Consider the following statements about Gandhara art beyond stone sculptures: 1. A gold reliquary with figures in an arcade was found at Bimaran. 2. Intricately carved ivory plaques were discovered at Begram. Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Correct — C. Statement 1 is true. The Bimaran reliquary is a small gold casket from Stupa 2 at Bimaran, near Jalalabad in Afghanistan. Its figures, the Buddha flanked by Brahma and Indra, stand in arched niches: the arcade of the statement.

Statement 2 is true. Over a thousand carved ivory and bone plaques, figures and inlays, once fitted to furniture, were excavated at Begram in the 1930s → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Only 1 is correct — Statement 2 is also true. The Begram hoard, dug by the French archaeological mission between 1936 and 1940, is best known for exactly these carved ivories.
• (b)
  Only 2 is correct — Statement 1 is also true. The Bimaran casket is gold, and its eight relief figures stand in a row of arches around its side.
• (d)
  Neither 1 nor 2 is correct — Both finds are real and match their statements: a gold reliquary at Bimaran and carved ivory plaques at Begram.

The question moves Gandhara-region art from stone to gold and ivory.

At Bimaran, the reliquary's Buddha is Hellenistic in style, in a contrapposto pose and a Greek himation, framed by arches of Greco-Roman type. A Buddhist subject in classical form is the Gandhara signature.

At Begram, ancient Kapisa, two walled-up rooms held ivories beside bronzes, glass and Chinese lacquer bowls: evidence of luxury trade in the Kushan world.

Key facts

• The Bimaran reliquary, a gold casket from Stupa 2 at Bimaran near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, is in the British Museum.
• Charles Masson recovered it during his work in Afghanistan between 1833 and 1838.
• The Begram ivories are over a thousand plaques, figures and inlays of ivory and bone, excavated in the 1930s.
• Begram (ancient Kapisa) was a summer capital of the Kushan Empire.

Common traps

• Marking statement 2 false because the Begram ivories are Indian in style. The statement only says ivory plaques were found at Begram, which is true.
• Reading 'Gandhara art' as stone sculpture only. The stem's own words, 'beyond stone sculptures', point to gold and ivory.

No directly related past PYQ was found.