Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c14.19

c14.19

As we move westwards on the Grand Route of Uttarapatha we come to the next cluster of site in the Bamiyan Valley and Fondukistan. The colossal rock-cut Buddha statues, one of 35 meters and the other of 53 meters are cut in the rock with many grottoes in the background and vicinity, with numerous fresco-paintings showing strong Ajanta influences. The paintings also exhibit Central Asian and Sassanian influences. It has been suggested that originally the first art influences that Bamiyan got were Indian which were gradually superimposed by motifs, costumes and styles from Iran and Central Asia. Mani is said to have received his education of painting in Bamiyan.