisattva vow)?
Figurine made of clay that exaggerates female features and is abstract.
What is the Dogū goddess figurine?
While the Buddha's ashes were originally distributed to 8 places, this famous King further distributed them to build many more stupas.
Who is King Ashoka?
Although not technically "statues," these flying celestial beings appear frequently in Dunhuang's cave murals, symbolizing music, dance, and the spread of Buddhist teachings.
What are apsaras (or feitian in Chinese)?
A painting on a ceiling in the shape of a half-sphere. Motifs of Buddha and Bodhisattva radiating from the ceiling medallion.
What is Cave 123 or Cave with Ring-Bearing Domes?
In many Gandharan sculptures, this rounded mark on the forehead identifies higher wisdom and appears on both Buddhas and bodhisattvas.
What is the urna?
What is a stamp seal with a one-horned animal (Indus Valley)?
Often called "Classical Indian Art," this artistic style is defined by soft lines, sheer robes that reveal the body, and huge halos; a balance between realism and spiritual transcendence.
This massive seated Buddha at the Longmen Grottoes, commissioned by Empress Wu Zetian, reflects both Buddhist devotion and Tang political authority.
What is the Fengxian Temple Vairocana Buddha?
A mural with Gupta style, illustrating Buddha and the Mara's armies of demons?
What is the Mahajanaka Jakata Mural?
The Buddhist narrative tradition, found in Gandharan reliefs and Dunhuang murals, depicts the Buddha's previous lives and uses visual storytelling to teach moral cultivation and karmic consequences along the Silk Road.
What are the Jataka tales?
What is Vairochana Buddha (Todaiji)?