Tracing India's roots to Bamiyan

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Our ancestors saw the birth of many religions that soon spread to the rest of the world, and Buddhism in particular was adopted by many countries including Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Russia where Buddhist shrines have managed, in part, to withstand the ravages of war and time.

Eminent art historian, film-maker and photographer Benoy K. Behl, who has been documenting Buddhist sites and art in countries like Siberia, China, Japan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka for many years, recently visited Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kalmykia province of European Russia which claims to be the only European region with a 400-year-old Buddhist tradition.

The Bamiyan site, dating back to the 6th Century in war-torn Afghanistan, was once home to the brhad Buddha or the larger-than-life statues of the Buddha. Today there are only niches where these brhads once stood. The tradition of these giant statues originated in 5th Century India and spread across Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhist faith. The grandeur of these statues was meant to reflect the grandeur of the human spirit.

Mr. Behl was so enraptured by the sight that he captured the absent deity in a photograph as if to say that though the statue may not be present in form, having lost the fight against man's cruelty and intolerance, it is definitely present in spirit.

http://www.thehindu.com/arts/history-and-culture/article2458607.ece