1. Buddha’s bowl in Afghanistan
  2. Angkor Vat Google Street view
  3. Timbuktu mausoleum

Buddha’s 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
    1. This (Afghani) bowl is just 500 years ago. Lord Buddha lived ~2500 years ago.
    2. Buddha’s messages were written in Pali language using Brahmi characters.
    3. But this bowl has Arabic characters etched on it. In Buddha’s era, Arabic script did not exist.

Culture Buddha's begging bowl Kabul

Mock Questions from this Topic

Q6. Correct statements about Lord Buddha’s begging bowl

  1. He had donated it to his principle disciple Mahakashyap before the parinirvana
  2. Chinese pilgrim Fa Hien noted about this bowl in his journal.
  3. Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang noted about this bowl in his journal.

Correct choices

  1. only 1 and 2
  2. only 1 and 3
  3. only 2 and 3
  4. None of them

Q7. In 2014, ASI team went to Kabul to inspect an artifact. Why have they rejected the claim that its Buddha’s begging bowl?

  1. Real bowl of Buddha ought to have inscription written in Brahmi language using Pali characters, but this Kabuli bowl doesn’t.
  2. The shape and measurements of authentic bowl given in Chinese Pilgrim Fa-Hien’s journal, doesn’t match with this Kabul bowl.
  3. This Kabul bowl is made out of a unique granite stone that is found nowhere Indian subcontinent.

Correct choices

  1. only 1 and 2
  2. only 1 and 3
  3. only 2 and 3
  4. None of them

Correct Answer

  1. C only 2 and 3 correct.
  2. D. None of them are correct reasons. Pali language in Brahmi script.

Interview Question: In parliament certain MPs had demanding that Buddha’s begging bowl be brought from Kabul National museum to India. What has government of India done in this regard?

Angkor Vat Google Street view

Angkor Vat

WHERE? Cambodia
WHAT? Angkor (city), Wat (temple ground) = city of temples
WHEN? 12th Centaury
WHO? King Suryavarman II, Khmer dynasty.
FOR WHOM? Lord Vishnu. Largest religious complex in the world, dedicated to him. Influence of Kalinga temple style. Even Kurukshetra battled and Churning of sea milk depicted here.

Why in news?

  • Google Street View mapped >90000 images of Angkor vat.
  • You can view at home, 360 degree tour. (Same available for Mt.Fiji and Tajhmahal)
  • So far this is the largest digital capturing of any world heritage site.
  • for more on google street view trekker- read the old sci-tech compilation.

Timbuktu mausoleum

Why in news? Militant groups named Ansar Dine destroyed some of these mausoleums. UNESCO created special fund to restore them.

  • Timbuktu is an ancient city in northern Mali, Africa.
  • Timbuktu mausoleums are world heritage sites, built by Songhay empire (15th-16th century).
  • Timbuktu’s mosques were sign of early Islam penetration in Africa.

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