Dynamited by Taliban Buddhas of Bamiyan resurrect in Afghanistan

[Arya Desa]

Recently Defense Minister of India said

“I found that nowadays the eyes are becoming smaller and smaller. One day, I turned it back and found ‘Made in China’. We have the imagination of that particular figure, that particular face… do not be surprised if it slowly changes. So we have to start make in India right from Diwali gifts and our own gods… I think it is quite serious,” he said.

Typical cheenia. You buy one thing and they send you a completely different product. We want normal sized eyes on our idols.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.khaama.com/second-largest-buddhas-reconstruction-to-kick-off-in-bamyan-02456
By Khaama Press - Sun Dec 11 2016, 5:29 pm
The reconstruction of the second largest Buddha is expected to kick off in central Bamyan province as the local officials the decision to start the reconstruction work was taken during a 3-day meeting in Germany.

Provincial governor Mohammad Tahir Zahir said the experts attended the meeting in Munich city of Germany that led to adoption of a final decision for the reconstruction of the eastern Buddhas.

He said the reconstruction work of Shahmama Buddha, the second largest Buddha, will kick off as decided in the meeting besides other key decisions were taken.

The other decisions according Zahir included work for the preservation of the boundaries of the western Buddha, the Salsal Buddha, establishment of a park between the two Buddhas, rehabilitation and maintenance of Zahak city, Gholghola city, and other key historic sites.

Shahmama Buddha is one of the two largest Buddhas in Bamyan which was having a height of 35 meters and was destroyed by the Taliban militants.

The Buddhas of Bamyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km (143 miles) northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2,500 meters (8,202 ft). Built in 507 A.D, the larger in 554 CE, the statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art.

 

[TimePass]

What a huge waste of resources.

Use the money to teach them a more human values.

was one of the saddest days of my life when it was blown up. i think there are some hardcore fanatics in here - suporting vanadlism in the name of religion. the loss of those buddhas is simply irreparable.

Any Idea how many historical records were blown up when the US "brought freedom" to Iraq ?

Bit rich of you to cry tears for Afghanistan after playing a role in propping up the taliban. how many "hardcore" Americans supported that in the name of "democracy" ? No different.

 

[Hindustani78]

Gandhara School of art is distinct from the aniconic tradition of early Indian sculpture

The Gandhara School of art flourished in the north-west of undivided India and the eastern Afghanistan for nearly eight hundred years, between the first century B.C. and the 7th century A.D.

Gandhara was conquered by Alexander of Macedonia in the 4th century B.C. During the reign of Ashoka, it was a part of the Mauryan empire and one of the biggest centres of Buddhism.

Again it was a part of Kushan empire under Kanishka in the first century A.D when Gandhara and Mathura Schools of art moved towards excellence unmatched by any other art movement or school.

A large number of clay Buddhas have been excavated in eastern and central Afghanistan which was under the influence of Mahayana Buddhism after the historic Buddhist split at Parishipura (modern Peshawar in Pakistan) in the days of Kanishka the Great.

In Afghanistan, excavations at Bamiyan, Begram, Hadda, Kandhar and Kunduz have brought to light several Buddhist settlements. In the modern village of Hadda, 531 stupas and 3,000 statues of Buddha and Boddhisatvas have been found in clay and stucco.

Hadda’s ancient name is “Nagarahara” which was visited both by Fahien, who visited the settlement around 400 AD, and by Hieun Tsang who camped there in 630 AD. Both these pilgrims came from China via Afghanistan to visit the land of Sakyamuni.

Hieun Tsang stayed here for 18 years, first as a student, then as a teacher at Nalanda University where students from all parts of the world, including Afghanistan and Iran, came for learning and enlightenment.

At Mathura, the Buddha image was cast in the red-sandstone obtained from Sikri quarries. The Mathura school excelled in Yaksha (male spirit) closely resembling the collosal standing figure of Buddha of the Gandhara school.

Similarly, Hieun Tsang (630 AD) said that Bamiyan Valley is not only famous for its two collosal Buddhas measuring 175 ft and 120 ft respectively, but also for its hundreds of cave-shrines and monasteries. For two thousand years these Buddha sculptures kept the world spell-bound.

The hordes of Mahmud of Ghzni several times during time early 11th century, was wonder-struck to see the Buddha statues not only at Bamiyan but also at Taxilla, Peshawar, Multan and Mathur.

Alberuni - Writing about the super-excellence of Indian sculptors in his famous book ‘Kitab-ul-Hind’, he says: “They have attained a very high degree of art in this; so much so that when our people (Muslims) see them, they marvel at them and are unable to describe them - much less construct anything like them”

 

[EAK]

I know a few cylonese, they are closer to a black hole than any other people I've ever met. They're darker than Africans! No doubt you lot are primarly andamenese.

..Ironic..As an indian saying such things..

 

[Hindustani78]

..Ironic..As an indian saying such things..

Holy Bible
Numbers 25:3-5

So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel. The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel." So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor."

Judges 3:7

The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

 

[EAK]

Holy Bible
Numbers 25:3-5

So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel. The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel." So Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor."

Judges 3:7

The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

What does this has to do with me..

 

[Hindustani78]

What does this has to do with me..

What is meant by Civilization , you can understand .

 

[EAK]

What is meant by Civilization , you can understand .

Give it a one more try Genius.. Read again my post #35 to which you are quoting me.. To whom i was replying and in what context.. then come back ..

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/afghanistans-headless-buddhas/article19141596.ece

The Bamiyan Buddhas, according to UNESCO, were the world cultural heritage of Afghanistan.

Those two historical sites, which speak volumes about Kabul’s tragic history, lie next to each other — The Darul-Aman Palace, reduced to ruins during the civil war, and the the National Museum. Inside the museum, you can find relics of Afghanistan’s history. Among other things lies the country’s first and last locomotive, which was designed by German engineers. A few steps further, you can see the cars of former monarchs. Most of the cars are from the 1920s and belonged to King Amanullah Khan, who built both the palace and the National Museum. Inside, the museum staff is welcoming visitors. Many of them have been working there for a long time. Noor Agha, a staffer for almost 20 years, had seen the museum being destroyed during the civil war (in the early 1990s) and restored years later.

“It was particularly bad at the time of the civil war. We were evacuated and the museum was used as a military base. Much has been destroyed. It was plundered. At that time, many treasures were lost,” said Mr. Agha. Most treasures that disappeared at the time originated mainly from the Kushan era, early Buddhism and the early Islamic period.

Many of these unique items continue to be illegally traded in the black market. The museum is trying to regain those. “We are working with Interpol, the UN and other organisations, and we have done everything we can to rediscover these items. They are an important part of our culture and belong only to the Afghan people,” said Mohammad Fahim Rahimi, the museum’s director. “In recent years, interest in Afghan history has increased, especially on the part of our own youth,” he added.

Art cleansing

The museum staff had a tough time during the Taliban period as well. On the orders of the extremists, many things which did not correspond to their radical ideas had to be destroyed. Sculptures representing human beings —mainly Buddha statues — were the primary “victims” of this art cleansing. The result can still be seen. Most Buddha statues in the museum are headless.

The visitors are guided by a few museum leaders, such as Mr. Agha, who has the gift of telling stories seamlessly. Apart from sharing the exact historical background of each exhibit with the visitors, he also takes them back in time to the spread of Buddha’s teachings at the Hindukush, or Mahmud of Ghazni’s march to build his Islamic empire.


“What these men have done has nothing to do with Islam,” he said, standing before the headless statues of Buddha. The museum also contains some of the finds from Bamiyan, home of the legendary giant Buddhas that were destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001. They are small pieces of art that have escaped the fanatics’ fury. “What happened to the big brothers of them, the whole world knows,” said Mr. Agha. The Bamiyan Buddhas, according to UNESCO, were the world cultural heritage of Afghanistan.

Many Buddhas have also landed in the black market. A few of them are owned by private collectors who want to keep them for themselves. It is an open secret that among these collectors are some powerful Afghan politicians. In such cases, the return of the valuables seems to be difficult. In the past, it was repeatedly criticised that the authorities were not putting the necessary pressure on such individuals to return these treasures. Mr. Rahimi, the museum director, hesitates to go into this. “We’re doing our best,” he said.

“King Amanullah would probably be turning in his grave,” said Mr. Agha. “If he knew about the current situation of his country, he would probably burst into tears.”

Emran Feroz is a freelance journalist based in Stuttgart and was recently in Kabul