Buddhas of Bamiyan

Baamiyaan (ya baamiyaan) ke buddh 6th shataabdee kee do smaarakeey moortiyaan theen, jo kaabul se 130 kilomeetar (81 meel) uttar-pashchim mein 2,500 meetar (8,200 pheet) kee oonchaee par, afganistaan kee baamiyaan ghaatee mein ek chattaan ke kinaare khudee huee theen.  buddh ke sanrachanaatmak ghatakon kee kaarban deting se pata chala hai ki chhota 38 meetar (125 pheet) "poorvee buddh" lagabhag 570 eesvee mein banaaya gaya tha, aur bada 55 meetar (180 pheet) "pashchimee buddh" lagabhag 618 eesvee mein banaaya gaya tha, jo donon us samay ke hain jab hephthalaits ne is kshetr par shaasan kiya tha. . yah praacheen silk rod par bauddhon ke lie ek pavitr sthal tha. taalibaan ke sansthaapak mulla umar ke aadesh par, taalibaan sarakaar dvaara ghoshit kie jaane ke baad maarch 2001 mein moortiyon ko nasht kar diya gaya tha. antarraashtreey aur sthaaneey janamat ne buddhon ke vinaash kee kadee ninda kee.

On orders from Taliban founder Mullah Omar, the statues were destroyed in March 2001, after the Taliban government declared that they were idols. International and local opinion strongly condemned the destruction of the Buddhas. The statues represented a later evolution of the classic blended style of Gandhara art. The larger statue was named *"Salsal"* ("the light shines through the universe") and was referred as a male. The smaller statue is called *"Shah Mama"* ("Queen Mother"), identified as a female figure. The Buddhas were surrounded by numerous caves and surfaces decorated with paintings. It is thought that these mostly dated from the 6th to 8th centuries CE, ending with the Muslim conquests of Afghanistan. The smaller works of art are considered as an artistic synthesis of Buddhist art and Gupta art from India, with influences from the Sasanian Empire and the Byzantine Empire, as well as the Tokhara Yabghus.

Mahaan patthar ke buddh, ek 175 pheet oonche aur doosare 125 pheet, kam se kam 6veen shataabdee se ghaatee kee nigaraanee kar rahe the. unhonne changej khaan aur samraat aurangajeb se lekar british aur soviyat tak, sadiyon ke mausam aur aakramanakaariyon kee ek shrrnkhala ko sahan kiya tha. jeevit chattaan se 800 guphaon, mathon aur mandiron ke netavark ke saath nakkaashee kee gaee, ve kaheen bhee pae jaane vaale praarambhik bauddh kala ke behatareen udaaharanon mein se ek the. pratimaon ko helenik tyooniks pahane hue darshaaya gaya tha, jo lagabhag ek sahasraabdee pahale madhy eshiyaee mishran mein sikandar mahaan ke yogadaan kee pratidhvani thee.

aphagaanistaan kee asaadhaaran saanskrtik vividhata aur itihaas ke chauraahe par sthit ye bahut hee moort prateek taalibaan ke lie sahan karane ke lie bahut adhik the. bhale hee 10veen shataabdee ke baad se baamiyaan ghaatee mein koee bauddh nahin raha, mulla mohammad umar ne moortiyon ko "moortipoojak" aur "gair-islaamik" maana. maarch 2001 mein kaee dinon tak, taalibaan ne vimaan bhedee topon aur topakhaane se moortiyon par goleebaaree kee, jisase ve kshatigrast ho gaeen lekin unhen pooree tarah se nasht karane mein asamarth rahe. unhonne niche ke nichale hisse mein taink rodhee khadaanen lagaeen, taaki jab topakhaane kee aag se chattaan ke tukade tooten, to ve gir jaen aur phir se uda die jaen. ant mein, antarraashtreey samudaay, puraatatvavidon aur bauddh aur islaamee vidvaanon ke sakht virodh ke beech, unhonne kuchh sthaaneey hajaara purushon ke chaaron or rassiyaan baandh deen, unhen chattaan se neeche gira diya, aur unhen buddh ke chhed mein visphotak rakhane ke lie majaboor kiya. jin do hajaara logon se mainne baat kee, ve shiya the, jo taalibaan ke tahat bhayaanak roop se peedit the, unhonne us bhayankar uchhaal aur dhool ke baadal ka varnan kiya jo buddhon ke nasht hone par kothariyon se nikala tha. kisee bhee maanak ke anusaar, yah itihaas aur sanskrti ke khilaaph ek bhayaanak aparaadh tha, lekin taalibaan ne ise maaph nahin kiya. mulla umar ko yah kahate hue uddhrt kiya gaya, “aap kis baare mein shikaayat kar rahe hain? ham keval pattharon par yuddh lad rahe hain.”

### 2002 to present
 

## References

* Japan offered to hide Bamiyan statues, but Taliban asked Japan to convert to Islam instead
* News articles about the Buddhas of Bamyan
* Photos of the Buddhas of Bamyan
* Bamyan Afghanistan Laser Project
* World Heritage Tour: 360 degree image (after destruction)
* Bamyan Development Community Portal for cultural heritage management of Bamyan
* The World Monuments Fund's Watch List 2008 listing for Bamyan
* Historic Footage of Bamyan Statues, c. 1973 on YouTube
*  A tourist pamphlet from 1967
* Researchers Say They Can Restore 1 of Destroyed Bamiyan Buddhas
* Secrets of the Bamiyan Buddhas, CNRS
* Bamiyan photo gallery, UNESCO
* Secrets of Bamiyan Buddhist murals. ESRF
* Photo Feature Covering Bamiyan Site