Bamiyan West Buddha Niche

AFGHANISTAN, Bamiyan

The West Buddha was situated on the west side of the north cliff within the Bamiyan Valley, and stood inside an arched niche. The niche measures 21 m wide and 58 m high, with a depth of 31.5 m at the bottom and 15 m at the top. It dates to around the 5th century. There is a corridor around the top of the niche, with seven windows on each side, and there are eight caves and four niches at the base of the niche. The niches originally contained a number of murals. The statue, along with the murals, were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.
The statue was mentioned by Chinese Master Xuanzang, who described it as being golden in color and adorned with jewels. Before being destroyed, the statue was the world’s tallest Buddha. The Buddha had square shoulders and straight legs. He wore a robe that covered both shoulders and displayed folds characteristic of the Gandharan style. The West Buddha Niche was originally covered with murals, with an image of Maitreya Bodhisattva surrounded by apsaras above the Buddha’s head.