Gandhara Buddha Statue Exhibition at Dabaoen Temple.

Newly launched permanent exhibition There are not many exhibits and many are incomplete, but you can still catch a glimpse of the most representative Buddha and Bodhisattva statues in the Gandhara style. If you come to the Dabaoen Temple scenic area, you can come to the Hanwen Dazangjing Exhibition Hall to see this Buddha art exhibition. Gandhara, giving the Buddha its initial appearance. The main contribution of Gandhara art lies in the creation of Buddha statues. After the rise of Buddhism in the late 6th century BC (about the Spring and Autumn Period in China), there was no depiction of Buddha statues for hundreds of years. Whenever a Buddha statue was needed, footprints, thrones, bodhi trees, and stupas were used as symbols. After the first century, with the popularity of Mahayana Buddhism, the worship of Buddha statues by believers gradually became popular, and the creation of Buddha statues was created. The monks and artists in the Gandhara and Mathura regions have created a wonderful system of Buddha statues for the convenience of temple monks and home believers. In the Gandhara region, the production of Buddha statues has absorbed more Greek-style statues and reliefs. The end of the 1st century AD to the middle of the 2nd century was the mature period of Gandhara Buddha statue production. At this time, it successfully integrated the styles of India, Greece, Persia, Rome, and the Central Asian grassland region into a unique Gandhara style. Its characteristic is that the face of the Buddha statue is oval, the eyebrows are dignified, the nose is high and long, the hair is wavy and has a bun, the body is covered with a Greek-style gown, the pleats are mostly hanging from the left shoulder, revealing the right shoulder, and the Buddha and Bodhisattva statues sometimes have beards. In the 3rd century BC, during the reign of King Ashoka of the Peacock Dynasty (about the Warring States to Qin in China) and the second half of the 1st century AD, during the reign of King Kanishka of the Kushan Dynasty (about the Eastern Han Dynasty in China), Buddhism was spread to Central Asia, China, Japan and South Korea through the Silk Road. With the eastward spread of Gandhara art, the form and body structure of Chinese Buddhist statues are influenced by it, and the influence of Gandhara art can be seen in the statues of Yungang Grottoes.