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Tional Icons Is Quite Diffrtcnt from That in Taxila

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Tional Icons Is Quite Diffrtcnt from That in Taxila CHAPTER EIGHT PHASE III SCULPTURE IN THE PESHAWAR BASIN The Peshawar basin evidence for the distribution and use of devo­ tional icons is quite diffrTcnt from that in Taxila. Because schist was much more widely used for sculpting devotional images in the Peshawar basin, a different body of data is available for study (for counts of sculpture recovered at many of the Peshawar sites, see Appendix D). In any case, it appears that much of the schist imagery from Taxila was imported from the Peshawar basin and to a lesser extent from Swat. Because schist is more durable than stucco, a greater proportion of the total sculptural production in the Peshawar basin survives in the archaeological record. The durability of schist sculpture also meant that it was available for reuse in ancient times, while the more friable stucco sculpture was only rarely recontextu­ alized (see Appendix C). Thus, it is sometimes possible to recon­ struct the assemblage of schist sculpture that stood in the Peshawar basin sacred areas, even though later reuse obscures the original placement. At the sites of Loriyan Tangai, Takht-i-bah1, Sahr1-Bahl6l, 'l 'hareli, and Mckhasanda, 19th and 20th century photographic doc­ umentation allows us to discuss the total recovered schist sculpture. Crucial to our understanding of sculptural use in the sacred areas are the rare instances where images were actually recovered in situ. In the case of Sikri, although only an incomplete record of sculp­ tural finds is documented, there is a plan indicating the in situ loca­ tions of some iconic imagery (fig. 90). Further in situ evidence comes from a handful of other sites, notably Thareli, Mckhasanda, and probably Sahr1-Bahl6l A. At Takht-i-bah1, three sections, the last area excavated, were individually documented, providing an invalu­ able set of evidence (courts XX, XIV, and two-celled shrine T4 in court XXIII) (fig. 2). The loose sculpture recovered at a given site provides hard evi­ dence that can be interpreted in a range of ways. Most immediately it tells us a great deal about late practices of sculptural reuse (see Appendix C). As a point of departure, the loose sculpture was divided into readily recognizable categories. Often specific categories of images 212 CHAPTER EIGHT were recovered grouped together, and it is this kind of evidence that is particularly helpful for determining a relative chronological frame­ work for sculptural production. Broadly, groups executed in schist include: phase II narrative reliefs, embellishing panels, and architectural elements; phase III conven­ tional Buddha and bodhisattva icons (life-size and smaller); Buddha and bodhisattva icons with late iconographic characteristics (typically life-size); over-life-size devotional icons; and images exhibiting Sravasti iconography. Stucco production can also be subdivided: life-size devo­ tional icons of Buddhas and bodhisattvas; monumental icons, and the many loose heads. \Vhen we use these categories, it is interesting to note the rela­ tive proportion of various types of sculpture found at a site, or in the cases of Takht-i-bahf and Thareli, in given parts of the sacred areas. It is also sometimes possible to get a sense of the relative pro­ portion of schist and stucco production, especially in Mekhasanda, Thareli, and Takht-i-bahf court XX. Because the photo documentation and the finds themselves are site specific, this topic is addressed in the following case studies. Although the discussions of the various sites and their recovered sculpture can provide only a broad picture of the Peshawar tradition, this is nonetheless a fundamental point of departure for a better understanding of image use in Greater Gandhara. 8.1 Loriyan Tangai: Loose Sculpture In the 1890s Alexander Caddy took 37 photographs at the site of Loriyan Tangai, documenting a body of sculpture that is now housed in the Indian Museum, Calcutta. 1 This site was built at the very northern edge of the Peshawar basin along the Mora pass into Swat (fig. 3). 2 Three photographs document architectural features of this site (one is fig. 84 here), but the actual site of Loriyan Tangai is no longer extant. On the basis of these architectural photos, it is pos­ sible to suggest that the main stupa dates to phase III. Characteristic is the stupa's large, low, stepped basement that supports a recessed 1 ASl'.\I I 032-69. 2 For the location of most of the sites excavated in the 19th century, see Errington, "The \Vestern Discovery of the Art of Gandhara," map I. .
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