A red sandstone head of Buddha

Due to its location on the caravan trade routes through central India, Mathura was for centuries an important economic center. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Mathura became a capital for the mighty Kushan Empire. During this time, both in Mathura and the region of Gandhara simultaneously, images of Buddha began to appear in anthropomorphic form for the first time. In contrast to Gandhara, where Graeco-Roman concerns for naturalism were stressed, the body types of the Mathura Buddhas convey an idealized Indian vitality.