Oil painting in Buddhist art first appeared in which period?

Correct Answer: 5th–10th century AD

Subject: history

1st–3rd century AD
5th–10th century AD
10th–12th century AD
3rd–5th century BC

Explanation: Archaeological evidence of oil painting in Buddhist art was found in the cave murals of Bamiyan, Afghanistan (5th–9th century CE), predating European oil painting by several centuries. These caves also housed the famous giant Buddha statues (destroyed by Taliban in 2001). The cave paintings used oil from walnut and poppy seeds. This discovery was made by scientists from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility who analyzed the murals. The Ajanta caves (Maharashtra, India) have famous Buddhist murals but they use tempera (water-based) technique, not oil.