Author Archives: azibaza2

Part of an ancient Vishnu statue has been discovered by Trapeang Phong temple restoration team in Kork Srok village, Roluos commune, Prasat Bakong district, Siem Reap province, which was found on the right side of the temple’s central tower on March 31. Apsara Authority spokesman Long Kosal told Khmer Times that the fragment of the […]

A new travelogue investigates the Buddhist sites of ancient Gandhara and sheds light on an often forgotten confluence of civilisations By Bibek Bhattacharya In 2001, when the Taliban blew up the monumental statues of the Buddha at Bamiyan in Afghanistan, it marked a tragic low in the history of religious iconoclasm. The destruction of the […]

BAMIYAN, Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s giant Buddhas stood watch over the picturesque Bamiyan valley for centuries, surviving Mongol invasions and the harsh environment until the Taliban arrived with an apocalyptic worldview that did not care about one of the great wonders of antiquity. After years of scorched-earth offensives across Afghanistan, the militants — who saw any representation […]

The Thousand-Buddha motif is a recurrent theme in the Buddhist art of Central Asia and China. The motif depicts a multitude of buddhas arranged in a grid fashion, all seated in meditation on a lotus pedestal, and its popularity increased predominantly during the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534) in northern China. It was carved on stone […]

A small floral bowl bought at a yard sale in Connecticut for just $35 has been identified as an exceptionally rare 15th-century Chinese antique. The intricate blue-and-white artifact, which features motifs of lotus, peony, chrysanthemum and pomegranate blossoms, was originally commissioned by China’s imperial court during the Ming dynasty. It is now expected to sell […]

As per the evidence found in Hazaribagh, it appeared that the Buddhist structures were built during the Pala period, said an archaeologist with the ASI. A 10th century structure resembling a small ‘Buddha Vihar’ (Buddhist shrine-cum-monastery) has been discovered during an excavation, being carried out by Archeological Survey of India (ASI), in foothills of Juljul […]

Made in India, Tamil Nadu Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Shiva Nataraja) , Chola period, ca. 970. Copper alloy. Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.20 Courtesy American Federation of Arts Made in China, Jiangxi Province Flask , Ming period, early 15th century (probably Yongle era, 1403 – […]

Leaning on a mountain and overlooking the beach, the Hang Pagoda in northern Hai Phong City is a spiritually and historically significant place of worship. The pagoda, also known as Coc Tu, is situated in Zone 1, Van Son Ward in Hai Phong City’s Do Son District. Some scholars have reportedly said that this is […]

An excavation by Sri Lanka’s archaeological department recovered ancient remains of a structure resembling a Shiva Lingam at the site of the Athi Aiyanar temple located in the Kurunthoormalai area of Mullaitivu. This finding comes just weeks after Vidura Wickramanayaka, Sri Lanka’s state minister for ‘national heritage’, led an event where a new Buddha statue […]

A stone Buddha head stolen from one of the statues in north China’s Tianlongshan Grottoes almost a century ago has been retrieved, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) said Thursday. The Buddha head, which was brought back from Japan on Dec. 12, is the 100th relic retrieved by China from overseas in 2020, according to […]