Buddhist stone sculptures made from sandstone, slate, soapstone from the first centuries AD (2-5) among them from the "Gandhara" school, from the Kushan kingdom, from the Gupta period, (north of the continent) where the influence of Greek and Roman sculpture is evident. These statues and reliefs were part of the sculpture in Buddhist temples and many of them depicted images from the life of the Buddha and his companions. In addition, stone statues were found representing figures from the Hindu world, gods and goddesses that were placed in temples, to which they worshiped and to whom they prayed and brought offerings. The style of sculpture changes from place to place and there was also a noticeable difference in the style of the south, the center and the north.
Bronze statues (made by casting) of gods and goddesses from the Hindu world. Most of the bronze sculptures depict figures of female dancers performing in temples, and Hindu gods. some were produced in small sizes and were used for domestic worship.
Sculptures in stucco work - (a flexible material sin which there are chips of stone or different materials that give it the look and shine of stone but can be sculpted easily). Invented in Alexandria in Egypt, it reached the Roman Empire and from there it was also transferred to northern India there it was used in a more unique and refined style.
Wooden Sculpture - In all the different periods, temples were built from wood, and sculpture and reliefs inside were also made from wood. The subjects were both Buddhist and Hindu. The level of art was very high in the engraving and carving of the most delicate details. Our collection contains large wooden bas-reliefs that were adjacent to the pillars of the temple, the great majority of them were painted. When the temple was renovated (circa every 20 years), it was customary to replace them.
Tengkas (Tengkas) - are Buddhist paintings on fabric. They are rolled on a wooden pole and opened only for a special purpose: a religious ceremony, a festival, meditation, both in temples and in private homes. The subjects of the paintings are the Buddha and Buddhist saints, in fact they are holy vessels in the form of painted cloth for hanging in monasteries, temples, or private house temples. Their origin is in Nepal and from there they spread to Tibet, and also further to China and Japan and other countries in the Far East. The painters who engaged in this required years of careful study. The technique was studied for years and the preparation of the colors, the background and the painting itself, are meticulous and mandatory teachings that must be adhered to.
Miniatures - watercolor paintings on paper with very tiny details. The Indian miniature paintings were influenced from Persian manuscripts that arrived in India around the 16th century with the Mughal rulers' invasion to India. The subjects are varied and many of them describe the daily life, mostly of the Indian nobles and princes. Also themes from the Indian epics from the Hindu tradition.