The Reclining Buddha of Tajikistan

 


As far as I am concerned, the statue of "Buddha in Nirvana", or "Sleeping Buddha", is probably the most significant cultural, archaeological attraction in Tajikistan. Since 2001, when the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan Buddhas in neighbouring Afghanistan, it is also the largest Buddha statue in Central Asia. It was found in 1959 in the south of Tajikistan by the archaeologist Boris Litvinskiy, and today it is displayed at the National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan. The museum is quite small, but it has other nice pieces with Buddhist, Hindu, Persian, Greek and Roman influences, and from the Islamic era. Unfortunately it is forbidden to make photographs inside and there are signs and cameras everywhere, but I couldn't resist to take a few shots. It would have been nice to share more, but even these few pictures give you an idea of the exchibition. Most importantly, I have photos of the Buddha statue.











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