[Culture] Is Buddha Bowl in Afghanistan?

Culture

Is Buddha Bowl in Afghanistan?

Buddha bowl in Afghanistan

·        In National Museum of Afghanistan, 400 kilo granite bowl

·        Experts believed it to be Lord Buddha’s begging bowl.

·        Chinese pilgrims Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang noted about this bowl in their diaries.

·        How is it reach to Kabul? Lord Buddha donated the bowl to people of Vaishali before going to Kushinagar (UP) for Parinirvana

·        Then, Kanishka took it to Peshawar => Gandhar (Kandahar) => finally 20th century, President Najibdullah placed the bowl in National Museum in Kabul.

·        (1883) British scholar & ASI’s first director Sir Alexander Cunningham reported this bowl during his Afghanistan visit.

·        2001: Taliban had ordered to destroy all Buddhist artifacts of Kabul Museum, but bowl survived because of Quranic verses (in Arabic) inscribed on its inner-outer surface.

·        RJD leaders demanded in parliament to bring back this bowl to Vaishali.

·        May 2014: ASI expert went to Afghanistan for study the authenticity and age of the bowl.

·        June 2014: ASI expert certified that it’s not Buddha’s begging bowl, because

Ø     This (Afghani) bowl is just 500 years ago. Lord Buddha lived ~2500 years ago.

Ø     Buddha’s messages were written in Pali language using Brahmi characters.

Ø     But this bowl has Arabic characters etched on it. In Buddha’s era, Arabic script did not exist.

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