Gandhara art exhibited at Zurich museum

[LahoreEstate]

Monday, September 07, 2009
Islamabad

The treasures from Gandhara have been exhibited at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, Switzerland, where the artefacts of old civilisation will remain on display till January 3.

Mayor of Zurich Corine Mauch, who inaugurated the exhibition titled ‘Buddha’s Paradise: Treasures from Ancient Gandhara’, said the exhibition demonstrates that Gandhara is one of the greatest highlights in the history of Asian art, says a message issued by the Foreign Office.

The mayor also thanked the government of Pakistan and hoped that museums and cultural institutions in Pakistan would continue to maintain and show their cultural treasures to the world.

This is the first major exhibition of Gandhara art in Switzerland, and includes around 300 exceptional artefacts including exquisite stone sculptures, detailed reliefs depicting the life of Buddha, precious coins and elaborate jewellery.

It also portrays the conquests of Alexander the Great, and depicts the cultural as well as political backgrounds of the region, establishing Buddhism and other religious traditions found in the region.

The Gandhara treasures have been loaned from several Pakistani museums including Karachi, Lahore, Taxila, Chakdara and Peshawar. The exhibition is expected to draw many visitors from around Switzerland.

http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=197168