Kara-tepe [1] ( Uzbek. Qoratepa - lit. " Black Hill ") - a hill in the vicinity of Termez , which housed a Buddhist monastery complex of the era of the Kushan kingdom . The ruins of the complex are considered one of the most important monuments of Central Asian Buddhism . During the functioning of the monastery, monks and masangkhics were present in his community.
| Monastery | |
| Kara-tepe | |
|---|---|
| Uzbek Qoratepa | |
| A country |  Uzbekistan |
| City | Termez |
| Denomination | Buddhism |
| Established | I century BC e. |
| Date of Abolition | |
| condition | Archaeological site |
Currently, the complex is located on the banks of the Amu Darya on the state border of Uzbekistan with Afghanistan in the border zone and free access to it is prohibited.
Content
History
The monastery began to be inhabited in the 1st century BC. e. in the wake of the Buddhist upsurge associated with the activities of the Kushan kings who patronize Buddhism . The beginning of construction dates from the coin of Great Soter , found under the coating of the floor of one of the cells. The heyday of the monastery’s life took place in the II – III centuries, when the whole complex of structures was created, the walls of the monastery are covered with colorful paintings, and the interiors are decorated with numerous statues.
In the IV century, with the victory of the Sassanids over the Kushans, Buddhism in the region was losing popularity, the monastery was beginning to decline, Sassanid soldiers appeared on its territory, as graffiti speaks in Central Persian , although no evidence of deliberate destruction was found.
Poor attempts to renovate the monastery date back to the 4th – 5th centuries - statues are being repaired, a new wall painting is created (monochrome and inferior in quality to the former), pilgrims from India come to the monastery. After the V century, the monastery finally came to desolation, its ruins begin to be used as a burial place.
Apparently, in the 8th century, a Christian monastery functioned in an abandoned vihar . [2]
Layout
The complex is located on three peaks of a shallow clay hill and consists of a large number of vihars , each of which was intended for 3-5 monks. Each vihara was a square platform, in the center of which there could be a stupa , all this was fenced by a wall and surrounded by outbuildings. At one end, the site rested on a hidden hillside in which tunnels were built.
The cave parts of the vihar come in two types: simple caves extending deep into the hill, or corridors forming a closed square in plan, in the center of which was a small cell . On the outdoor platform was a staircase that led to the top of the hill, where the buildings of the second tier of the temple were located.
Judging by the inscriptions on the islands , some of the individual monasteries bore their own names, for example, “Vihara of the sovereign” or “Vihara of the son of Gondofar”.
Notes
- ↑ Kara-Tepe // BDT. T.13. M., 2009.
- ↑ Mkrytchev T.K. Meditation on a Buddhist monastery (inaccessible link) // Eastern Collection, No. 3/2001.
Literature
- Buddhist cult center Kara-tepe in old Termez: Materials of a joint archaeological expedition to Kara-tepe. The main results of the work of 1965-1971 / Under the total. ed. B. Y. Stavisky ; Institute of Oriental Studies, USSR Academy of Sciences . State Hermitage Museum . - M .: Science . The main edition of oriental literature, 1972. - 210 p. - 2400 copies.
- Mkrtychev T.K. Buddhist art of Central Asia. I — X centuries - M .: Akademkniga, 2002 .-- 286 p. - 2000 copies. - ISBN 5-94628-018-X .