Room 12 | India 2500 BC-AD 600 gallery
Explore the early development of Indian art, from the artefacts of the Indus Valley to the Hindu and Buddhist sculpture of north India and Gandhara.
The stone-carvers of Mathura, the southern region of the Kushan empire, became increasingly skilful in representing yakshas and yakshis, male and female nature spirits. Major deities of later Hinduism such as Vishnu and Shiva also began to be shown in sculpture for the first time, initially modelled on the sturdy, warrior-like physique of some yaksha figures. The earliest Mathura images of the Buddha and Jinas (Jain saviour figures) also developed in this way. The typical Mathura stone is a mottled pink sandstone, which would commonly have been covered in fine plaster and painted.
Fragment of a coping stone with horned mythical creature (EA1997.252)
Double-sided fragment with grotesques (EA1997.182)
Head of a grimacing yaksha, or nature spirit (EA1994.95)
Relief plaque depicting the goddess Hariti (EA1971.36)
Head of a yakshi, or nature spirit (EA1999.99)
Fragment of a stele with goddess (EAOS.34)
Fragmentary figure of a crouching yaksha, or nature spirit (EA1996.76)
Freestanding sculpture
Fragmentary hand and forearm from the Buddha (EA1997.186)
Coping stone from a carved railing (EA1983.24)
Notice
Objects may have since been removed or replaced from a gallery. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.
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