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Taxila: Sirkap (2)
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Map of Taxila
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Taxila (Old Indian Takshaçila):
the ancient capital of the eastern Punjab, the country between the
rivers Indus
and Hydaspes.
The site consists of several parts, which belong to three periods:
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"Contact
between religions is good": this maxim of the Mauryan
king Ashoka, which can be found in the twelfth
of his famous rock
edicts, was certainly a guideline to the rulers of Taxila,
whether they were Indian, Greek, Parthian,
Sacan,
or Kushan
There were sanctuaries of several religions inside the city; only the Zoroastrians preferred
to stay outside, at Jandial
- but this may be accidental. In spite of this religious tolerance, the
Buddhists always were the main religious group, and we find
many stupas in Sirkap.
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A
stupa is a funeral mound, usually
associated with the death and nirvana of Buddha. This photo shows one
of the more elaborate stupas in Sirkap. Many stupas in Gandara
and the Punjab clearly show Greek artistic influences, as we will see
below.
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The
building that is known as the "Apsidal Temple" is the largest sanctuary
of Sirkap, measuring 70 by 40 meters (by contrast: the Parthenon in
Athens is 70 by 31 meters). The Apsidal Temple
consists of a square nave with several rooms, used by the
Buddhist monks, and this circular room, which gives the building its
apsidal
shape.
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This
photo shows the Apsidal Temple again, seen from the outside. After the
earthquake that destroyed the city in c. 30 CE, the Buddhist
shrine was built in a spacious courtyard. The round part was probably
in
use for a small stupa, but no traces of it remain. Some carvings were
probably
done by an artist from Greece.
The next five photos show, from left to right: the Hindu temple of the
Sun; a Jainist sanctuary that looks like a stupa; and three photos of
the "Double-headed Eagle Stupa", which combines Buddhist traditions and
Greek artistic elements. The moldings, cornice,
pilasters,
and pedimental niches might have been discovered in the hellenistic
world
too. The pilasters are of a Greek
design, "Corinthian columns". On the fourth photo, in the left arch, a
Greek temple is
shown;
on the right, we see a shrine of a Hindu design. On top of these
sanctuaries,
a double-headed eagle is seated. The motive is rather odd, to say
the
least, as it is originally Babylonian,
seems to have spread to Scythia,
and was introduced in the Punjab by the Saca rulers.
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This
coin shows the Indo-Greek king Menander, who was responsible for
the third building phase of Sirkap. He converted to Buddhism and one of
the sacred books of the religion (although not universally
acknowledged)
is called Milindapañha, "the questions
of king Menander".
About 250 questions are answered by the Buddhist sage Nagasena. The
book
was composed at the beginning of the common era. It is interesting to
note
that several questions are entirely Greek in nature (examples). |
(©!!) |
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In the first quarter of
the first century CE, the Parthians
became interested in the region and started to take over the Greek
petty
kingdoms of Gandara and the Punjab. One of the Parthian leaders, living
in Taxila, was named Gondophares. According to a wide-spread Christian
tradition, he was baptized by the apostle Thomas. The story is not
impossible:
in a multi-cultural city like Taxila, there may have been an audience
for
a representative of a new Jewish sect. |
©
Jona Lendering for
Livius.Org,
2004
Revision: 28 May 2008 |
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