-Smaller Buddha: Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha -Larger Buddha: Vairocana, the universal Buddha -Niche shaped like a halo–or mandorla–around the body -Buddhas were originally covered with pigment and gold -Caves were part of a vast complex of Buddhist monasteries, chapels, and sanctuaries.
--First colossal Buddhas -Two huge standing Buddhas, one 175 feet tall, the other 115 feet tall.
-Pilgrimage site linked to the Silk Road -Pilgrims can walk through the cave galleries into passageways that lead to the level of the Buddha’s shoulders -Legs are carved in the round; originally pilgrims were able to circumambulate. -Caves were part of a vast complex of Buddhist monasteries, chapels, and sanctuaries.
Context
--Located near one of the largest branches of the Silk Road -Bamiyan, situated at the western end of the Silk Road, was a trading and religious center. -These Buddhas served as models for later large-scale rock-cut images in China -Destroyed by the Taliban in an act of iconoclasm on March 01’