The Buddhas of Bamiyan
CHALLENGED WITNESSES OF AFGHANISTAN'S FORGOTTEN PAST
Buddha of Bamiyan At a symposium last
April on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Kern Institute in Leiden,
Dr P. Verhagen emphasized the importance of manuscripts from Afghanistan for
the understanding and study of early Buddhism. He told the audience that,
during the last decade, many of these kinds of manuscripts had shown up in the
Western world. Quite a number are in the hands of the Schøyen collection in
Norway. Perhaps for the audience it was an interesting statement, but for me it
was quite a shock.
I lived in Peshawar, half an hour from the
Afghan border, during the years 1993 - 1995. This town itself has quite a few
monuments in its neighbourhood. Most of the Westerners working in Peshawar were
involved with refugees who were fleeing the devastating war in
Afghanistan.
Only a handful were concerned about the plight
of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan. Monuments were being neglected, if not
badly damaged by the war, historic sites had been and were still being
illegally excavated and, most importantly, the Kabul Museum, which houses an
important collection, was being damaged and plundered.Many artefacts were
leaving the country illegally. Nancy Dupree, an expert with many relations with
Afghans 'in the field' and who is now working for ACBAR/ARIC in Peshawar, has
played a major role in trying to stop the destruction. Together, with some
others, we decided to set up the Society for the
Preservation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage (SPACH) in September 1994. One of the aims of SPACH is to raise awareness
within the country and abroad about the plight of Afghanistan's cultural
heritage and to stop the destruction, plunder, and illegal sales of Afghan
artefacts. Hence, the shock I just mentioned that was caused by an 'innocent'
remark and, therefore, the relevance of SPACH.
Buddhism in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a country with a very rich,
fairly complicated, history. Because of its mountainous terrain, it was often
on the borders of different empires and has played a part in a host of
different era's. Although ancient texts about the region exist, their
interpretations give rise to some heated discussions. As most of the objects
known from this area were produced by excavations, archaeological findings are
an extremely important source of information. This is why illegal digging,
which may cause the destruction of unknown contents of historical significance,
is all the more regrettable.
Buddhism was introduced into this area in the
third century B.C. by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. It found fertile soil in the
former Gandhara province (nowadays, East Afghanistan and North Pakistan) around
the first and second centuries A.D. under the rule of the great Kushan ruler
Kanishka. At that time, Afghanistan lay at the heart of the Silk Route, as
everybody travelling over land from East to West had no option but to journey
through it. Along its roads passed silk from China, delicate glassware from
Alexandria, bronze statues from Rome, and beautifully decorated ivories from
India. These kinds of objects have been excavated in Afghanistan.
Accompanying the caravans of precious goods,
Buddhist monks came and went, teaching their religion along the route. From
this very part of the world Buddhism established itself over the centuries in
China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and Mongolia.
In the early centuries of the Christian era,
Eastern Afghanistan was full of lively Buddhist monasteries, stupas and monks.
In this rich and peaceful climate, a new art form emerged: the art of Gandhara,
bearing the same name as the province in which it appeared. The origin of this
art is a matter of debate, but Hellenistic influence was strong. During this
period, the earliest Buddha images in human form also evolved in this
Kushan/Saka area. Some scholars, like A. Foucher, argued that this
transformation was engendered by the influence of Greek examples, but this
assumption is also constantly being challenged.
Two monumental Buddhas
In this Buddhist richness of inspiration, two
masterpieces were produced which stand out head and shoulders above the others,
the Buddhas of Bamiyan. These two giant Buddhas (53 m. and 38 m. high,
respectively) stand in the beautiful Bamiyan valley, situated 230 km NW of
Kabul at an altitude of 2500 metres. The caravans on the Silk Route invariably
made a stop in this valley. It was one of the major Buddhist centres from the
second century up to the time that Islam entered the valley in the ninth
century.
Buddha of Bamiyan
The two statues were hewn out of the rock
(estimates of dates vary, but most probably around the fourth and fifth
centuries A.D.). They were covered with a mud and straw mixture to model the
expression of the face, the hands and the folds of the robes. This was then
plastered and, finally, they were painted: the smaller Buddha blue, the larger
one red, with their hands and faces gold. They must have been quite impressive
for monks travelling through the harsh surrounding landscape, who finally
reached the beautiful valley with the peaceful Buddhas making the gesture of
reassurance.
The features of the Buddhas have disappeared.
During the centuries they have probably been assailed by iconoclasts. The idea
behind the destruction was to take away the soul of the hated image by
obliterating, or at least deforming, the head and hands. Although there is no
firm evidence the Buddhas were subjected to iconoclasm, this fate was certainly
meted out to the frescoes surrounding the Buddhas, namely the numerous
religious places and monk’s cells also hewn out of the rock and covered with
beautiful paintings. The faces in these were destroyed by one of the many
groups of invaders who have passed that way.
The Buddhas, at once so impressive and yet so
vulnerable, have survived the hostile onslaughts over the centuries. Even so,
they are still at risk. In the mid-1990s, the space at the feet of the bigger
Buddha was being used as an ammunition dump by one of the warring factions. It
was practical: it was an easily defendable, dry position. Who would dare to
attack it? One shot might blow this giant up. But on the other hand, who would
care? This image could be regarded as an idol, and human and animal depictions
are forbidden by Islam. So it was worth taking the risk.
Buddha of Bamiyan
SPACH
Based in Islamabad/Peshawar, SPACH was, of
course, greatly concerned about the fate of the Buddha. In 1997, a Taliban
commander trying to take over the valley stated he would blow up the Buddhas
the moment the valley fell into his hands. After international protests, the
Taliban high command in Kandahar denied they would harm the Buddhas and
promised to do their best to protect Afghan cultural heritage. But SPACH was
not fully satisfied and asked the leader of the Hezb-e Wahdat party, under
whose authority was the commander who controlled the dump (at the foot of the
Buddha), to ensure the removal of the ammunition. He not only agreed, but a General
Office for the Preservation of Historical Sites in Hazarajat was even
established.
The Valley of Bamiyan, Afghanistan The valley has been in the
hands of the Taliban since the autumn of 1998. In spite of all the efforts,
statements and promises between the Taliban and SPACH negotiators, it was
around that time that the head and part of the shoulders of the smaller Buddha
were blown off, partly by a rocket, partly by explosives. Even worse, the
infamous Taliban commander who threatened to damage the Buddhas in the first
place had succeeded in drilling holes in the head of the bigger Buddha with the
aim of inserting dynamite into the holes.
He appears to have been stopped at the last
moment by the Taliban governor of the Bamiyan Valley, with whom SPACH was in
contact. The most recent damage has been the burning of tires just above the
mouth of the big Buddha, so his entire face is now blackened. Apparently, the
commander concerned has recently been arrested. It seems, nevertheless, a
miracle that these incredible Buddhas have more or less survived in a country
in which they have become strangers who were not able to flee.
Initially, SPACH’s major concern was not the
Buddhas, but the Kabul Museum. Between 1992 (after the fall of Najibullah) and
1996, the museum was damaged and plundered. Although the attacks were aimed at
the Ministry of Defence, located opposite the museum, many rockets missed their
target and hence hit and damaged the museum. After years of negotiating with
the different factions, SPACH has succeeded in getting permission to move the
remaining artefacts to a safer place in Kabul. They are being watched over by
guards with Kalashnikovs.
SPACH is likewise trying to trace objects
illegally exported from the Kabul Museum and, if possible, to purchase them and
eventually to give them back to the museum when the situation in the country is
stable. A controversial activity indeed because, although the aim is to save
the artefacts for the country, it might have the effect of stimulating the
illegal digging and plundering. Nevertheless, the International Council of
Museums (ICOM) gave SPACH the green light on this, provided that the items will
indeed be given back to the museum. In order to collect as much information as
possible about the area, SPACH has been building up a network of people who are
experts on, or interested in, Afghanistan's cultural heritage
specifically.
Kabul Museum
This is also the reason that a photo
collection is being set up: to keep their memory alive. SPACH is financially supported
by donations from various governments and individuals. It is backed by Unesco,
ICOM, and the International Blue Shield Committee, with which there is
intensive contact. The most important goal is to raise awareness of the plight
of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan, especially among the Afghans
themselves. As an Afghan friend once said: interest in Afghanistan's past gives
hope for Afghanistan's future.
By Jet van Krieken
Published in IIAS 2000
http://www.purabudaya.com/resources/bamiyan/bamiyan.htm