Question

Gandhara School of Art flourished during the reign of______.
A)Ashoka
B)Kanishka
C)Chandragupta Maurya
D)Samudragupta

Answer 1

Hint: Gandhara, was an ancient region in the Peshawar basin, the centre of the region was Kabul but the cultural influence extended to the Taxila region,in the north-west of the ancient Indian Subcontinent. ( present day Pakistan).

Complete step by step answer: Option A)Ashoka,ruled the Indian subcontinent from 268 to 232 BCE. He was an Indian Emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty. This option is incorrect.
Option B)Gandhara school of art was a major school of art in the history of ancient India, it is uniquely associated with Greek-Roman style of art. Gandhara became a center for expansion of Buddhism, under the reign of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. Gandhara school of art created numerous statues of Buddha and represented him like a Greek god, with a youthful face and wavy hair. It is considered a style of Kushan art as the school of Gandhara art flourished during the reign of the Kushan Dynasty, under the rule of emperor Kanishka from 1st century BCE to the 4th century CE.
The art produced by them was the outcome of the religious zeal of Buddhism and Jainism, it mostly flourished in the areas of Afghanistan. The striking feature of Gandhara art was extensive use of black stone and natural depiction of features.So, option B is correct.
Option C)Chandragupta Maurya,the founder of Mauryan dynasty in India. He later renounced his empire to become a Jain monk. This is an incorrect option.
Option D)Samudragupta, expanded his Gupta empire in Ancient India. He was a firm believer of Vishnu. This option is not correct.

Note: In ancient times in the Gandhara region of Indian subcontinent, a unique style of Buddhist sculpture called Gandhara art developed. This style of art was a blend of both Eastern art and Western art.