Period 8 · c. 2600 BCE-1200 CE

Indian Art

From the planned cities of the Indus Valley to the first Buddhist images, the art of the Indian subcontinent shaped much of Asia. Start here for Mohenjo-daro, the symbols of Buddhist art and the routes that carried them east to Japan.

Brick ruins of Mohenjo-daro with the Great Bath in the foreground and the stupa mound behind. — Mohenjo-daro, brick ruins of the lower town with the Great Bath in the foreground and the stupa mound behind, Harappan period, c. 2600-1900 BCE. Fired brick. Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan. Look at how regular the brick walls are: this is what a planned city looked like 4,500 years ago.Photo: Saqib Qayyum, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Indian Art

Buddhist Art: A Beginner’s Guide to Symbols and Styles

Buddhist art changed wherever it arrived, though the Buddha’s signs stayed fixed. How much was borrowed, and how much invented?Start here8 min read

Indian Art

How Did Buddhist Art Travel From India to Japan?

Buddhist art travelled the Silk Road to China, then through Korea to Japan by the sixth century CE, changing as it went.7 min read

All Indian Art guides

Buddhism

Buddhist Art: A Beginner’s Guide to Symbols and Styles

Buddhist art changed wherever it arrived, though the Buddha’s signs stayed fixed. How much was borrowed, and how much invented?8 min read

Buddhism

How Did Buddhist Art Travel From India to Japan?

Buddhist art travelled the Silk Road to China, then through Korea to Japan by the sixth century CE, changing as it went.7 min read