Peshawar Museum contains largest collection on Buddha
Monday, 15 September 2008 11:20 www.daily.pk

The centuries-old Peshawar Museum is the unique for displaying the most important and the world's largest collection of architectural elements.

The unique stone sculptures carved in Gandhara Art, not only speak volumes of artists' competence but also describe complete life story of Buddha from birth to death and his miracles. In the main hall of the museum, antiques and sculptures put on display represent the stories on the life of Buddha from his birth to death, all the episodes. The Buddha's life story in stones is beautifully carved with all details from the Queen Maya's dream, interpretation of the dream, birth of Siddhartha (historic Buddha), bath scene, seven steps, going to school, writing lessons, wrestling matches, palace life, marriage scene, renunciation, great departure, ascetic life, fasting, first meditation, demons attacks, attaining enlightenment, first sermon, death scene, cremation of Buddha, distribution of relics and construction of stupas on the relics.

The museum collection includes different types of architectural elements, relic caskets, stupa models of schist and bronze, stucco sculptures, terracotta figurines and toiletry objects along with life size Buddha statues.

"The life stories of Buddha, depicted in Gandharan Art, are an authentic document of the Mahayana text composed during the time of Kanishka (1st Century AD)," commented renowned archaeologist and former NWFP Department of Archaeology and Museums Director Prof Fidaullah Sehrai.

Prof Sehrai said the cosmopolitan art of Gandhara, with influences from Indian, Greek, Roman and Persian artists, appeared in this region in first century BC for propagation of Buddhism through stone carved as well as images in stucco, terracotta and bronze. These images were placed in chapels of monasteries and in stupas across Gandhara region by Buddhist followers for worship. "The current Buddhist religion in Korea and Japan is a wonderful example of the extension of Gandharan Buddhism," Sehrai said. "The sculptures were fixed to the bases, drums and stairs of the stupas, around which the worshippers gather and worships."

Prof Sehrai said the Buddha is not represented in human form in the old Buddhist Art but shown by symbols. The four important events of Buddha's are his birth at Lumbini Garden, his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, his first sermon in the Deer Park and his death at Kusinara. All these events are symbolised by a lotus, a tree, a wheel or a deer and a stupa, respectively.

But in Gandhara Art, Prof Sehrai continued, the Buddha is represented in human form in these and other events in shape of sculptures. The main focus of the art was Buddha's life stories and individual images; his previous birth stories (Jatakas) and future Buddhas. The devoted local artists, stimulated by the personality of Buddha, took advantage of contacts, motifs and technology from Greeks, Romans and Persians, which gave Buddha an eternal life.

The art, mainly a product of the land of Gandhara under the Kushan rulers, is more dynamic than the contemporary Mathura Art of India. "The Peshawar Museum has the largest collection of Gandhara Art in the whole world, consisting of 4,247 (936 on display and 3,311 in stores) antiques of Buddhist stone sculptures and panels, architectural elements, stucco sculptures, terracotta figurines, relic casket and toiletry objects," NWFP said Archaeology and Museums Director Saleh Muhammad.

The major poses of Buddha in the museum are Dhayana Mudra or Meditation Pose, Abhaya Mudra or Reassurance Pose, Dharma Chakra Mudr or Turning of the Wheel of Law Pose and Bhumispersa Mudra or Earth Touching Pose, Saleh said.

The main Gandharan collection of Peshawar Museum come from excavations of the Archaeological Survey of India, Frontier Circle from 1902 to 1941 and donations from public and purchases, he informed.

These sculptures were mainly recovered from the sites of Shari Bahlol (1906-26) in Mardan, Shah Ji-ki-Dheri (1908-10) in Peshawar and Palatu Dheri (1902-03) Mamane Dheri, Akhun Dheri, Ibrahimzai, Utmanzai, Hamid Garhi Turangzai, Bala Hisar and Sheikan Dheri in Charsadda.

Saleh Muhammad said the true story of Buddha's life was not known and what they had displayed was a canonised version of his life. "It is the miraculous story that is narrated in stone. This story was developed in the greatest detail in Gandhara Art while in other schools of art only a few events are told," he added. The Gandharan Art pieces in the museum can be dated back to second century AD to the fifth century AD, except a few Hindu sculptures, which can be dated from the 9th century AD to the 11th century AD.

The story begins from his birth and continues through his human career until his death and even later when his relics and reliquaries became objects of worship. Total collection of antique is reckoned at 14,156 items in five main sections; Gandharan, Coins, Islamic, Ethnological and Iranian and due to unique and the most extensive Gandharan collection, Peshawar Museum is famous worldwide.

Saleh Muhammad said earlier a large number of foreigners, especially from Japan and Korea, visited Peshawar Museum to see Buddha's unique sculptures. But now the number of visitors has reduced due to the law and order situation.He suggested for proper projection of Peshawar Museum at international level, in special reference to Buddha's sculptures, with renewed spirit for attracting tourists and followers of Buddhism.