Islamabad Museum puts rare statue of Lord Buddha’s head on display
Islamabad: The Islamabad Museum has put on display a rare statue of Lord Buddha’s head after retrieving it from its reserves where it was locked for decades, according to a media report on Sunday.
The sculpture, from the period between the 3rd and the 4th century AD, was discovered by the first Italian archaeological mission in Pakistan led by Giuseppe Tucci in the Swat Valley area, the Dawn reported.
The artefact was excavated in the 60s and it was last displayed in a museum in 1997.
“It is extremely rare to find Lord Buddha’s statues made of stucco from Swat. The Swat Valley is predominantly home to stone sculptures,” Islamabad Museum Director Abdul Ghafoor Lone said.
He said stucco sculptures of Lord Buddha are frequently found in Taxila and Afghanistan.
“What also makes the Lord Buddha head sculpture unique is its sharp, feminine features, with long hair brushed back and wrapped over and around a halo and slanted, feline eyes,” he said.
Belonging to the Kushan period, the extraordinary sculpture was discovered from one of the earliest Buddhist Stupa Buddhkara I from the 3rd century BC, a contemporary of the World Heritage Site Dharma Rajika in Taxila.
Another three terracotta heads of Buddha have also been pulled out of the museum’s reserves and put on display.
The three rare artefacts are from the 2nd to 3rd century AD. They were excavated by British archaeologist Sir John Marshal.
Special attention was given to sculpting the heads of Buddha compared to the rest of the body, and finer material was used as well.
“When the White Huns burnt down Buddhist monasteries and stupas, heads were buried and preserved under the collapsed roofs. The bodies, which were not given much attention, deteriorated and were destroyed over the centuries. This is why the heads of the Buddha have survived to this date,” Lone said.
The White Huns were a race of largely nomadic peoples who were a part of the Hunnic tribes of Central Asia. They ruled over an expansive area stretching from the Central Asian lands all the way to the Western Indian Subcontinent during the 5th to 8th centuries.
The Italian archaeologists also excavated a schist stone panel from the Swat Valley.
Lone said the grey panel from the 2nd century AD “depicts a temple on fire, while Buddha is seen seated inside and the Kasyapa brothers are trying to put out the flames”.
The art piece symbolises Buddha’s triumph over the fire snake, he explained. (PTI)
Relic thought to be from Jesus’ manger arrives in Bethlehem
Bethlehem (West Bank): A tiny wooden relic that some Christians believe to be part of Jesus’ manger arrived Saturday in its permanent home in the biblical city of Bethlehem 1,400 years after it was sent to Rome as a gift to the pope.
Cheerful crowds greeted the ornately encased relic with much fanfare before it entered the Franciscan Church of St. Catherine next to the Church of the Nativity, the West Bank holy site where tradition says Jesus was born.
The return of the relic by the Vatican was a spirit-lifting moment for the Palestinians.
It coincides with Advent, a four-week period leading up to Christmas.
Troubled Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is preparing for the occasion, where pilgrims from around the world flock to the city.
Young Palestinian scouts played bagpipes and the crowd snapped pictures as a clergyman held the silver reliquary and marched toward the church.
Brother Francesco Patton, the custodian of the Franciscan order in the Holy Land, said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had asked Pope Francis to borrow the entire manger, but the pope decided to send a tiny portion of it to stay permanently in Bethlehem.
“It’s a great joy” that the piece returns to its original place, Patton said, according to Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency.
A wooden structure that Christians believe was part of the manger where Jesus was born was sent by St. Sophronius, the patriarch of Jerusalem, to Pope Theodore I in the 640s, around the time of the Muslim conquest of the Holy Land.
On Friday, the thumb-sized wooden piece was unveiled to worshippers at the Notre Dame Church in Jerusalem for a day of celebrations and prayer.
On Saturday evening, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and other officials attended the Christmas tree lighting in Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity.
Hundreds of faithful and residents also gathered for the festive annual event, which included fireworks and songs.
Crowds cheered as the giant tree was illuminated. Revellers and worshippers alike will pack the same square for Christmas Eve festivities later in December. (PTI)
US woman who shed weight left with 9 kg excess skin in folds
Oklahoma/New Delhi: A woman in Oklahoma in the US lost 18.5 stone (over 8 kg) naturally over three years instead of going in for surgery, but ended up with loose folds of excess skin, which she is now awaiting to get removed, a media report said.
Catherine Shanklin weighed 30 stones and wore size 6XL trousers at her heaviest, but lost an incredible 18.5 stones naturally over three years.
Now, she is faced with managing 20lbs (over 9 kg) of excess skin that hands in multiple folds, which she will have to get removed, the Daily Mirror reported.
“It took me exactly three years to lose the weight. It still shocks me when I see pictures and I’m like, ‘Is that really me?’ I am so glad I stayed the course to do it on my own and opted out of having a surgery,” Shanklin was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. (IANS)