Female euergetism in Gandhāra: Investigating local evidence

Lakshminarayanan, Ashwini ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4077-5110 2023. Female euergetism in Gandhāra: Investigating local evidence. Mediterraneo Antico. Economie Società Culture 26 (1-2) , pp. 213-231.

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Abstract

This article focuses on donative inscriptions from ancient Gandhāra (broadly present-day north-western Pakistan and northern Afghanistan), a key region located between the east and the west during the first centuries CE. Two local dynasties, the Apracarājas and the Oḍirājas, successfully controlled key valleys within Gandhāra and consolidated their power using political, cultural, and religious strategies. They donated to local Buddhist institutions and publicised their generosity by recording their benefactions. While Gandhāra’s relationship with the Hellenistic world has been commonly emphasised in the study of its material remains, mainly its artistic production, it begs the question of how its interconnectivity with its neighbouring regions such as Bactria played a role in shaping other aspects of local culture. In rethinking the Buddhist donative practices of the two local kingdoms, this study adopts a holistic approach by considering the evidence within its religious and cultural milieu and by drawing parallels to euergetism, the practice of gift-giving that was widespread in the Hellenic world.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	Published
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Publisher:	Fabrizio Serra editore
ISSN:	1127-6061
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	8 April 2024
Date of Acceptance:	11 July 2023
Last Modified:	05 Jul 2024 15:46
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/167810

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