Posted on 11/09/2005 4:38:04 PM PST by blam
Japanese researchers find Buddhist stone caves in Afghanistan
KABUL, November 9 (SANA) – A team of Japanese researchers has found Buddhist stone caves believed to date back to the eighth century about 120 kilometers west of the Bamiyan ruins in central Afghanistan, the team said Wednesday.
The team, headed by Ryukoku University professor Takashi Irisawa, confirmed in late October the discovery of a group of caves built on cliffs located 1 km west of the Keligan ruins in the upper Band-e-Amir River area.
The discovery indicates the possibility that the influence of Buddhism may have extended to the area of the upper waters of the river centering around the Keligan ruins around the eighth century, and that the religion's sphere of influence in the region may have been greater than previously thought, team members said. Islam was beginning to gather momentum around that time.
"It will provide an invaluable clue in researching the sphere of Buddhism stretching westward," said Irisawa, an expert on Buddhist culture at the Kyoto-based university.
The group of caves is made up of four layers with seven rooms. The bottom layer, which is the largest, is 4 meters high, 5 meters wide and 15 meters long.
Three rooms in the bottom layer have spaces where Buddhist statues are believed to have been placed, indicating that the rooms may have been used for praying, team members said.
Irisawa said, there is "little doubt that the caves are Buddhist caves as they closely resemble the structure and architectural style of the Bamiyan stone caves."
Xuanzang, a Chinese monk known as Genjo Sanzo in Japan who visited Bamiyan in the seventh century, wrote in his book on his travels called "The Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty" that he had passed more than a dozen temples and some 300 monks on his way to Bamiyan.
The area of the Keligan ruins may have been where Xuanzang passed through, team members said.
A group of stone caves were also found in a village 2 km east of the Keligan ruins.
The cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley, which was destroyed by the country's former Taliban rulers in 2001, were registered on the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage list in 2003.
Ping.
Not surprising really; Afghanistan was a leading center of Buddhist culture till it was destroyed by invadng muslims.
A lesson for modern day France.
Now that the find has been announced, how long until they are destroyed by Muslims?
That's the first thing I thought as well.
This is going to open up a huge discourse and conversation between these two countries. It's like, learning who your own ancestors were and did. And how they evolved to you. Wow.
Wonderful find! Some months ago, I watched a program about an Afghani archaeologist whose name I can't recall. He worked in the Bumiyan Valley for years and had to leave the country when the Taliban took over. The story detailed the lengths and the risks ordinary Afghanis took to preserve ancient art and archaeological treasures. After the fall of the Taliban (thank you, US military!), this man has returned to the Bumiyan valley to resume his work. He is convinced from earlier discoveries,writings etc., that a huge "reclining Buddha" lies undiscovered in the region. With this recent discovery by the Japanese team, the possibility of finding the other Buddha seems closer.
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You sound like the eternal optimist.
In this day and age, it's more likely to result in increased warfare in an attempt to reclaim lost land or will assume the more clandestine form of warfare known as occupation.
Hmmm... are you suggesting that Japan might wish to build a Toyota plant in Afghanistan?
No. I was just being a pessimist. Seems people/nations are getting more and more greedy and take advantage of whatever they can.
Yes, you were being a pessimist, GofPM. ;> Sometimes, it does happen. And sometimes, it happens for very good reasons which are beneficial to both sides. And when it is beneficial to both countries or locations, you can count on the MSM to call it a "bad thing".
The above book is a wonderful illustrated record of painted Buddhist caves in Western China. The photographer is Iranian. He got permission to go out there. The caves are in an area which used to be prosperous but then became desertified and depopulated, so became remote and empty.
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