Owing to technology, Afghanistan's Bamiyan Buddhas return after being destroyed by Taliban
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Kabul, Mar 12: The Bamiyan Buddhas were recently brought back to life with the help of 3D projection in an event held in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan. The event called 'A Night with Buddha' was held on the 20th anniversary of annihilation of the 6th century Buddha statues 6th century in the valley. The event is a beautiful sight where hundreds of young Afghan men and women, carrying kerosene lanterns, spend their nights in a valley of central highlands.
The statues of Bamiyan Buddha, which find the place among the tallest statues of the world once, were broken into small pieces by Taliban. Taliban started to blow up two of the Buddha statues of the Bamiyan valley of Afghanistan in March 2001. The statues were carved into the side of a cliff located in the Bamyan valley of central Afghanistan. The smaller Buddha or the Eastern Buddha had the height of 38 m while the larger Buddha or the Western Buddha was 55 m in height.
The statues represented a classic blend of Gandhara art style or the blend of artistic style of Guptas, Sassanian and the Hellenistic style of sculpting. The statues were called by local as male 'Salsal' that means 'light shines through the universe' and female 'Shamama' that meaning 'Queen Mother'. Thus, the statues were an integral part of art and history of the Indian subcontinent, altogether.
The Bamiyan Buddhas were situated in high mountains of Hindu Kush in central highlands called Bamiyan Valley of the Afghanistan. The Bamiyan valley, along the line of the Bamiyan River, was once an integral part of the ancient Silk Roads. It provided passage for merchants, religion, culture and language. The region became a major cultural, religious and trade centre when Buddhist Kushan Empire spread. The countries like India, China and Rome asked for passage to travel through Bamiyan and thus the Kushans developed a syncretic culture.
However, ever after 20 years of the destruction of the statues, the Buddha statues were restructured with the help of 3D projection that made the rocks glow faithfully, at night to celebrate 'A Night with Buddha.'