Which style is developed in Mathura ?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2:
The Mathura style of art is indeed named after and was primarily developed in the city of Mathura in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. It emerged as an important center of indigenous Indian sculpture, particularly flourishing during the Kushan and Gupta periods (1st to 6th century CE). The Mathura School is famous for its pioneering efforts in creating the earliest anthropomorphic images of the Buddha, as well as icons for Jain Tirthankaras and Hindu deities like Vishnu and Shiva, establishing foundational iconography for future Indian religious art. This distinct style typically employed local red-spotted sandstone and is characterized by robust, masculine figures with broad shoulders, a smiling face, and the right hand raised in *abhaya mudra* (gesture of reassurance).

The incorrect option is 1:
Gandhar art was a contemporary school of sculpture that flourished under the Kushan Empire, but its main geographical center was in the Gandhara region, corresponding to modern-day Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan. This style is famously known as Greco-Buddhist art because it reflects a strong influence from Hellenistic Greek and Roman artistic traditions. For instance, Gandhara sculptures often depict the Buddha with wavy hair, a muscular physique, and drapery that resembles the toga seen on classical Western statues. Thus, while Gandhara was related to the Mathura school through the shared Kushan patronage, it did not originate *in* Mathura.

The incorrect option is 3:
Amaravati art is another major school of ancient Indian art, but it developed far away from Mathura, in the Krishna River Valley of South India (Andhra Pradesh). It flourished primarily under the Satavahana dynasty from the 2nd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. The Amaravati school is distinct for its use of white marble/limestone, its graceful and dynamic figures, and its focus on intricate, narrative relief panels depicting Jataka tales on stupas, making it geographically and stylistically separate from the Mathura school.

The incorrect option is 4:
Ajanta refers to the famous rock-cut Buddhist cave complex located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. The art found at Ajanta, particularly its world-renowned mural paintings, is significant, but 'Ajanta' itself is the name of the site. It does not denote a *style* that was developed as a major, independent sculptural school in the same way as the Gandhara, Mathura, and Amaravati schools were centered in their respective cities, although the art there is linked to the broader Gupta and Vakataka artistic traditions.