History of Afghanistan

The influence of Gandhara on Serindia

Gandhara in Afghanistan

" To the northeast of the royal city there is a mountain, on the declivity of which is placed a stone figure of Buddha, erect, in height 140 or 150 feet. Its goldern hues sparkle on every side, and its precious ornaments dazzle the eyes by their brightness ... To the east ... there is a standing figure of Sakya Buddha ... in height 100 feet."

Hsuan-tsang - the renound Chinese pilgrim, 7th century.

The mindless destruction by Afghanistan's ruling Taiban of the giant Buddhas, carved into a mountainside at Bamiyan in the heart of the Hindu Kush mountains, were once among Asia's great archeological treasures.

In antiquity, central Afghanistan was strategically placed to thrive from the Silk Road caravans. Camel caravans criss-crossed the region as they traded between the Roman Empire, China and India. And as they journeyed through the Hindu Kush mountains they came upon Bamiyan - one of the wonders of the ancient world.

This heart of the now-forgotten Kingdom of Kushan was glorified by two colossal Buddha statues. They were carved into a cliff in the mountains that tower over the valley of Bamiyan, whose people were responsible for carving these wonders of the ancient world. The larger statue stood at 53 metres (125 feet) above the town of Bamiyan - as high as a 10-storey building and is considered to be the most remarkable representation of the Buddha anywhere in the world. Once, it and its 38-metre-high companion were painted in gold and other colours, and decked in dazzling ornaments. There were countless rich frescoes depicting the life of the Buddha and life in the town of Bamiyan at the time, now never to be seen and studied. It was a place of pilgrimage, and there were 10 monasteries built into the cliff - the home of Buddhist monks.

Muslim Rule in Afghanistan

The monks and the pilgrims left 14 centuries ago when Islam came to the Hindu Kush and Bamiyan fell into neglect. For a time, the 1960s hippy trail passed through Bamiyan and it became a hub for a new kind of traveller. But Afghanistan's 20 years of civil war put a stop to that, with the area playing an important strategic role. For many years it was the stronghold of the Hezb-i-Whadat party, the main faction of the Shi'a Muslims of the centre of the country.

Hezb-i-Whadat is one of the pillars of the alliance that opposes the purist, Islamic, Taiban movement. A few years ago, Taiban forces advanced down the valley towards Bamiyan town. In the Islamic fervour of the march, a Taiban commander said that when he broke through and took the town, he would blow up its famous statues. It wasn't the first time that Bamiyan's Buddha’s had faced the wrath of an iconoclastic Islamic crusader. Eleven centuries ago the fanatical warrior Yaqoub rampaged through the area. He destroyed Buddhist temples and reportedly seized 50 idols in gold and silver. And on the frescoes the faces of many Buddha figures have been chiselled out by Muslims intent on destroying what they regarded as the soul force of the idol. News of the Taiban commanders threat to renew this kind of destruction spread fast. There was alarm across the Buddhist world and the United Nations expressed grave concern. Later the Taiban leadership assured the international community that no harm would come to the statues. In the event the Taiban were defeated and driven back.

Bamiyan and the Buddha’s remained firmly under the control of the forces of Hezb-i-Whadat. Who apparently approached the site with a mixture of suspicion and disinterested neglect. It became variously an ammunition dump and a home to dozens of families displaced by the war. For a time they stored large amounts of ammunition in ancient caves built into the cliff at the feet of the largest of the two Buddha’s.

The local authorities were aware that the Buddhist complex is important. They knew that it would be a major tourist attraction again once peace finally came. They were persuaded to remove the ammunition stockpile.

The Hezb were driven out by the Taiban in the campaigns of 1997 and 1998. Despite their abhorrence of idols and un-Islamic images - the Taiban initially assured the international community that the site would come to no harm. But that restraint dropped in March 2001, apparently in the belief that there is little to be gained from bowing to the sensibilities of the outside world.

Sadly the giant Buddha’s of Bamiyan, towering over a valley in the heart of the Hindu Kush mountains have now been lost to the world forever. Together with countless other sites it appears the Taiban have succeeded in destroying Afghanistan's Buddhist heritage. In the days that followed we were offered a number of pieces mainly stucco, in order to preserve these rare historical artifacts we now offer them for sale through our web site in Gandhara Afghan Galleries.


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