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With the battle-lines in the Afghanistan civil was getting extended to =
valleys
and mountains north-west of Kabul, the Taliban's threat to destroy the =
Bamiyan
rock-face shrines and sculptures of Buddha becomes increasingly ominous. =
Once the
Bamiyan valley falls to the Taliban, the shrines will be in grave danger.=
And so
far, there seems to be no evidence that any effective international plan =
of action
to prevent such vandalism is taking shape.
If the Taliban forces do capture Bamiyan valley and manage to destroy the=
se
ancient art treasures, the world will be losing a part of the heritage =
of that
glorious phase of Asian art exemplified by contemporary Ajanta in India =
and
Dunhuang cave monastery in north-west China.
Bamiyan high valley is located about 150 miles north-west of Kabul and =
is cradled
between parallel ridges of two mountains - Hindu Kush and Koh-i-Baba. The=
altitude
is about 2800 metres. In ancient times, it was a major caravan halting =
place for
travellers, merchants, monks, armies from the Indian side to link-points =
on the
celebrated Silk Route, joining Mediterranean post cities in West Asia to =
China in
the East through Central Asian regions and principalities.
The Buddhist monks chose the rock-face overlooking the valley as their =
cave-shrine. They carved out a labyrinth of hollows, coves, niches, passa=
ges,
porches in different phases from 4th to 7th century AD. Their highest =
and most
celebrated achievement was in carving out the majestic figures of two sto=
ne
colossi after hollowing out the porch space for them. The bigger statue =
is 54
metres high aid the smaller 38 metres. They are 4000 ft apart in a ridge=
nearly
two miles long.
The two giant sculptural figures were hollowed out of the rock-face in =
the,
manner, of alto-relievo work. After carving the body, the figures were =
draped with
mud-plaster on ropes and, when dry, were painted in bronze colour. The =
magnificent Buddha heads were sculpted in stucco, painted in gold and fit=
ted in
place between the massive shoulders. The cells for monks and worship-hal=
ls around
the two sculptural figures numbered more than a thousand. Decorated with =
wall
murals, medallions and decorative motifs, many of them of contemporary =
Sassanian
origin. There are two approaches to Bamiyan valley. The northern route =
goes over
Shibbar pass and the southern route from Kabul goes via Hajigak pass situ=
ated at a
height of nearly 1300 ft.
It is a fascinating experience looking down into the Bamiyan valley after=
descending a little from Hajigak pass, in early summer. The entire scene =
is
breathtaking in its loveliness, the fertile green valley with alround blo=
ssoms and
willows drooping over the shallow, cascading, clear river waters; the cli=
ff-face
honey-combed with ancient cells and hollows. The rock-face is grey on top=
, with a
yellow band in the middle and a wine red band at the base. The top of the=
ridge
and the mountains behind it, still full of snow. As the sun moves from =
east to
west, the colours on the rock-face change: at mid-day, there are shades =
of red and
brown: in the afternoon, the colour range is light greyish ochre; then, =
a little
later, reddish violet; and just after sunset, the colour is the gentlest =
of mauve,
blending with the smoke rising from the few scattered homes made of mud =
and
mud-brick. In earlier times, it was known as the Valley of Gods.
Huan Tsang who travelled to Bamiyan in 632 AD wrote, "I entered the Great=
Snow
mountains from the south-east. Valleys are deep and summits dangerous. =
Here the
mind is very strong, the snow piles high and temperature is below freezin=
g even in
summer... Beyond the Bamiyan valley and towering over its northern face =
is the
rock-face which is honeycombed by scores of cells and cave-faces scooped =
out of
the rock. Majestically standing above them all are two of the world's =
largest
statues of Lord Buddha - one is 175 ft tall and the other 120 ft high wit=
h a
distance of 4000 ft between the two. The faces of the giant Buddha figur=
es were
covered with gold and decorated with precious gems that dazzled the eye."
The decline and abandonment of the Bamiyan monastery and shrine began aro=
und the
9th century. The reasons were several: increasing insecurity of the trade=
route;
loss of elan of the Buddhist sangh in the face of rival religious orders;=
frequent
Mongol raids in this whole region of Gandhara right up to the Indus river=
; the
idol-breaking zealotry of certain rulers and their armed hordes; when aba=
ndoned,
the depredations of itinerant shepherds and their sheep and cattle, using=
the
vacant cells for sheltering in winter months; weathering factor - seepage=
of water
from-melting snow, slippage of stone slabs, dust and dirt, bird nests, =
etc.
This phase of neglect lasted a long time, right up to the beginning of =
the 20th
century when some enterprising archaeologists caught on to the importance=
of
Bamiyan's place in archaeological diggings and findings of this Afghan =
and Central
Asian region. Some preliminary work was done by A Godard and J Hickin who=
made an
extensive survey. about 50 years ago. They did some elementary conservat=
ion work
to protect some peeling off murals and medallions. More recently, P Lezin=
e wrote a
report for UNESCO. But no actual fieldwork got done till, one gathers, =
the
Archaeological Survey of India took up this task in July 1969 as a result=
of an
Indo-Afghan agreement for collaboration.
The ASI teams could work for only four months in a year when the weather =
conditions permitted such conservation work. By 1973 the work with the =
smaller
Buddha sculpture was over. The work on the bigger Buddha and its, surroun=
ding
cells and passages went on till 1979-80 season, when this work had to be =
stopped.
Civil war in Afghanistan made it continuity impossible. But the hope was=
that as
soon as peaceful conditions returned, the project could restart and go =
on for
another 15 years or so.
That hope is now turning into a sense of alarm. If the Taliban leaders =
carry out
their threat, there may be nothing left to conserve for posterity. After=
the loss
of the ancient art treasures of Kabul Museum (including the celebrated =
Begram
Ivory) a couple of years back when the war waves swirled around and in =
Kabul city,
the loss of Bamiyan will be a great tragedy for Afghanistan's future citi=
zens as
well as the rest of the world who value art heritage.
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