And they fostered a syncretic culture, in which tribal traditions from Central Asia fused with artistic conventions derived from the Hellenized Mediterranean and with the powerful creed of Buddhist India.īuddhism was by this time in an expansionist mode, offering religious practices that spoke to the masses and an appealing style of illustrative art, backed by the subtle philosophy of the Mahayana sect. The Kushans made themselves the unavoidable middlemen between China, India and Rome, and prospered on the revenues of the Silk Road. Among its principal cities were Kapissa, just north of Kabul, and Peshawar in Gandhara (Pakistan). They established a large empire that endured for three centuries and reached from the shores of the Caspian Sea deep into northern India. a semi-nomadic tribe called the Kushans swept out of Bactria, overpowering the rulers of the hill-tribes and what remained of the Graeco- Bactrian kingdoms. The rise of Bamiyan is part of a bigger story, the Buddhist conquest of Central Asia, and that in turn was linked to the political and economic currents of that time. The mutilated Buddha statues lost their faces to the zealotry of Aurangzeb’s soldiers in the 18th century, and were eventually blown up by Taliban zealots in March 2001. The forts and guard-towers at every strategic spot are there for a reason and those ruins up on the plateau are the legacy of the Mongol’s fury. A major trade route passed through the valley, linking Central Asia with India and bringing both wealth and turmoil. The sense of apartness may have been what drew Buddhist monks here, to build a large monastic center watched over by those colossal statues of the Buddha staring out from the cliffs.īut Bamiyan was never out of this world. The flat cultivated bottomlands are dotted with mud-brick farmsteads, each a toy fort with watchtowers in the angles and a river runs through it. Tall mountains flecked with snow stand to the north and south. Here is a green high valley (over 8000 ft), bounded by ochre cliffs. If there were paradise on earth, it might look somewhat like Bamiyan (see images).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |