Buddhist Art of Mathurā

R. C. Sharma’s Buddhist Art of Mathurā (Delhi: Agam Kala Prakashan, 1984) is a substantial study of the development of Buddhist art in Mathurā, one of the most important artistic and religious centres of ancient India. Drawing upon archaeological discoveries, inscriptions, sculptures, literary traditions, and earlier scholarship, Sharma places the Mathurā school within its broader historical, cultural, and religious setting. The book is organized into three major sections. The first establishes the geographical and historical background of Mathurā and examines the growth of Buddhism in the region. The second surveys archaeological evidence, recent discoveries, and the origins and stylistic development of the Mathurā school of sculpture. The third concentrates on Buddhist art itself, including the emergence of the Buddha image, the chronology and iconography of Buddhist images, and comparisons between Mathurā and other artistic centres, especially Gandhāra, Sārnāth, Amarāvatī, and related schools. Of particular importance is the author’s discussion of Mathurā’s contribution to the formation and development of the anthropomorphic Buddha image, as well as the distinctive iconographic and stylistic features of Mathurā Buddhist sculpture. The work is supported by photographic plates and detailed descriptions of sculptures, making it a valuable reference for the study of Buddhist archaeology, iconography, Indian art history, and the cultural history of early Buddhism. The foreword specifically emphasizes the importance of Mathurā in the history of Indian culture and religion and describes the volume as a significant contribution to the study of Mathurā and Buddhist iconography.