A Study on the Dynastic Contributions to the Origin and Development of Buddhist Arts: Buddha Age to Gupta Age

Buddhist arts originated based on the life and philosophy of Gautama Buddha. Through the ages, the storehouse of Buddhist arts became enriched in various ways with the patronage of kings of different dynasties and the thoughtful pursuit of artists from different regions. Although Buddha’s life and philosophy are the main subjects of Buddhist arts, various elements of contemporary Indian society, such as culture, education, art, historical traditions and many more can be found in it. For this reason, various artifacts of Buddhist arts are considered as invaluable sources for the history of ancient India. Ancient India was ruled by various dynasties from the Buddha’s period to the Gupta era. This article sheds light on how each dynasty contributed to the initiation and development of Buddhist arts. In particular, the contributions of the Haryanka, Maurya, Sunga, Indo-Greek, Kushan, Satavahana, Gupta and other dynasties are specially reviewed.