Things to see and do Mathura

Mathura was home to a famous school of sculpture between the 1st and 6th centuries. The city was one of the capitals of the Kushana empire under which the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara (the ancient kingdom of Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan) was developed. The Mathura school is characterized by the use of red sandstone, the fineness and grace of the faces and bodies. You will especially notice the statues of Buddha, including one dating from the first century. Hindu statuary took over the techniques of Greco-Buddhist art. You will also notice statues from the Hindu Middle Ages.