Buddha Statue found in Afghanistan

"Buddha statue find at Afghan site"

(BBC News, 9/8/08)

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Taliban dynamited Bamiyan Buddha statues in 2001 (AFP).

A giant statue of a Buddha has been discovered in central Afghanistan, near to the ruins of the world-famous Bamiyan Buddhas.

Archaeologists say the 62 ft. statue is in a sleeping position and dates back to the 3rd Cen-tury. Other relics such as coins and ceramics were also found. In 2001, the Taliban blew up two giant standing Buddhas carved into the mountainside at Bamiyan -- once a thriving center of Buddhism.

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[Afghanistan was in a sense part of ancient "India," a region known as Gandhara. Examples of Buddhist statuary from this period, which exhibit Greco-Roman features and togas, can be found at: Norton Simon. Buddhism extended far to the west to at least Greece and north to Russia].

The statues, the tallest such standing Buddhas in the world at the time, were considered by the Taliban to be un-Islamic representations of the human form. Archaeologists are working on restoring the larger of the two Buddhas [that were blown up] in a project that is expected to take a decade.

• VIDEO: BBC in Bamiyan
• STORY: Afghanistan today

A local official in Bamiyan said the newly found statue had been badly damaged, but some parts of it, such as the neck and right hand, were in a good condition. He said measures were being taken to protect it, and it was hoped the statue would go on public display next year.

The latest find gives hope to archaeologists searching for a 900 ft. long statue recorded by a Chinese pilgrim centuries ago. Iconic Buddhist art works, now thought to be the oldest oil paintings in the world, have also been found in the caves at Bamiyan.

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Gandhara-style Buddha detail (Norton Simon)