Lost Buddha

The Taliban's destruction of monumental statues of the Buddha

by Allison Oaks

Towering over a valley in the Bamiyan Province of Afghanistan were two of the most remarkable and tallest representations of the Buddha anywhere in the world. These two statues stood 175 feet (53meters) and125 feet (38 meters) cut into the sandstone cliffs surrounding the town of Bamiyan.

Bamiyan is an oasis town located in the heart of a long valley separating the Hindu Kush and Koh-i-Baba mountains. The people of this now forgotten kingdom of Kushan were responsible for carving these colossal Buddha statues. The statues were cut at immeasurable costs around the third and fifth centuries A.D. The Buddhas were a truly mesmorable sight at the time they were constructed. Visible for miles around, the Buddhas are key symbols that anyone can achieve

enlightenment.Enlightenment is ultimate goal for Buddhists. This goal is achieved by following the eight commandments of Buddhism. These commandments deal with understanding the meaning of life and how you conduct yourself according to the commandments. You must have good thoughts and be respectful of others.

The first statue carved was the eastern Buddha (125 feet/ 38meters.) This Buddha was suggested to represent Sakyamuni. This statue was carved first because the eastern wall provided a more suitable site for the Buddha. Sakyamuni's robes were painted blue, his hands copper-covered, and had a copper mask for a face. Buddha Sakyamuni only allowed his image to be documented as a reflection in rippling water. The Buddha is not considered a god and does not exist as a god. This is why both statues were face-less. As stated previously the Buddha is a symbol to prove that enlightenment
is reachable.

The second statue carved was the western Buddha (175 feet/ 53 meters.) This Buddha is assumed to represent Vairocana, the "Light Shining throughout the Universe Buddha." Buddha Vairocana was dressed in red robes and also ornamented with copper on the face and hands. The statue of Buddha Vairocana was more architecturally successful because of the way it was constructed.

The first statue used vertical tunnels that led up to the statue to carve the stone. This provided little access and made it difficult and much longer to form the statue. The second statue used a level (horizontal) tunnel carved through the stone halfway up the cliff. This permitted a more stable ground to work from. The tunnels made it easier for the artists to maneuver around the statue.

These Buddha statues were also remarkable not only on account of their height but the region they are located in. Large Buddha figures were well known in the Gandhara region but did not exceed the height of 10 meters. In the Bamiyan Province only smaller renditions of the Buddha existed (smaller than the ones found in Gandhara) and the statues of these two Buddhas were monumental in size.

Today the Taliban has destroyed these statues and more just like them. Why did they do such a thing? Well it was done for several reasons. First, Buddhism is the opposite of the Islamic views of the Taliban. The Taliban see the Buddha as a figure of worship, an idol. Islamics are against idolatry. The contradictory point here is that Buddhists do not worship the Buddha, the Buddha just represents enlightenment. A second reason for this destruction is that Bamiyan was home to the opposition of the Taliban. Northern Alliance's "rebel" forces led by expelled Afghani President Borhanuddin Rabbani were based here. Supreme Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar believed that to facilitate the destruction of these historic monuments would humiliate the locals by destroying their heritage. However, even though Buddhists have expressed displeasure about the situation they are not willing to go to war over images. This situation is unfair because the Buddhists are doing nothing wrong and being punished for no reason.