The last news about religious Asian arts and antiques

  • An exhibition that highlights Jainism and its ethics

    A very unique exhibition on Jainism which was recently on display at the Rietberg Museum in Zürich left a mark highlighting Jainism and connecting its ethics for the first time to a very contemporary set of questions which are shared globally by the younger generations. In addition, the exhibition facilitated collaboration among scholars of different […]

  • Buddhist Heritage Sites in Odisha that you shouldn’t miss

    The epic Kalinga War won by Emperor Ashoka was one of the bloodiest wars ever fought The epic Kalinga War won by Emperor Ashoka was one of the bloodiest wars ever fought in the subcontinent. The devastating consequences of the war had a profound impact on the emperor, and he later adopted Buddhism, and promoted […]

  • From “Coal Capital” to Cultural Magnet, Historic City Gains New Life

    DATONG, Shanxi, (Xinhua) – From a frontier land between agricultural communities and nomadic tribes to a major city in north China bearing the name “Great Harmony;” and from a coal-polluted industrial hub to a pristine tourist magnet with countless historical treasures, Datong spins a yarn of openness, resilience, and innovation. Present-day Datong is a city […]

  • Tōdaiji: The Great Buddha of Nara and Historic Temple Complex

    The Buddhist temple Tōdaiji in Nara Prefecture is a priceless trove of history and culture. Founded some 1,300 years ago, the UNESCO World Heritage site is home to the Great Buddha of Nara and other national treasures. We tour the many places of interest on the temple’s expansive grounds. An Ancient Cultural Center The ancient […]

  • Taliban Now Selling Tickets to Ancient Buddha Statues the Group Blew to Bits in 2001

    The Bamian Buddhas are now a tourist attraction with tickets going for 58 cents for Afghans and $3.45 for foreigners The cash-strapped Taliban are so broke they have resorted to selling tickets to visit the remnants of two gargantuan Buddha statues the extremist group blew to smithereens in 2001 after declaring them false idols, according […]

  • Family heirloom Buddha turns out to be a rare 12th-century Kwan Yin

    A rare Buddha statue, estimated to be from 12th century China and part of a set thought to have been lost, will be presented for auction in Paris on Tuesday, June 13, and is expected to fetch USD 1,000,000. According to auction house Bonhams, the piece is a very rare wood figure of the Guanyin […]

  • Mulbekh Monastery and its 30 ft tall Buddha statue, Ladakh’s unexplored gem

    This monastery sits atop a cliff at a height of 656 ft above the road, which can be reached by a steep footpath. If records are to go by, the altitude of the monastery is believed to be almost 11,495 ft. This also means that you will get to witness some breathtakingly beautiful vistas of […]

  • Two precious Ming Dynasty Buddha statues recovered from outside the Chinese mainland

    The Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the Beijing Customs has successfully recovered two valuable Buddhist statues from the Ming Dynasty that were illicitly taken out of the Chinese mainland, media learned from the Beijing customs on Tuesday. Officers from the Beijing Customs Anti-Smuggling Bureau, Daxing Airport Customs, and the Beijing People’s Procuratorate participated in a handover ceremony […]

  • 2,300-year-old Buddhist elephant statue from India is one of the oldest known

    Archaeologists in eastern India have unearthed a statue of an elephant they think was carved about 2,300 years ago, when Buddhism was the main religion in the region . The statue is about 3 feet (1 meter) high and carved from rock in the same style as other Buddhist statues of elephants found across the […]

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