It was an act that generated worldwide outrage and endures as a symbol of mindless desecration and religious extremism.įrom almost the first moment the Taliban were driven from power at the end of 2001, art historians, conservationists and others have dreamed of restoring the Buddhas. But they couldn't survive the development of modern weaponry or a fanatical brand of Islam that gained ascendancy in Afghanistan following the war between the Soviet Union and the mujahedeen in the 1980s: almost ten years ago, in March 2001, after being denounced by Taliban fanatics as "false idols," the statues were pulverized with high explosives and rocket fire. 1221 and the British-Afghan wars of the 19th century. The monumental figures survived the coming of Islam, the scourge of Muslim conqueror Yaqub ibn Layth Saffari, the invasion and annihilation of virtually the entire Bamiyan population by Mongol warriors led by Genghis Khan in A.D. The Buddhas of Bamiyan, carved out of the cliff's malleable rock, long presided over this peaceful valley, protected by its near impregnable position between the Hindu Kush mountains to the north and the Koh-i-Baba range to the south. "He gave Bamiyan the coup de grâce, but he couldn't destroy the giant Buddhas." Tarzi gazes toward the two empty niches, the one to the east 144 feet high and the one to the west 213 feet high. "In the third quarter of the ninth century, a Muslim conqueror destroyed everything-including the monastery," Tarzi says. Then, in the eighth century, Islam came to the valley, and Buddhism began to wane. Rulers of the Buddhist kingdom-whose religion had taken root across the region along the Silk Road-made annual pilgrimages here to offer donations to the monks in return for their blessings. "We're looking at what used to be a chapel covered with murals," the 71-year-old archaeologist, peering into the pit, tells me. ![]() ![]() At the base of the cliff lies the inner sanctum of a site Tarzi calls the Royal Monastery, an elaborate complex erected during the third century that contains corridors, esplanades and chambers where sacred objects were stored. Two giant cavities about a half-mile apart in the rock face mark the sites where two huge sixth-century statues of the Buddha, destroyed a decade ago by the Taliban, stood for 1,500 years. Crenulated sandstone cliffs, honeycombed with man-made grottoes, loom above us. The structure was crumbling before its restoration by Archeological Survey of India mainly because of being constructed by porous laterite rocks which got weathered badly over the centuries, destabilizing and weakening the structure.Clad in a safari suit, sun hat, hiking boots and leather gloves, Zemaryalai Tarzi leads the way from his tent to a rectangular pit in the Bamiyan Valley of northern Afghanistan. This structure includes colossal seating figure of Buddha and it also includes Brahminical rock cut caves (7th-8th century AD) and a single monolithic temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu (8th-9th century AD). The Dhamnar caves include 51 rock cut caves containing Buddhist and Hindu structures like stupas, chaityas, porch and small chambers both of Hinayana and Mahayana sects of Buddhism constructed around 5th-6th centuries AD. The roof is in poor condition with the support of wooden architecture. Bhima Bazar cave is the largest among the group, measuring 115 feet by 80 and including vzhara and chaityagruha. The porch includes stone railing with the wooden architecture. The Bari Kacheri cave measures 20 feet square and includes stupas and chaityas. įourteen caves on the northern side are considered historically significant, among which Bari Kacheri (big courthouse) and Bhima Bazar are the most so. The site includes large statues of Gautama Buddha in sitting and Nirvana mudra. ![]() This rock cut site consists of 51 caves, stupas, Chaityas, passages, and compact dwellings, carved in the 7th century CE. The Dhamnar Caves are caves located in the village of Dhamnar, located in Mandsaur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.
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