• Afghanistan
• Bāmiyān province (C)
• Bāmiyān
• Bāmiyān 38m Buddha niche

Bāmiyān 38m Buddha niche

The 38-meter Buddha is a rock-cut sculpture that was made before the 55-meter Buddha. The giant sculpture was located on the eastern side of the cliff around 800 meters away from the western Buddha. Radiocarbon dating was used and the results showed that the object was made between 544 and 595 AD (ICOMOS 2009, p.235). First the core of the Buddha was cut into a niche and then a thick layer of mortar made of mixed earth was applied. At the end the sculpture was covered with a stucco coating and pigment traces indicate that it was also painted. The arms and garment folds were seperately constructed with wood armatures covered with stucco.
The Buddha is depicted frontally with heavy proportions and a relatively large head on a short neck giving the figure a stocky appearance. From the forehead to the chin, the face had been cut to vertical plane and had traces of gold paint. The drapery consisted of three garments covering the body with finely molded folds. Although the hands are missing the right hand was possibly in abhaya mudra and the left in varada mudra indicating that the sculpture should represent Buddha Shakyamuni. According to the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang’s description the sculpture was made of metallic stone (teouh-shih). Although the meaning of that term is unclear it is likely that the Buddha was partly coated with metal. For example on the arms or the face, that might have been made of a gilded wooden mask. (Klimburg-Salter 1989, pp.87-88)