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Greco-Buddhist Gandhara

era

Alexander crossed the Indus in 326 BCE, and the centuries that followed produced Gandhara: a Greco-Buddhist culture centred on Taxila, Takht-i-Bahi and the Peshawar valley. Mauryan, Indo-Greek, Kushan and Sasanian rule overlapped here, leaving stupas, monasteries and the sculpture style that first gave the Buddha a human face.

Period
326 BCE to 500 CE
Focus
Alexander to the White Huns

Last updated

Quick facts about Greco-Buddhist Gandhara
Period326 BCE to 500 CE[1]
FocusAlexander to the White Huns[1]

Greco-Buddhist Gandhara: overview

Alexander crossed the Indus in 326 BCE, and the centuries that followed produced Gandhara: a Greco-Buddhist culture centred on Taxila, Takht-i-Bahi and the Peshawar valley. Mauryan, Indo-Greek, Kushan and Sasanian rule overlapped here, leaving stupas, monasteries and the sculpture style that first gave the Buddha a human face.

Timeline

  1. -326

    Alexander crosses the Indus

    Macedonian forces campaign through Gandhara and the Punjab.

  2. -268

    Mauryan Buddhism

    Ashoka's edicts spread Buddhism through Taxila and the north-west.

  3. 127

    Kushan high point

    Kanishka rules from Peshawar; Gandharan sculpture flourishes.

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Sources

  1. [1]Taxila — UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Accessed 2026-08-30.
  2. [2]Alexander the Great — Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed 2026-08-30.
  3. [3]Kushan dynasty — Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed 2026-08-30.
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