Sunday Times 2
Whither the fate of Bamiyan Buddhas under Taliban?
The Bamiyan Buddha statues which were destroyed by the Taliban during its previous rule were being reconstructed by the Japanese govevernmetn with assitance from UNESCO
The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th-century monumental statues of Vairocana Buddha and Gautama Buddha. Today these Buddha statues are not to be seen as they were blown up by the Taliban by using mortars, dynamite, anti-aircraft weapons and rockets in March 2001.
When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 1996, they imposed an extreme version of Islamic law across the country, not acceptable to the peace-loving Muslims. The Taliban order wiped out all the ancient and artistic monuments including destruction of all traces of a rich pre-Islamic cultural heritage in an attempt to open a new chapter in history under the Taliban rule.
The order included the destruction of ancient statues, including the world’s tallest standing Buddhas in Bamiyan. The destruction of the gigantic statutes has been condemned worldwide. The peace-loving community expressed horror at the annihilation of the statutes. Humanity mourned the loss of the world’s tallest priceless monuments. These were considered as a combination of Buddhist and Gupta art under the influence of Sasanian Empire.
They were carved out of sedimentary rock into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley of central Afghanistan, 130 kilometres northwest of Kabul at an elevation of 2,500 metres. Carbon dating of the structural components of the statues has determined that the smaller 38m “Eastern Buddha” was built around 570 AD, and the larger 55m “Western Buddha” around 618 AD.
The Afghans (non-Taliban) including the entire world protested the blasting of the statues, but the Taliban did not respect world opinion. They considered these statues as idols.
Indonesia, being the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, continuously gives armed protection to the world’s largest collection of the Buddhist Stupas in Borobudur. Also preserved is the Prambanan temple in Kalasan Yogyakarta which is the biggest Hindu temple in Indonesia. It is famous for its depiction of the Ramayana.
Since 2002, a year after the first Taliban regime was ousted, there have been efforts to restore the Bamiyan World Heritage site. However, this is not a simple process as the pieces have to be kept together to assemble them back
The destruction of the statues was viewed primarily as an example of extreme intolerance. And it accomplished nothing except to bring blame on the destroyers. The world community expressed horror at the statues’ annihilation, and humanity mourns the loss of one of its most precious treasures.
The history of Afghanistan has been tumultuous, but the cultural disasters, particularly the destruction of the giant Buddha statues of Bamiyan, represent some of its most tragic episodes. The giant Buddha statues of the Bamiyan Valley were not only priceless cultural heritage of Afghanistan, they were also amongst some of the largest examples of representations of the Buddha. Unfortunately, Afghanistan and the world were to be deprived of the statues.
Since 2002, the Government of Afghanistan and UNESCO, with the generous support of Japan and other donor agencies, have been working together to protect the values of the Bamiyan World Heritage property by addressing security risks, ensuring the structural stability of the remains of the two giant Buddha niches, conserving the archaeological remains and mural paintings, and implementing a Cultural Master Plan.
Now that the extremist Taliban are back in power, what will be the fate of the Stupas, Buddhist artefacts and the reconstruction work in Bamiyan?
Meanwhile, days after the Taliban swept to power in Kabul, the UNESCO called for the protection of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage and to ensure a safe environment for artists, according to a Reuters news agency report.
“Amid the rapidly unfolding events, and 20 years after the deliberate destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, a World Heritage site, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay calls for the preservation of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage,” UNESCO said in a statement.
UNESCO said Afghanistan’s diverse heritage and cultural sites were an integral part of Afghan history and identity and of importance for humanity as a whole.
“It is crucial for the future of Afghanistan to safeguard and preserve these landmarks,” UNESCO said.