Journal of Asian Civilizations

Depictions of uṣṇīṣa in Buddha images from the Gandharan Collection of the Peshawar Museum.

Tahir Saeed — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper describes and discusses a selection of Buddha heads stored at the Peshawar Museum Collection in the light of the academic discussion on the representation Buddha’s uṣṇīṣa in Gandharan art and according to the descriptive terminology established by Faccenna. The article is structured in three sections: the first section presents a very brief introduction to the Peshawar Museum Collection; the second one provides an overview of the scholarship on the Buddha’s uṣṇīṣa and its representation in Gandharan sculptures; the third and final section presents a selective catalogue of some unpublished Buddha heads from the Peshawar Museum Collection. The study is dedicated to Domenico Faccenna, the first Director of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan (from 1955) on the centenary of his birth.

Nimbus and Aureole around Buddha’s Images: A Study of Recent Archaeological Discoveries from Buddhist Complex of Abba Sahib Cheena, Swat, Pakistan.

Saqib Raza, Abdul Hameed , Hadiqa Imtiaz — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Abba Sahib Cheena is one of the important Buddhist Complexes in Swat Valley which is positioned in the lap of mountains (Landai mountains are surrounding it from west and south, Gerezgar range in east Suly Mora mountains in north). Recent and preliminary excavation conducted at the site has revealed many stone sculptures depicting rare episodes from the life of Buddha. The present paper is an attempt to evaluate different types of haloes i.e., nimbus/aureole surrounding the Buddha images recently reported from the site during archaeological field investigation. These types of haloes are rarely found in and outside the Gandhara. Body Halo (types) has not been investigated in detail prior to current research. However, the haloes illustrated around Buddha images from Abba Sahib Cheena are adorned with diversified motifs.

Cultural Heritage Trail, Gor Khatri Peshawar: A Pattern of Heritage-Scape

Ayesha Gul Khattak , Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The research study has evaluated the cultural heritage trail complex of Gor Khatri Peshawar as a pattern of heritage scape with the interrelationship between heritage buildings, heritage managers and the local community. The arguments have been interpreted in a social setting where the heritage of bygone times thrives, authorities mediate to preserve the legacy, and residents manage their routine lives amid Gor Khatri Tehsil in the walled city of Peshawar. The study has followed a qualitative research strategy and employed semi-structured interviews and focused group discussions as research methods to collect first-hand primary data. Analysis furnished in this research work gives new insights into the opinions of authorities and the local community regarding their acknowledgement, realisation and interpretation of heritage assets. The research locale is specifically focused on the heritage trail project in the walled city of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa- a province rich in cultural heritage and historic sites but with little attention and receptiveness on the part of local citizens and society at large.

Langar of Akhund of Swat: Assessment of its Different Facets.

Jalal Uddin, Abdul Basit Mujahid, Kausar Parveen — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Akhund Abdul Ghafur belonged to the Safi tribe of Mohmand. The colonial Britishers and the local writers have extensively written on him. He was the ascendant of the Mianguls who ruled Swat State from 1917 to 1969. The shrine/mosque of Akhund of Swat at Saidu Sharif is held in great reverence by the masses till today. A langar was attached to the mosque that remained operational for more than a century. The community kitchen was a place where the food was distributed daily to the need and the travelers. In the public kitchen, every individual could enjoy food irrespective of his religion, nationality, race and ethnicity. The langar has a significant historical value as it not only augmented the influence of Akhund of Swat and his descendants but also had a significant impact on the lives of the people residing in the area. This paper aims at tracing the historical background of the langar, its continuation in different periods of history, the resources that were required for it, analysis of its socio-economic aspects and its value for the general masses.

City Foundations: Perspectives from Archaeology and History of Religion

Jörg Rüpke — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In this article, I propose a new reading of different types of historical artifacts and traditions around the idea of a city’s foundation. Rather than taking such stories at face value or to look for dim historical traditions behind them, I start by suggesting to take them seriously as an expression of what is introduced as “urbanity” at the beginning of the article as well as strategies of place-making. Across continents and periods, the importance of one's own city seems to dictate that this place should also have a significant founding figure, a founding narrative, and a founding ritual. From early on, urbanites have wanted to live not only in places of importance but in a place that belongs to a special, indeed the highest class of places, that is, in “cities” or their equivalents. In order to plausible this hermeneutic approach, narratives about founders of cities and about rituals to found sacred center of such cities, a city-temple, or even the city as a whole, are analyzed. They cover ideas about founding cities in the Indian Arthashastra and the Roman architectural treatise by Vitruvius, the Gilgamesh narrative for the foundation of Mesopotamian Uruk, and the late 1st millennium BCE foundation narrative of Rome, a ritual ascribed to the twins Romulus and Remus.

Buddhist Festivals. A Few Notes

Asia Brighenti — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The text explores the theme of Buddhist festivals, which combine religious practices, art and cultural celebrations to strengthen collective identity. Starting from the ancient rituals of consecration of stupa and temples, the article explores the role of celebrations such as the Sixth Year Festival, focusing on theatrical and musical performances as typical elements. These events reflect the connection between the lunar calendar and the life of the Buddha, the main theme of all the holidays. The celebrations are represented in reliefs of Gandhara art, such as the double frieze of the Saidu Shrine. Their purpose was not only commemorative, but also had an economic and political function, financing the construction of religious buildings and strengthening the link with the community. It is also important to stress the political significance of these ceremonies, which show how Buddhist kings and emperors used festivals to assert their authority. The essay concludes with a reflection on modern celebrations such as the 1956 Buddha Jayanti in India, highlighting their political and social significance in the contemporary context. Through a detailed analysis of Buddhist festivals, it is highlighted how these events represent not only spiritual moments but also tools for social cohesion and cultural preservation, demonstrating the adaptability and evolution of Buddhism in time and place.

“Cultural heritage is an ongoing process”

Fabiola Nicodemo — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper aims to undertake a preliminary analysis of the ongoing international processes of decolonising cultural heritage. The following study will be divided into two main parts: the first will delve into the evolution of the concept of authenticity from the Venice Charter to the Nara Document, concluding with an examination of the relationship between heritage authenticity and the growth of cultural tourism. The second part will focus on repatriation demands within the context of the Declaration on the Importance and Value of Universal Museums and identity-based movements aimed at decolonising museum institutions. The primary goal of this work is to identify the underlying ontological and epistemological frameworks shaping the various approaches to constructing cultural heritage in the contemporary world.

Conservation Procedures on Selected Ceramic and Metal Artifacts Stored in Exploration and Excavation Branch, Karachi: A Note.

Mehar Ali Shar, Zaheer Ahmed Shaik — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Preventive measures and methods to conserve artefacts of iron and terracotta have remarkably improved compared to the past. Every adopted method should have a reversible method also using a more comprehensive range of materials and techniques. Following this methodological approach, this note presents a selection of the conservation treatments applied to metal and ceramic objects stored at the Excavation and Exploration Branch in Karachi before they were moved to the new Museum.