how did Buddhism lead to the popularity of Mathura school of art?
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The Art of Mathura refers to a particular school of Indian art, almost entirely surviving in the form of sculpture, starting in the 2nd century BCE, which centered on the city of Mathura, in central northern India, during a period in which Buddhism, Jainism together with Hinduism flourished in India.[4] Mathura was the pre-eminent center of religious artistic expression in India at least until the Gupta period, and was influencial throughout the sub-continent.[5]
Chronologically, Mathura art succeeds to Mauryan art, the art of the Mauryan Empire (322 and 185 BCE).[6] It is said to represent a "sharp break" with the previous Mauryan style, either in scale, material or style.[6] Mathura became India's most important artistic production center from the second century BCE, with its highly recognizable red sandstone statues being admired and exported all over India.[6]
The art of Mathura is often contrasted with the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, which developed from the 1st century CE.[6] In particular there is a debate about the origin of the Buddha image and the role played by each school of art. Before the creation of an image of the Buddha, probably around the 1st century CE, Indian Buddhist art, as seen in Bharhut or Sanchi, had essentially been aniconic, avoiding representation of the Buddha, but rather relying on its symbols, such as the Wheel of the Law or the Bodhi tree.
Mathura continued to be an important centre for sculpture until Gupta art of the 4th to 6th centuries, if not beyond. By this time much of the sculpture was of Hindu figures