The use of images of the Buddha originated in northwestern India in the first and second centuries. This region received none of the relics that were divided up after Shakyamuni’s death. To take the place of these vital objects of veneration, the people of the northwest had Buddha statues made and, as models in their production, used Greek statues of the Greek gods. The Buddha and bodhisattva statues of the Gandhara style are excellent examples of Greek-influenced Buddhist sculpture. Once the custom of religious sculpture was accepted, it spread to the central parts of India, where art in the Mathura style was produced. Such statues influenced not only Buddhism but Jainism and Brahmanism as well. After the fourth century, Buddhist sculpture was further refined and developed in the elegant Gupta style. It scarcely need be said that Indian Buddhist sculpture directly and indirectly exerted tremendous influence on the arts of China and Japan. (Page 144)