Sunday, April 1, 2001		Response

Bamiyan Buddha is dead, long live the Buddha!
By Balvinder

THIS refers to "outrage at Bamiyan" by T.V. Rajeshwar (March 18). Perhaps because II am an artist, the recent news of the demolition of the world-famous statue of the Buddha at Bamiyan pained me immensely. However, it did not shock me much. For, albeit we have inherited a very rich and fine sculptural tradition, it has been handed down to us in a shattered state, thanks to the iconoclastic vandals who have been active in this region from times immemorial. For instance, one does not come across even a single sculpture in the Chandigarh Museum which is not broken or defaced.

In 630 AD when Hieun-Tsang saw these figures of Buddha at Bamiyan, they reportedly were decorated with gold and fine jewels, which are not there even in the earliest pictures. In fact the earliest image of the Buddha at Bamiyan, which has came to us via pictures, published in books of art history is that with a defaced structure. For, much before the demolition to which it was recently subjected, the towering image of Buddha had suffered many a shameless strike by art-vandals.

However, could such defacement of Buddha’s statue, belittle its towering mystical facade? No, not at all. The imposing idols of Buddha may have been lost; the exalted ideals of Buddha cannot be eroded. As far as the art of iconography is concerned, that too cannot be curtailed through such barbaric acts. In fact, such heartless assaults on art objects reinforce, among the artists and the common people alike, the power and potential of artistic pursuits, which always strive to enhance and strengthen human existence.

Bamiyan Buddha is dead: Long live the Buddha!