Could There be a Third Bamiyan Buddha, Hidden for Centuries?

One of the most tragic examples of religious iconoclasm in recent history is the destruction of the two giant standing statues of Buddha by the Taliban in March 2001. These were the famed Buddhas of Bamiyan, which were carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan Valley, in the Hazarajat province of central Afghanistan.

Exchanging Ideas and Trading Along the Silk Road

These statues were believed to have been made sometime between the 6th century AD, to the middle of the 7th century at latest, as the inhabitants of this region practiced Buddhism at that time. This was perhaps due to the location of Bamiyan on the ancient Silk Road, which not only facilitated the exchange of trade goods, but also of ideas. Thus, Buddhism was able to spread outwards from India along the Silk Road. Conversely, Buddhist pilgrims travelled along the Silk Road to reach the sacred sites of Buddhism in India. Some of these pilgrims even left records for posterity, and it is through one of these pilgrims that we hear of the story of the ‘third Bamiyan Buddha’.