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Central Asia Workshop: Bamiyan Archeology

Presentation by ShaoXuecheng

Thursday, January 22, 2015
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Bunche 11377



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In 2001 the Taliban destroyed the two Buddha statues of Bamiyan and with that it is believed that the last Buddhist sculptures disappeared from Bamiyan.  However, according to the records of  Chinese T'ang monk Xuanzang's journey <Da Tang Xi Yu JI> (Xuan Zang visited Bamiyan at 630 AD), the Bamiyan Valley had another depiction of the Nirvana  Buddha (almost 300 meters in height). 
From 1922 onward French official archaeologist orangized DAFA, which began an archaeological survey into Afghanistan.  This presentation will discuss the question of whether the Nirvana Buddha really exist or was it merely discussed?  Archaeological survey and excavation in the recent 15 years have found many new material in the  Bamiyan valley and this presentation will discuss what these new materials tell us about the Nirvara Buddha.