India Sculpture & SouthEast Asia

While the oldest sculptures that have been found come from China, the sculptures of India and Southeast Asia run a close second in terms of the age and importance. The sculptures that have been found were made by the people of the Indus Valley.

The Indus Valley had a rich civilization from about 3300 BCE to about 1700 BCE. Many sculptures have been found at Harappa in Pakistan. Harappa was a large commercial center for the Indus Valley people and many ancient sculptures from the Indus Valley civilization have been found there over the years by archeologists and researchers.

These early sculptures usually depicted religious scenes, primarily from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. From about 100 BCE forward the sculptures produced in this region became a lot more streamlined and detailed, and they also begin to depict the life and teachings of Buddha.