7.3 Central Asia

Central Asia

Buddhas of Bamiyan

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia (CC BY 4.0)

Form

• Cut rock with plaster and paint, which has since worn away.

Function

• The Buddhas of Bamiyan were made for practicing Buddhists in the area. Some circumambulated the sculpture as a form of worship, and monks from surrounding monasteries would come to it to pray 🙏

Content

• This work is of two statues of Buddha (the founder of Buddhism) with Greek-style clothing and hairstyles, showing the extent of both religious and cultural syncretism in Central Asia.
• The larger Buddha sculpture pictures Vairocana (the universal Buddha), while the smaller one is of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha AKA Gautama Buddha).
• Decorations made of paint 🎨, stucco, and wood once covered the statues, but they have since come off.

Context

• The Bamiyan Valley was located along the Silk Road, which explains how Greek artistic traditions influenced this work and how Buddhism spread to the region.
• In 2001, the statues were destroyed by the Taliban in an act of iconoclasm, the destruction of works with icons, in this case, because of religious differences.

Jowo Rinpoche

Image Courtesy of Khan Academy

Form

• Gilt metal with stones and paint.

Function

• This statue was made to represent the Buddha after his parinirvana, which refers to his death.

Content

• Buddha is depicted with his legs in padmasana 🧘, also known as lotus position, and his left hand signifying dhyana mudra (the gesture of contemplation), which suggests that he is meditating.
• His elaborate decoration and food offerings 🍌 left by visitors to the statue shows how revered the Buddha is to his followers.

Context

• Tibet was exposed to Buddhism during the 6th to 9th centuries CE by travelers from India.