'World's oldest' 48-feet long Buddha statue unearthed in Haripur district

[Joe Shearer]

Just waiting for folk from across Radcliffe line to start making their claims about the ownership.

Stop digging up our statues.

boy am I glad for this. instead of being discovered on the other side of the border. visiting the Bamiyan Buddha was on my bucket list and it hurt a lot when it was bombarded to rubble by the Taliban. I am hoping Pakistan is much better at preserving these precious remnants from the past.

but saddened seeing the faceless Buddha statues. Any defacement of such precious articles is vandalism - why do people need to deface such statues I never understand!

Saddened?

The statues have nothing to do with Buddhist doctrine or with practice of Buddhism in daily life. They were built some 400 to 600 years after the Buddha. So there is no real, tangible reason for a Buddhist to feel desolate. But they too might feel saddened. Or even a slight more emotion than that.

 

[django]

Stop digging up our statues.

LOL....We will get IIT-Kharagpur's Prof Anindya Sarkar to date them using Carbon 14 analysis.Kudos Joe

 

[Joe Shearer]

LOL....We will get IIT-Kharagpur's Prof Anindya Sarkar to date them using Carbon 14 analysis.Kudos Joe

Damn.

Wonder if he can be Googled and traced. A truck accident can be organised if he can be found. If he wasn't in Bengal, the gau rakshaks could be put onto him.

 

[django]

Damn.

Wonder if he can be Googled and traced. A truck accident can be organised if he can be found. If he wasn't in Bengal, the gau rakshaks could be put onto him.

We will have to send in a covert team to bring the good Prof to Pak, though we need to maintain utmost vigilance as Michel Danino is surely plotting.Kudos Joe

 

[Arsalan]

This is a GREAT find. Non of the pics in this thread so far are from this statue. This is a new find and is reported to be HUGE (48 foot is no joke).

The site is located on Haro river and is not easy to reach. You need to go up river from Khanpur dam to reach it.

Hopefully this will be restored at site and will turn into a major tourist attractions. (MANY Chinese and Koreans already visit these places)

BTW I visited Taxila Buddhist sites last month and can post some pictures from my personal album but in a relevant thread or here if anyone wants.

Hmmmm..... Taxila!!

Which places you managed to visit? Sirkap? Julian? did you visit dhamarajika as well?

 

[Joe Shearer]

We will have to send in a covert team to bring the good Prof to Pak, though we need to maintain utmost vigilance as Michel Danino is surely plotting.Kudos Joe

Ooh....low blow. And that pie-faced prock isn't even Indian.

Curiousity: have you actually read his stuff?

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

no surprises. buddha statue making was started by greeks. they probably ruled that area back in the day

Gandhara civilisation predates any greek rule... its statues and artifacts are unique and are considered part of Gandharan culture/civilisation...

 

[Spring Onion]

Hmmmm..... Taxila!!

Which places you managed to visit? Sirkap? Julian? did you visit dhamarajika as well?

Sirkap and Julian so far. Julian is just outside my cousin's house so its a walking distance of about 8 minutes. Some parts of these are just outsides about two minutes distance

boy am I glad for this. instead of being discovered on the other side of the border. visiting the Bamiyan Buddha was on my bucket list and it hurt a lot when it was bombarded to rubble by the Taliban. I am hoping Pakistan is much better at preserving these precious remnants from the past.

but saddened seeing the faceless Buddha statues. Any defacement of such precious articles is vandalism - why do people need to deface such statues I never understand!

Come over to Pakistan I can help you visit Taxila Buddhist sites. As far as facekess Buddha statues well no extremist has done that in fact many were discovered without face and the reason is that smugglers done the damage by resorting to illegal excavation specially in Haripur district of KpK.

 

[django]

Ooh....low blow. And that pie-faced prock isn't even Indian.

Curiousity: have you actually read his stuff?

Have been through some of his articles on the web, the chap is living in cuckoo land.Kudos Joe

 

[Joe Shearer]

Sirkap and Julian so far. Julian is just outside my cousin's house so its a walking distance of about 8 minutes. Some parts of these are just outsides about two minutes distance


Come over to Pakistan I can help you visit Taxila Buddhist sites. As far as facekess Buddha statues well no extremist has done that in fact many were discovered without face and the reason is that smugglers done the damage by resorting to illegal excavation specially in Haripur district of KpK.

LOL.

You too, Ma'am?

 

[Spring Onion]

LOL.

You too, Ma'am?

what you mean by you too? I am saying this with conviction about the Buddha statues in Pakistan

 

[Joe Shearer]

what you mean by you too? I am saying this with conviction about the Buddha statues in Pakistan

What about the millions - literally millions - of religious idols defaced throughout the length and breadth of south Asia? How is it that only this group was disfigured by smugglers? Or are we being told that the smugglers had got to all the others?

I respect your patriotism and loyalty, but I think you know very well why and how these happen to have been disfigured. It is up to you to decide how to face that fact; if you insist that smugglers did it, please feel free. I have nothing further to say on the matter.

 

[Spring Onion]

What about the millions - literally millions - of religious idols defaced throughout the length and breadth of south Asia? How is it that only this group was disfigured by smugglers? Or are we being told that the smugglers had got to all the others?

I respect your patriotism and loyalty, but I think you know very well why and how these happen to have been disfigured. It is up to you to decide how to face that fact; if you insist that smugglers did it, please feel free. I have nothing further to say on the matter.

SIR I was and am replying to the question about faceless Buddha statues discovered from parts of KPK specially Taxila and Huripur districts of my province and I repeat again these have been excavated in the same position and no defacing by anyone here. I am NOT contesting or denying the destruction of religious idols throughout the LENGTH and Breadth of SOUTH ASIA. I am only talking about Buddha statues found in Taxila and Huripur districts of Kpk, Pakistan and my claim is not based on any patriotism rather the ground realities viz a viz great treasure and history of my province of my country.

 

[Joe Shearer]

SIR I was and am replying to the question about faceless Buddha statues discovered from parts of KPK specially Taxila and Huripur districts of my province and I repeat again these have been excavated in the same position and no defacing by anyone here. I am NOT contesting or denying the destruction of religious idols throughout the LENGTH and Breadth of SOUTH ASIA. I am only talking about Buddha statues found in Taxila and Huripur districts of Kpk, Pakistan and my claim is not based on any patriotism rather the ground realities viz a viz great treasure and history of my province of my country.

As you please, Ma'am.

This is a sad day for me, to have to read what has been written.

My personal respect for you, however, remains intact. Sincere good wishes.

Gandhara civilisation predates any greek rule... its statues and artifacts are unique and are considered part of Gandharan culture/civilisation...

There was no image-making before the Greeks. There is so much history being composed on PDF that it is rapidly becoming overwhelming. I suspect you know nothing about Gandharan culture and civilisation; there is nothing unique about it except its use of statuary.

That will not affect your myth-making and your creation of a history for yourselves, so please feel free to believe what you want.

I am fed up of this kind of deliberate falsification.

 

[Spring Onion]

As you please, Ma'am.

This is a sad day for me, to have to read what has been written.

My personal respect for you, however, remains intact. Sincere good wishes.

Are you ok? can you counter what I said? or can you please prove that these Buddha statues discovered in KPK were defaced deliberately? I am familiar with the study and these discoveries and also can vouch for integrity of honesty of Dr. Samad and his team who is director archaeology department KPK.