Khatlon Buddha or Buddha in Nirvana is a clay statue of Buddha , discovered in 1966 during the excavations of the Ajina-Tepe Buddhist monastery near the city of Kurgan-Tyube ( Tajikistan ).
History
The Ajin-Tepe Monument was first examined by archaeologists in 1959 [1] . Development as an archaeological site began in 1961 . Professor Boris Litvinsky in 1966 discovered a clay statue of a Buddha [2] . This is a twelve-meter figure of the Buddha lying on the right side in an extended position - a traditional statuary pose, known from the stone Buddha statues in nirvana . It represents the Indian elements and local traditions of ancient Tokharistan [3] . The statue dates back to the VI - VIII centuries. AD [4] .
After studying, the statue was exhibited at the National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan .
In 1999, the Ajina-Tepe Buddhist complex along with the Buddha statue were included in the list of candidates for UNESCO cultural heritage sites in Tajikistan [5] [6] .
In 2001, on the 10th anniversary of the independence of Tajikistan, the US government allocated a grant for the restoration of the statue in the amount of 30 thousand dollars [7] . In the same period, several copies of the unique statue were created, one of which is exhibited in the Japanese city of Aichi.
Literature
- Litvinsky B.A., Terentyev-Katansky A.P. History of study. Travels. Expedition. Archaeological site // East Turkestan in antiquity and the early Middle Ages. [Vol. I]. Essays on the story. M., 1988.
- Litvinsky B. A. Outline History of Buddhism in Central Asia. Moscow, 1968.
- Taddei M. A Note on the Parinirvana Buddha at Tara Sardar (Ghazni, Afghanistan) // South Asian Archeology, 1973. Leiden, 1974.
Notes
- ↑ Litvinsky B.A. , Zeymal T.I., Excavations and explorations in southern Tajikistan in 1961 // Archaeological work in Tajikistan: Collection. Vol. 9, Dushanbe, 1964.
- ↑ Litvinsky B.A. , Seymal T.I. Ajina-Tepa: Architecture. Painting. Sculpture / Ahmad Donish Institute of History, Tajik SSR Academy of Sciences. - M .: Art , 1971. - 260 p. - ( Monuments of ancient art ). - 10,000 copies.
- ↑ Ajina-tepa - an article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .
- ↑ Novikova L.P. Problems of restoration of the Buddha in nirvana // Material Culture of Tajikistan. Vol. 3. Dushanbe, 1978
- ↑ “Saving Ajin Tep is a successful stage of implementation.” (Unavailable link) , unesco.kz (Retrieved March 29, 2009)
- ↑ Buddhistic cloister of Ajina-Tepa - UNESCO World Heritage Center (English)
- ↑ Grant allocated for restoration of Buddha in Nirvana