Credit: Anica Mann, Aechaeologist
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Takṣaśilā/Taxila illustrates the different stages in the development of a city on the Indus that was alternately influenced by Persia, Greece and Central Asia and which, from the 5th century B.C. to the 2nd century A.D., it was an important Buddhist centre of learning. Indian truly international city since 4th Century BCE.
The ruins of the four settlement sites reveal the pattern of urban evolution on the Indian subcontinent through more than five centuries. One of these sites, the Bihr mound, is associated with the historic event of the triumphant entry of Alexander the Great into Taxila.
This jewellery was excavated at the Bhir Mound and the Sirkap Mound. The gold delicately moulded with stones like turquoise and other gems. When we look at the Gandharan sculptures and appreciate their form, it’s also been the jewels that spoke to the grandeur of the time.
This exhibition is a rare opportunity to look at the actual jewellery from that period. To see what the fuss was all about. What I was surprised to see, were the designs that are still in use. The beaten gold, the gold bead layering all speak to the classical even in the contemporary period. Delicately universal.
Exhibition – Hiranmaya National Museum New Delhi
