HVK Archives: Need to save Bamiyan heritage
Need to save Bamiyan heritage - The Pioneer
Ram Dhamija
()
9 May 1997
Title : Need to save Bamiyan heritage
Author : Ram Dhamija
Publication : The Pioneer
Date : May 9, 1997
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 these
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, passages,
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 stone
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 fitted in
place between the massive shoulders. The cells for monks and worship-halls 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 situated 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 blossoms and
willows drooping over the shallow, cascading, clear river waters; the cliff-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 freezing 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 with a
distance of 4000 ft between the two. The faces of the giant Buddha figures were
covered with gold and decorated with precious gems that dazzled the eye."
The decline and abandonment of the Bamiyan monastery and shrine began around 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 abandoned,
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 conservation work
to protect some peeling off murals and medallions. More recently, P Lezine 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, surrounding
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 citizens as
well as the rest of the world who value art heritage.
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