Buddhist sites in afghanistan and central asia chinese. Tall mountains flecked with snow stand to the north and south. However, two and a half years ago, in march 2001, when the taliban set about getting rid of the two monumental statues of the buddha in. Pakistan famous hub of buddhist heritage urdupoint. Afghanistan today is a country with a majority muslim population, but before the arrival of islam in these parts of the world in the 7th century, it had a thriving buddhist community that left some magnificent monuments as a testimony of a longgone era.
The problem is only with statues that are symbols of tyranny and worshipping of false gods. Small niches around the statues hosted pilgrims and monks. After failing to destroy the 1,700yearold sandstone statues of buddha with antiaircraft and tank fire, the taliban brought a lorryload of dynamite from kabul. Additional historical detail can be researched under pre islamic hindu and buddhist heritage of. Searching for buddha in afghanistan travel smithsonian magazine. The monuments of afghanistanwhich contains 150 color plates of such extraordinary artifacts as the 38 meter bamiyan buddha notoriously destroyed by the taliban, the minaret of masud at ghazni, the iron age citadel at kandahar, the mausoleum at kuhsan and the minaret of jammeets that requirement. After the destruction of giant buddha statues in bamiyan springer. This article focuses on the major monuments in and around the old city of kabul and the most significant dorrani dynastic monuments and mausolea. Buddhism first arrived in afghanistan in 305 bc when the greek seleucid empire made an alliance with the indian maurya empire. The monuments of afghanistan is a complete survey of this remarkable land and its legacy. The spread of buddhism beyond the indian subcontinent accelerated under the mauryan king asoka r. Buddhism in afghanistan was one of the major religious forces in the region during preislamic. Afghanistan buddha statues destroyed by taliban reimagined.
A bamiyan buddha before and after the talibans 2001 attack on the monument wikimedia. Greek cultural and artistic influence in the region can be researched under buddhist art and grecobuddhism. A unescos emergency activity for the recovering and rehabilitation of cliff. In the spring of 1963, a french geologist set out from kabul to carry out a survey in logar province in eastern afghanistan. For 1, 400 years, two colossal figures of the buddha overlooked the fertile bamiyan.
Seven years ago taliban militias in afghanistan destroyed the two largest standing buddha statues in the world. The buddhas of bamyan were two 6thcentury monumental statues of gautama buddha carved. In afghanistan, hundreds of buddhist caves have been excavated, and the largest and most prominent of all the sites is the site of bamiyan, where a buddhist cave temple complex was discovered on the basin of the hindu kush mountain range. A senior research fellow at the tibet center, university of virginia, dr. Bamiyan itself, was located right on the silk road, and was in a position. A report on the preservation of buddhist monuments at.
During the civil war, the niches and caves were often used as ammunition dumps, with some soldiers occasionally using the statues for casual target practice. A domeshaped ancient buddhist shrine, the topdara stupa to the. The buddhas appear to have been the work of the gandhara civilization, showing some grecoroman artistic influence in the clinging drape of the robes. The worlds two largest standing buddhas one of them 165ft high were blown up by the taliban in afghanistan at the weekend. Frye, aga khan professor emeritus of iranian, harvard university afghanistan is not just an asian state that has suddenly hit the news. It is particularly famous in east asia, but it was very important in india where it was composed and tibet as well. Sengupta islamic wonders bureau, 2008 bamiyan site afghanistan 61 pages. Buddha niches afghanistan attractions lonely planet. The only functional buddhist temple in pakistan is located in the diplomatic enclave in islamabad and is used by. Hindu and buddhist heritage of afghanistan wikipedia.
A pioneer in his field, he is credited with the discovery of hundreds of prebuddhist archaeological sites, describing. The monuments, once a big tourist draw, dated back to between the second and fifth centuries ad, before the coming of islam, when afghanistan was a centre of buddhist learning and pilgrimage. Taliban blow apart 2,000 years of buddhist history world. They were depictions of buddha carved into the side of the cliff at different times between 544 and 595 for the smaller statue, and between 591 and 644 for the larger one. Since taking control of kabul in 1996, the taliban. The modern city of kabul has expanded to such an extent in the last three decades that it now spills out from the kabul valley. Buddhismconsists of various practices, tradition and beliefs which are largely based on the teachings of lord buddha. But it is sitting on a vast copper deposit and is about to be destroyed. Afghanistans buddhist past is often invoked with a sense of hushed pathos.
Chinese buddhist pilgrim xuanzang visited the site on 30 april 630 ce, and described bamiyan in the da tang xiyu ji as a flourishing buddhist center with more than ten monasteries and more than a thousand monks. Because afghanistans buddhist population no longer exists, and the statues were no longer worshipped, he added. Buddhist cave temples in afghanistan takayasu higuchi with gina barnes abstract the kyoto university archaeological mission carried out research on the bamiyan caves in afghanistan between 1970 and 1978. Buddhist monuments first edition edition by mitra author isbn. Many monuments testify to the buddhist culture in presentday afghanistan. Protecting afghanistans ancient buddhist heritage youtube. The buddhas of bamiyan is a beautifully written, heartfelt eulogy to these astonishing monuments. In afghanistan are found hundreds of rockcut caves buddhist monasteries.
Deep in the heart of afghanistans once serene bamiyan valley, the sound of gunfire. They were among of the most impressive buddha statues in the world, and certainly the largest. These statues have been and remain shrines of unbelievers, a. Fighters begin job of demolishing afghanistans statues. Taliban blowing up 4thcentury statues of buddha leads to. Afghanistan was a place where the people were hindus and buddhists. Bellezza has written extensively on the nomads, history and culture of upper tibet.
Is time running out for the 5,000yearold mes aynak. Here is a green high valley over 8000 ft, bounded by ochre cliffs. Thus, at least up until then, buddhist monks still passed back and forth through afghanistan and thus might still have been welcomed at the chagatai court. The buddhas of bamiyan in afghanistan, carved in the sixth century ad, represented. We aimed at making a general photogrammatic map of the whole area, attributing numbers to all the caves and documenting their murals. Afghanistans buddhist buried treasure faces destruction. An active proponent of buddhism, he sent out religious missions. Its hard to believe that afghanistan, a country torn by war and religious extremism, was once a peaceful buddhist nation. Around peshawar city alone, there are over 500 heritage sites and monuments. When afghanistan was just a laidback highlight on the. Basawal is the site of a buddhist cave temple complex in eastern afghanistan. Ancient buddhist city in afghanistan could be destroyed by copper mining by jayalakshmi k, ib times, may 4, 2015. Western buddhas feet gives an indication of the huge size of the monuments. Buddhist art and craft though during insurgency in afghanistan and pakistan faced destruction yet many of the key historical sites were intact.
Buddhism in afghanistan was one of the major religious forces in the region during preislamic era. A decade ago, just six months before the destruction of the twin towers, a pair of monuments of a different sortthe colossal buddhas in afghanistans bamiyan valleywere blown up by the taliban. It seems that buddhist monks were still present in iran, however, at least until oljaitus death in 16, since monks unsuccessfully tried to win the mongol ruler back to buddhism. Bit by bit, afghanistan rebuilds buddhist statues the taliban destroyed the historic statues a decade ago. Pakistan being an islamic state has preserved cultural heritage and historical monuments of all other religions and faiths. It will delight scholars while also making a sumptious addition to the library of the generalist. But in a painstaking process, the two giant carvings of buddha are being reconstructed on. However, the governments decision to increase the excise duty on fuel betrays an attempt to appropriate for itself the benefits that may have otherwise accrued to the citizens. Mes aynak, a magnificent buddhist city, is the most important archaeological discovery in a generation. It crosses more recently abandoned buildings and unfinished. There are lots of statues that were built and constructed with respect to the lord buddha and buddhism. In the bamyan valley of central afghanistan, two statues stood 35 and 53 meters tall. A domeshaped ancient buddhist shrine, the topdara stupa to the north of kabul was described by 19th century british explorer charles masson as perhaps the most complete and beautiful monument of the kind in these countries.
The oldest buddhas in the world gandhara buddha statues. Brent huffman, the director behind the new documentary saving mes aynak, tells the story of one of afghanistans archaeological treasures and the threats it faces from a chinese mining. Buddhism arrived in the bamiyan valley in the first or second century ad. Afghanistans amazing last buddhist relics the taliban. Yet that was the argument cited by the preacher mullah omar when he decreed the urgent need to destroy all buddhist monuments in afghanistan to save his people from idolatry.
An ancient buddhist monastery complex in afghanistan holds artifacts depicting the prince who founded buddhism. When afghanistan was just a laidback highlight on the hippie trail. Buddhist cave temples in afghanistan religions of the. What mohammad omar took from afghanistan that can never be. He also noted that both buddha figures were decorated with gold. The steep fall in oil prices improves indias manoeuvrability to address an economic recession. The final, terrible, indignity came with their complete demolition by the taliban in march 2001, leaving behind an indelible testament to afghanistans many cultural losses in recent wars. Bamiyan and buddhist afghanistan by frank harold click map to enlargen if there were paradise on earth, it might look somewhat like bamiyan see images.
The best books on buddhism five books expert recommendations. For 1,400 years, two colossal figures of the buddha overlooked the fertile bamiyan. Your first choice is one of the most important texts in east asian buddhism, the lotus sutra. Since massons visit in 1833, the topdara stupa saw few visitors and had fallen into neglect until recently, in. But in a painstaking process, the two giant carvings of buddha are being reconstructed on the side of a cliff in central afghanistan. A report on the preservation of buddhist monuments at bamiyan in afghanistan braj basi lal, r. Mes aynak, afghanistan a 2,000yearold buddhist city, mes aynak in afghanistan, rich in stupas, shrines and monuments could be razed to the ground if a chinese mining company is allowed to prospect for huge copper reserves on which the city sits. Although one of the wonders of world giant buddhas of bamyan was lost due to an unprecedented display of the satanic side in human nature, there are many more wonders. In a barren region of afghanistans logar province, some 40 kilometers from kabul, lies one of the worlds most significant archeological excavationsthe remains of the ancient settlement of mes aynak, once a city on the fabled silk road network of trade routes that facilitated the exchange of cultures and spiritual traditions across the ancient world. Mullah wakil insisted that the edict was an internal matter for afghanistan and had been excessively exagerrated in the outside world and. Pilgrims from all over central and south asia came to this remote mountainous region, built monasteries and colossal statues, dug caves into the. Conservators and international organizations should look at restoring the bamiyan buddhas through the rubrics of fidelity to asian standards of conservation, the restoration of cultural pride for local residents, and the potential for a corresponding economic revival in the area. The caves, 150 in all, are partly hewn out in two rows and arranged in seven groups, which presumably correspond to the seven monastic institutions of buddhist times.
The second major figure during the second phase of dafa exploration was hackin, who worked at bamiyan, nearby kakrak, guldarra and other buddhist monuments in the kabul area, as well as qunduz 1937, shorotrak, fondukistan, and kapisa, where the fabled begram ivories and begram glass were uncovered half now in paris, half at the kabul. Afghanistan is today a muslim country separated from india by another muslim country pakistan. The archaeological dig at mes aynak, an ancient buddhist city on the route of the silk road in afghanistan. An afghan archaeologist examines the remains of statues of buddha at mes. The religion was widespread south of the hindu kush mountains.
Despite bearing witness to ancient and more recent battles, the scarred landscape of afghanistan is strewn with the monuments to illustrate this rich history. Buddhist sites in afghanistan and central asia the spread of buddhism beyond the indian subcontinent accelerated under the mauryan king asoka r. Monuments of afghanistan by warwick ball, hardcover. Two giant cavities about a halfmile apart in the rock face mark the sites where two huge sixthcentury statues of the buddha, destroyed a decade ago by the. Buddhism is a no theistic religion which was founded by the enlightened one gautama buddha 2500 years ago. After 1,700 years, buddhas fall to taliban dynamite. Many monuments testify to the buddhist culture in present day afghanistan. There are many preislamic ancient sites in arabia, egypt, levantine e.
The monuments covered here are in the following countries afghanistan, bangladesh, cambodia, china, indonesia, japan, laos, nepal, pakistan, south korea, sri. Samanth subramanian on the afghan sculptures destroyed after a millennium and. After the destruction of giant buddha statues in bamiyan afghanistan in 2001. Morgans book tells their story and, through it, the messy, complicated story of afghanistan.