The Chakhil-i-Ghoundi Stupa, also code-named "Stupa C1", is a small
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
from the
Chakhil-i-Ghoundi monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
, at the archeological site of
Hadda in eastern
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. Most of the remains of the stupa were gathered in 1928 by the archeological mission of Frenchman
Jules Barthoux of the
French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan
The French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan (french: La Délégation archéologique française en Afghanistan (DAFA)) was created in France in 1922 at the request of the Afghan government and King Amanullah Khan to commence archaeologic ...
, and have been preserved and reconstituted through a collaboration with the
Tokyo National Museum
The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage ( :ja:国立文化財機構), is considered the oldest national museum in Japan, ...
. They are today on display at the
Musée Guimet
The Guimet Museum (full name in french: Musée national des arts asiatiques-Guimet; MNAAG; ) is an art museum located at 6, place d'Iéna in the XVIe arrondissement, 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. Literally translated into English, its ful ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. It is usually dated to the 2nd-3rd century CE.
The decoration of the stupa provides an interesting case of
Greco-Buddhist
Greco-Buddhism, or Graeco-Buddhism, is the cultural syncretism between Hellenistic culture and Buddhism, which developed between the fourth century BC and the fifth century AD in Gandhara, in present-day north-western Pakistan and parts of nort ...
art, combining
Hellenistic
In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
and
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
artistic elements. The reconstitution consists of several parts, the decorated stupa base, the canopy, and various decorative elements.
Stupa canopy
The stupa was surmounted by an elaborate canopy, a beautiful example of
Indo-Corinthian capital
Indo-Corinthian capitals are capitals crowning columns or pilasters, which can be found in the northwestern Indian subcontinent, and usually combine Hellenistic and Indian elements. These capitals are typically dated to the first centuries of the C ...
, although typically expanded longitudinally compared to their Western counterparts.
The central space of the capital must have accommodated a small statuette of a seated Buddha, as usually for these architectural elements in northwestern India.
Details reveal elaborate carving, and the presence of naked
amorini and vines in the
acanthus foliage.
Stupa base
The stupa base is an elaborate construction, consisting of three tiers organised in a stair, and two sides. It has a breath of roughly 3 meters, for a height of about 1 meter. The base combines very contrasted scenes and sculptural motifs: Hellenistic scenes at the bottom tier, and Indian Buddhist scenes at the top two tiers.
First tier: Hellenistic revelling
The first tier displays several purely Hellenistic scenes, of which the one on the far right is by far the best preserved.
The left scene is a well-known Hellenistic scene often found in
Gandhara
Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Vall ...
. On the left is represented a young couple, the woman holding a drinking cup in the right hand, and with her left hand opening the man's
chlamys
The chlamys (Ancient Greek: χλαμύς : chlamýs, genitive: χλαμύδος : chlamydos) was a type of an ancient Greek cloak. (a Greek cloak) to show his naked body. On the right is an elderly couple in Greek dress, the man bearded, with a small child clinging to the man. It is thought that this scene may symbolize the cycle of life, from childhood, to adulthood and maturity.
The middle scene is less clear, but represents a naked man, possibly an
amorini dancing with a woman in Greek dress. On the left is another amorini holding a large wine flask. A man on the right is holding something to his mouth, probably a flute to which the couple is dancing. The scene is seemingly
Bacchanalian
The Bacchanalia were unofficial, privately funded popular Roman festivals of Bacchus, based on various ecstatic elements of the Greek Dionysia. They were almost certainly associated with Rome's native cult of Liber, and probably arrived in Rome ...
.
The scene on the right is by far the clearest. It precisely shows: a woman in Greek dress, holding an
amphora
An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...
and giving a grape to a small child, a man in
himation holding a
kantaros drinking vessel, a young man in
chiton
Chitons () are marine molluscs of varying size in the class Polyplacophora (), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 extant and 430 fossil species are recognized.
They are also sometimes known as gumboots or sea cradles or coat-of-mail s ...
playing a hand drum, and a woman in Greek dress playing a two-stringed
lute-family instrument.
Second tier: Indian palatial scene
The second tier of the stupa base displays a Buddhist Indian scene. Depending on interpretations, it seems to show a princely couple whose son is convinced to shave his head and become a Buddhist monk. In the last scene on the right, he is seen in Buddhist garb, bidding farewell to his parents.
Stylistically, it is most interesting that these Indian scenes were realized by the same artist, or at least the same atelier and at the same time as the Hellenistic ones. Indeed it had been suggested previously (Marshall) that the Hellenistic scene belonged to a previous period, before the emergence of Gandharan Buddhist scenes.
The second tier is sided by triangular
stair riser
Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...
s, which depict a Hellenistic winged
Ketos
In Ancient Greek ''kētŏs'' (, plural ''kētē''=''kētea'', ), Latinized as ''cetus'' (pl. ''ceti'' or ''cetē'' = ''cetea''), is any huge sea creature or sea monster. According to the mythology, Perseus slew Cetus to save Andromeda from bein ...
sea monster
Sea monsters are beings from folklore believed to dwell in the sea and often imagined to be of immense size. Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or tentacled beasts. They can be slimy and scaly and are of ...
, a motif often seen with such a function in Greco-Buddhist art. It is thought that the Ketos symbolizes the transition to the other world after death. Some of the
Buner reliefs are much better preserved and give a better picture of the original Ketos design.
Third tier
Only fragments of the third tier remain, but they also depict Indian palatial scene similar to those of the second tier. A beautiful decorative garland with flowers in included at the bottom of these scenes.
Other decorative elements
Various decorative elements have also been found in relation with the stupa. In particular, a Hellenistic cupids and garland design, a representation of the
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
and
Maitreya
Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...
within decorated arches, a Buddhist narrative frieze, and a head of
Garuda
Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...
.
The left part of the narrative frieze represents the Buddha in a conventional scene (the visit to the Brahman).
At the time of the manufacture of the stupa, groups of Greek populations from the earlier
Indo-Greek kingdom
The Indo-Greek Kingdom, or Graeco-Indian Kingdom, also known historically as the Yavana Kingdom (Yavanarajya), was a Hellenistic-era Greek kingdom covering various parts of Afghanistan and the northwestern regions of the Indian subcontinent ( ...
probably still remained, and were even organized under a king (
Strato II
Strato II Soter ( grc, Στράτων B΄ ὁ Σωτήρ, ''Strátōn B΄ ho Sotḗr''; epithet means "the Saviour") also known as Stratha, was an Indo-Greek king. He ruled c. 25 BCE to 10 CE according to Bopearachchi. R. C. Senior suggests ...
) in the
Punjab region
Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
, which would account for the rich Hellenistic influence in the stupa and the representations of people in Greek dress and attitudes on the lower friezes.
Image:CupidsAndGarlands.JPG, Cupids and garlands.
Image:Buddha&Maitreya.JPG, The Buddha and Maitreya.
Image:DecorativeElementNo1.jpg, Narrative frieze.
Image:DecorativeElementGaruda.jpg, Garuda.
See also
*
Butkara Stupa
The Butkara Stupa (Pashto: بت کړه سټوپا) is an important Buddhist stupa near Mingora, in the area of Swat, Pakistan. It may have been built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, but it is generally dated slightly later to the 2nd century BCE ...
References
*"The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity" by John Boardman (Princeton University Press, 1994)
*"The Buddhist art of Gandhara", Sir John Marshall, Cambridge University Press, 1960.
External links
Mention of the reconstitution project in the Musée Guimet 2003 Annual Report, page 18
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chakhil-i-Ghoundi stupa
Stupas in Afghanistan
Archaeological sites in Afghanistan
Buddhism in Afghanistan