| The Buddhas of Bamiyan |
| Location |
| Buddhism |
The statuesThe bigger statue The second statue |
| Destruction |
| Reconstruction |
| Animations |
| Links |
The valley of Bamiyan, with the two big statues carved from the rock face
(we acknowledge all the web sites where we found the images here reported and in particular the source: www.uwec.edu)
The two massive Buddha images, which stood about a quarter of a mile apart, were carved out of a high stretch of cliff facing the widest part of the valley. These colossal images were between the largest Buddhist sculptures in the world. Basically they were cut from the sandstone cliffs and covered with mud and straw mixture to model the expression of the face, the hands and the folds of the robes. They were plastered and finally they were painted. The lower parts of their arms were constructed using mud supported on wooden armatures while the upper parts of their faces were made from great wooden masks. The two giants were painted in gold and other colours, and they were decked in dazzling ornaments.
The larger statue of the Buddha in Bamiyan, viewed from different sides
(we acknowledge all the web sites where we found the images here and in particular the sources: reportedcontent.communities.msn.com/, www.kabulonline.com)
The larger statue (upper image) was 55 metres (175 feets) high and it was carved at the western end of the cliff-face. It was painted in red and it is thought to represent Vairocana, the "Light Shining throughout the Universe Buddha".
The smaller statue (lower image) was ca. 38 metres (115 feet) high and it was situated at the eastern end of the cliff. It was painted in blue and probably represents Buddha Sakyamuni, although the local Hazara people believe it depicts a woman.
The smaller statue of Bamiyan
(we acknowledge all the web sites where we found the images here reported and in particular the sources: kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/, www.courtauld.ac.uk/ )
Both statues were considered to be one of the most remarkable representation of the Buddha anywhere in the world and they were between the tallest standing statues.
The folds on the statues
(we acknowledge all the web sites where we found the images here reported and in particular the source: www.purabudaya.com/,www.courtauld.ac.uk/)
The central upper drawing illustrates the method used by the craftsmen to create the drapery folds. They suspended ropes along the surface of the Buddha body; these ropes were attached with wooden pegs in places and the whole covered with mud plaster.
All along the hill, between these monolithic images and behind the big statues,
are carved hundreds of caves of varying size used as chapels for both private and
communal worship. Most of the rock chapels and ambulatories at Bamiyan are covered with decorated paintings.
In particular, the bigger statue is surrounded by a deep niche around the head and
the body of the Buddha (left image).
Although the paintings are quite ruined and damaged, large sections of them still survive.
Today most of those open caves are used primarily by refugees from Afghanistan's internal war and cold winter.
