Skip to content

Dharma Documentaries

Dharma. Culture. Ecology.

Menu
  • Dharma
  • Culture
  • Ecology
  • Archives
  • About
Menu

Gandhara, the Renaissance of Buddhism

Posted on January 23, 2015May 27, 2017 by Dharma Documentaries
An interesting look at the great Buddhist Gandharan civilisation that flourished in the early years of the Common Era.

Gandhara, the Renaissance of Buddhism

This documentary is extracted from a series of films make by NHK and France 5 TV channels covering the history of the cultures of the Eurasian landmass and the silk roads that run through it.

This film focuses of Gandhara, which straddles what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan (around the Swat and Kabul Valleys) and the emergent Buddhist culture that arose there just before the Common Era.

The film covers the rise and the fall of the religion in the area it covers, and has some interesting interviews with academics working on the material and remains, including Prof. Richard Salomon, an expert of the Gandharian language.

We also see something of the Shöyen collection, one of the largest collections of Gandharan texts in the world, and see how computer imaging is helping to reassemble the texts, while preserving the originals.

The film shows how the meeting of the Greaco cultures in Bactria and the Indian cultures represented by Buddhism gave rise to the first Buddhist statues, and a truly cosmopolitan culture that stood at the centre of the transmission of Buddhism.

The narration is in English, and is evidently a translation of either the French or the Japanese version, but unfortunately the interviews have no sub-titles, so unless you know the languages used part of the film will be lost.

 

if this video is no longer available please leave a comment so I can update the page
(the comment is not published)

 

to see an album of stills click here

 

TAGS:
Culture, Academic, Eurasia, Gandhara, Sculpture, Silk Road, Texts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please Note: Comments are Moderated before Publication

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Subscriptions

Follow our Facebook Page Follow our Tweets Subscribe to our Feed

Subscribe by Email

Email


Shortlink and QR

https://dharma-documentaries.net/b/30J

Donations

This site has taken more than a dozen years and 1000s of hours to build, and has 800+ documentaries on it. If you would like to help, you can do so here. Even small amounts make a difference.

or Bank Transfer to:
Mr. Ng Choon Aun, Public Bank Berhad (Malaysia), Acc. No. 6352323912, Swift: PBBEMYKL

Copyright

If anyone has any copyright claims please contact me at dharmadocus@gmail.com and the posts and films will be immediately removed.

Top Ten Tags

Theravada
Mahayana
Vajrayana

India
Silk Road
China
Tibet

Arts
Lectures
Rights

Popular Posts

  • The Freedom of being a Buddhist Nun
  • Bright and Shining Mind in a Disabled Body
  • The Leshan Giant Buddha Statue
  • The Silk Road Series 7/16: Khotan-Oasis of Silk and Jade
  • David Eckel: Buddhism 3-4 of 24
  • The Tibetan Oracles
  • The Mountain Yogi, Lama Govinda
  • Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: The Untold Truth
  • Indian Roots of Tibetan Buddhism
  • Avalokiteshvara (Chinese Movie)

Recent Posts

  • Zen Buddhism – In Search of Self
  • Why Has Bodhidharma Left for the East?
  • Bright and Shining Mind in a Disabled Body
  • From Myanmar to the World 2, Caves to Pagodas
  • From Myanmar to the World 1, Overland to India
  • The Rise of Dhamma
  • Lempad of Bali
  • Bagan, City of Temples (Fall of Civilizations)
  • Escape from Tibet
  • Escape from Tibet 2 (The Dalai Lama)

Random Posts

  • Asian Corridor 3, Tea Makes the Road Open
  • U Nu speaking about Buddhism
  • Tibet, the Path to Wisdom
  • Bhutan 4, Thimphu Tsechu, the Kingdom’s Festival
  • The Day India Burned: Partition
  • Beating the Bomb – The History of CND
  • The Sukhothai Dynasty (Folkways of Indochina)
  • Identifying Jainism in Indian Art
  • The Cup by Khentyse Norbu Rinpoche
  • Priest Meets Buddha, Seokguram Grotto

Related Posts

  • Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures of the Silk Road
  • Lost Treasures of the Silk Road
  • The Glory of Dunhuang 10, Dunhuang Majesty
  • The Glory of Dunhuang 9, Calling Dunhuang
  • The Glory of Dunhuang 5, Painted Sculptures
  • The Glory of Dunhuang 4, The Unknown Master
  • The Glory of Dunhuang 3, The Mystery of Dunhaung
  • The Story of Buddhism 4, The Image of the Buddha
  • The Silk Road Series 13/16: Across the Pamirs
  • Beliefs Made Visible - Hindu and Buddhist Art in South Asia
© 2023 Dharma Documentaries | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme