Essay name: Scythian Elements in early Indian Art
Author:
Swati Ray
Affiliation: University of Calcutta / Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture
This essay studies Scythian Elements in early Indian Art—a topic that has not garnered extensive scholarly attention. Although much research has focused on various aspects of Saka/Scythian culture, such as politics and numismatics, their contribution to Indian art remains underexplored. This essay delves into archaeological evidence, historical texts, and art forms from Eurasian steppes to decipher the Scythian impact.
Preface
1 (of 6)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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PREFACE
India has attracted foreigners throughout the ages of her history.
They came to India, as traders or travellers and as pilgrims or political
leaders. The Sakas/Scythians also entered into Indian soil and played a
significant part not only in the chessboard of her politics, but also made
their mark in the sphere of culture in such a magnitude that across the
inaccessibile barriers of centuries it still retains its firm hold in our
minds. Attempts have been made by scholars to study critically some of
these aspects like administration, numismatics, etc. However, the
subject of the study of the Saka/Scythian elements in early Indian art
does not seem to have attracted sufficient attention. Since I was a post-
graduate student (1987-1989) specializing in "Fine Arts" in the
Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture of the University of
Calcutta, I was interested in this subject, and have been working on it
and a comprehensive study of the subject is humbly attempted in the
present work.
The study and research of the history of Indian art and foreign
influence on it, being a subject of absorbing interest, started receiving
special attention of scholars and art historians from about the beginning
