Bamyan Budha Statues as a Religios Symbol: Past and Present

Muhammed Naim Naimi; Mustafa Göregen

Article Details

Bamyan Budha Statues as a Religios Symbol: Past and Present

Authors:

Muhammed Naim Naimi | Mustafa Göregen

Publisher:

Sakarya University

Main Topics:

Çağdaş Asya Tarihi

Journal:

Akademik İncelemeler Dergisi Vol.20 Issue 1, pp.68-84

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001342126

pISSN:

1306-7885

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Buddhism emerged in India in the 6th century BC. After the death of Gautama Sakyamuni, who developed and taught this religious and ethical philosophy, he came to be known as the Buddha, meaning the enlightened one. It was during the reign of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka that the Buddhas teachings spread as a religion throughout India and beyond its borders. The construction of the Buddha statues, which are the main subject of this study, took place during the period of the Kushan Empire. These statues, one standing 53 meters and the other 35 meters high, were carved in the city of Bamyan, which is now part of Afghanistan. The spread of Buddhism in Afghanistan, the establishment of Bamyan as one of its key centers, and the construction and destruction of the statueswhich are regarded as religious symbols and cultural heritageare among the secondary topics of this study. Accordingly, the study aims to investigate the creation of the two Buddha statues in Bamyan as the most important objective and religious symbol of Buddhism, their role as religious elements, their preservation as cultural and historical heritage, and the attempts to destroy them, culminating in their destruction process. The questions this study seeks to answer are: When and by whom were the two Buddha statues carved out of the mountain at the foot of the Hindu Kush in Bamyan as religious symbols? What is their religious, historical, and cultural value? What is the current state of these important religious symbols, why were they vandalized, and how much of them has been destroyed? This study is limited to the history of Buddhism in Bamyan, the construction of the Buddha statues as religious symbols, their preservation, the attempts to destroy them, and the story of their destruction in 2001. For methodology, the literature-based survey method, a qualitative research design, was used. The collected secondary data were evaluated and interpreted using descriptive analysis techniques.

 Buddhism emerged in India in the 6th century BC. After the death of Gautama Sakyamuni, who developed and taught this religious and ethical philosophy, he came to be known as the Buddha, meaning the enlightened one. It was during the reign of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka that the Buddhas teachings spread as a religion throughout India and beyond its borders. The construction of the Buddha statues, which are the main subject of this study, took place during the period of the Kushan Empire. These statues, one standing 53 meters and the other 35 meters high, were carved in the city of Bamyan, which is now part of Afghanistan. The spread of Buddhism in Afghanistan, the establishment of Bamyan as one of its key centers, and the construction and destruction of the statueswhich are regarded as religious symbols and cultural heritageare among the secondary topics of this study. Accordingly, the study aims to investigate the creation of the two Buddha statues in Bamyan as the most important objective and religious symbol of Buddhism, their role as religious elements, their preservation as cultural and historical heritage, and the attempts to destroy them, culminating in their destruction process. The questions this study seeks to answer are: When and by whom were the two Buddha statues carved out of the mountain at the foot of the Hindu Kush in Bamyan as religious symbols? What is their religious, historical, and cultural value? What is the current state of these important religious symbols, why were they vandalized, and how much of them has been destroyed? This study is limited to the history of Buddhism in Bamyan, the construction of the Buddha statues as religious symbols, their preservation, the attempts to destroy them, and the story of their destruction in 2001. For methodology, the literature-based survey method, a qualitative research design, was used. The collected secondary data were evaluated and interpreted using descriptive analysis techniques.

 Buddhism emerged in India in the 6th century BC. After the death of Gautama Sakyamuni, who developed and taught this religious and ethical philosophy, he came to be known as the Buddha, meaning the enlightened one. It was during the reign of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka that the Buddhas teachings spread as a religion throughout India and beyond its borders. The construction of the Buddha statues, which are the main subject of this study, took place during the period of the Kushan Empire. These statues, one standing 53 meters and the other 35 meters high, were carved in the city of Bamyan, which is now part of Afghanistan. The spread of Buddhism in Afghanistan, the establishment of Bamyan as one of its key centers, and the construction and destruction of the statueswhich are regarded as religious symbols and cultural heritageare among the secondary topics of this study. Accordingly, the study aims to investigate the creation of the two Buddha statues in Bamyan as the most important objective and religious symbol of Buddhism, their role as religious elements, their preservation as cultural and historical heritage, and the attempts to destroy them, culminating in their destruction process. The questions this study seeks to answer are: When and by whom were the two Buddha statues carved out of the mountain at the foot of the Hindu Kush in Bamyan as religious symbols? What is their religious, historical, and cultural value? What is the current state of these important religious symbols, why were they vandalized, and how much of them has been destroyed? This study is limited to the history of Buddhism in Bamyan, the construction of the Buddha statues as religious symbols, their preservation, the attempts to destroy them, and the story of their destruction in 2001. For methodology, the literature-based survey method, a qualitative research design, was used. The collected secondary data were evaluated and interpreted using descriptive analysis techniques.

 Budizm, MÖ. 6. asırlarda Hindistanda ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu dinî ve ahlakî öğretiyi benimseyip çevresine öğretmeye çalışan Gautama Sakiamuninin ölümünden sonra kendisine aydınlanan anlamında Buddha denilmeye başlanmıştır. Buddhanın izlediği yol ve öğretilerinin din olarak Hindistanın muhtelif bölgelerine ve Hint hudutlarının dışına çıkması ise Maurya İmparatoru Aşoka döneminde olmuştur. Çalışmamızın ana konusunu oluşturan Buda Heykellerinin yapımı ise MS. Kuşan İmparatorluğu döneminde tıraş edilmiştir. Biri 53 bir diğeri ise 35 metre yükseklikte olan Buda Heykelleri, bugün Afganistan sınırlarında kalan Bamyan şehrinde yapılmıştır. Afganistanda Budizmin yayılması, Bamyan şehrinin Budizmin merkezlerinden biri olarak kabul görmesi, dinî bir sembol ve kültürel miras olarak kabul edilen heykellerin yapılışı ve tahrip edilişi, çalışmamızın tali konuları arasında değerlendirilmiştir. Buna bağlı olarak çalışmamızda, Afganistanın Bamyan şehrinde bulunan iki adet Buda Heykelinin, Budizmin en önemli objektif unsuru ve dinî sembolü olarak tıraş edilmesi, dinî bir unsur olarak kullanılması, kültürel ve tarihi miras olarak muhafaza edilmesi ile tahrip girişimleri ve tahrip edilmesi sürecinin araştırılması amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmamızda cevap aranan sorular ise dinî bir sembol olarak Afganistanın Bamyan şehri Hindukuş dağının eteğinde dağdan oyularak yapılan iki adet Buda Heykelinin ne zaman, kimler tarafından yapılmış? Dinî, tarihi ve kültürel değeri nedir? Bu önemli dinî sembol, günümüzde ne durumdadır, neden tahrip edilmiştir ve ne kadarı tahrip edilmiştir? Çalışma, Budizmin Afganistanın Bamyan şehrindeki geçmişi, dinî bir sembol olarak Bamyandaki Buda Heykellerinin yapılışı, muhafaza edilmesi, tahrip girişimleri ve 2001deki tahrip edilmesi serüveni ile sınırlandırılmıştır. Yöntem olarak nitel araştırma desenlerinden literatüre dayalı tarama yöntemi tercih edilmiştir. Toplanan ikincil verilerin betimsel analiz teknikle değerlendirilip yorumlanmıştır.

Article Details

Bamyan Budha Statues as a Religios Symbol: Past and Present

Authors:

Muhammed Naim Naimi | Mustafa Göregen

Publisher:

Sakarya University

Main Topics:

Çağdaş Asya Tarihi

Journal:

Akademik İncelemeler Dergisi Vol.20 Issue 1, pp.68-84

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001342126

pISSN:

1306-7885

History of Religions

Psychology of Religion

Afghanistan

Bamyan

BuddhismDinler Tarihi

Din Psikolojisi

Afganistan

Bamyan

Budizm

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Muhammed Naim Naimi | Mustafa Göregen

Publisher: Sakarya University

Main Topics: Çağdaş Asya Tarihi

Journal: Akademik İncelemeler Dergisi Vol.20 Issue 1, pp.68-84

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 4/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001342126

pISSN: 1306-7885

Issues

Authors:

Muhammed Naim Naimi | Mustafa Göregen

Publisher:

Sakarya University

Main Topics:

Çağdaş Asya Tarihi

Journal:

Akademik İncelemeler Dergisi Vol.20 Issue 1, pp.68-84

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

4/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001342126

pISSN:

1306-7885