THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF BAMIYAN by  Jet Van Krieken, lawyer and art historian, founding member of SPACH See also her article "The Buddhas of Bamiyan" in the Purabudaya web pages for more details

In the early centuries of the Christian era, Eastern Afghanistan was full of lively Buddhist monasteries, stupas and monks. In this rich and peaceful climate, a new art form emerged: the art of Gandhara, bearing the same name as the province in which it appeared. The origin of this art is a matter of debate, but Hellenistic influence was strong. During this period, the earliest Buddha images in human form also evolved in this Kushan/Saka area. Some scholars, like A. Foucher, argued that this transformation was engendered by the influence of Greek examples, but this assumption is also constantly being challenged.

In this Buddhist richness of inspiration, two masterpieces were produced which stand out head and shoulders above the others, the Buddhas of Bamiyan. These two giant Buddhas (53 m. and 38 m. high, respectively) stand in the beautiful Bamiyan valley, situated 230 km NW of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 metres. The caravans on the Silk Route invariably made a stop in this valley. It was one of the major Buddhist centres from the second century up to the time that Islam entered the valley in the ninth century.

The two statues were hewn out of the rock (estimates of dates vary, but most probably around the fourth and fifth centuries A.D.). They were covered with a mud and straw mixture to model the expression of the face, the hands and the folds of the robes. This was then plastered and, finally, they were painted: the smaller Buddha blue, the larger one red, with their hands and faces gold.
They must have been quite impressive for monks travelling through the harsh surrounding landscape, who finally reached the beautiful valley with the peaceful Buddhas making the gesture of reassurance.

The features of the Buddhas have disappeared. During the centuries they have probably been assailed by iconoclasts. The idea behind the destruction was to take away the soul of the hated image by obliterating, or at least deforming, the head and hands. Although there is no firm evidence the Buddhas were subjected to iconoclasm, this fate was certainly meted out to the frescoes surrounding the Buddhas, namely the numerous religious places and monk’s cells also hewn out of the rock and covered with beautiful paintings. The faces in these were destroyed by one of the many groups of invaders who have passed that way.

THE COLOSSAL IMAGES OF BUDDHA

from the book "Buddist Art and Architecture" by Robert E. FISHER

The two colossal images from Afghanistan are the most spectacular, visible to approaching pilgrims from miles across the valley, the larger being 53 metres tall. Originally with their gilded figures and copper masks attached, they created an entirely different impression from that of a humble, meditative teacher. The sense of splendour was enhanced by the spectacular wall paintings that surrounded each as well as by the various grotto-shrines arranged behind the figure, also richly decorated.
Now the Buddha had become an awsome, trascendent vision, both in size and splendour, reflecting the importance Mahayana Buddhism placed upon the heavenly realms and suggesting the richness of the reward awaiting those who managed to be reborn in such a paradise.