Hello friends, I had wanted to share this topic with you last Sunday only, but due to some internet problems, I could not.
Last week, all of you saw the two gigantic Buddhas, right; when Chandragupta is proceeding on the Veer Yatra marg with Aambhik and other friends.Those Buddha statues existed till 2000 AD !!!😲 😉
I am going to share what I know about them.If anyone can post the pics of the Buddhas shown in the episode, it will be really grateful.
:: BAMIYAN ::
The Buddhas of Bamiyan,were two 6th century monumental statues of standing Buddhas,carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of modern day central Afghanistan.Bamiyan was a properous rest house for caravans, that traded along the famous Silk Route between Europe,China and India.
There were two statues of the Buddha that were carved partially carved into the cliff.Both the statues were in standing postures.The height of the bigger Buddha statue was 55 metres, and that of the smaller one was 33 metres.Between the two statues, there were over 750 caves, hollowed out from the hillside, that served as chapels for prayers.There was also a niche with a seated Buddha between the two standing Buddhas.
Built in 505 CE, the statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art.
Image of the larger Buddha statue in 1973
Image of the smaller Buddha statue in 1963
The statues still looked imposing in the 21st century despite a 1500 yrs of neglect.In 1998, the radical terrorist group, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.The world requested the Taliban to protect the Bamiyan Buddhas, one of the wonders of the world.The Taliban chief, agreed to protect the statues,saying that they were part of the cultural heritage of the country, and also the Taliban was hopeful of getting foreign exchange, in view of the assumed influx of international tourists to see the statues.
However, in 2000, the radical Mullas and Chiefs in Afghanistan, who practised the Sharia form of Islam, banned the use of radio, TV, and all other forms of entertainment.The Bamiyan Buddha statues were also declared as un-Islamic( which they were not ) and the Taliban Chief issued a proclamation that they would destroy the statues.
The world requested the Taliban not to destroy the statues.Among forefront, were Japan and Sri Lanka.An official delegation from Japan and a Buddhist group from Sri Lanka, proposed to dismantle the statues piece by piece and reassemble it abroad.
All such proposals were firmly opposed by the Taliban.In March 2001, the Taliban over a period of several weeks, using rocket launchers and dynamite, finally destroyed both the statues.
The world mourned the loss of the priceless statues of the Buddha.
The Taller Buddha statue before and after destruction.
Both the statues after their destruction.
[IMG]http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m579/Abhigreen/Bamian_valley-1.jpg[/IMG]
File picture of the Bamiyan Valley.
The Buddha statues shown in last Friday's episode, were these two Buddhas of Bamiyan only !!!! 😲😲
Imagine Chandragupta and his friends had seen these Buddhas during their Veer Yatra !!!
We can make a guess about the path of that Veer Yatra that CGM Took.Takshashila is now in Pakistan.These Buddhas or this Bamiyan Valley is now in Afghanistan.So we may presume that the path of this yatra was a longer one.
OM SAI RAM.
( Interested members who are not active or don't watch Chandragupta Maurya on Imagine may watch last Friday's or Saturday's episode)
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