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About the Buddhist temple found in Quva.
2022-04-11 13:37:27 1184
Archaeological excavations in the Kuva district of Fergana region show its millennial history.
Antique finds of Fergana
Archaeological excavations in the Kuva district of Fergana region show its millennial history. Sources found in Shahristan indicate that it was a major center of handicrafts and trade. Kuva appeared in the IV-III centuries BC.
The first archeological excavations were carried out by the staff of the Institute of History and Archeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 1956-1970. Led by Gulyamov. Excavations at various sites of the archeological site have confirmed that the arch was destroyed in the 10th century. However, the city served as a political and cultural center until the early 13th century, when it was destroyed by the Mongols.
During excavations in Kuva Shahristan in 1957-59, archaeologists unexpectedly came across a Buddhist temple. In particular, archaeologist Vera Bulatova found the corridors and walls of the temple, statues of various divine beings and animals, and most importantly, the ruins of a Buddha statue in front of the temple. It was the only Buddhist temple in the Fergana Valley and was considered a revolutionary discovery in the pre-Islamic socio-political environment. In 1968-1969, V. Bulatova completely cleaned the territory of the temple, took the design of its rooms and yard.
The findings were restored and handed over to the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan and the State Museum of Art of Uzbekistan in Tashkent.
According to Nodirbek Abdulahadov, a candidate of historical sciences, the temple is the only one in the Fergana Valley that is still in the spotlight. According to experts, the building in Quva is the only Buddhist temple in the area between China and Sogdia. In addition, this rare find indicates the spread of Buddhism in Fergana in the VII century.
Located in the northern part of Kuva Shahristan, at the entrance to the religious complex, which consists of a large rectangular courtyard (11, 9x11.2 m) and a temple (21x41 m), is only 40 cm above ground level. a Buddha statue twice the size of a human body buried in the depths was discovered during excavations. Historian Yulchiboy Kasimov wrote: “The Buddhist temple excavated in Quva consists of two rooms, each with a separate entrance.
At the entrance there are huge statues of horses and a statue of a bald goddess with a skull on her forehead. Fragments of some statues of goddesses were found inside the temple, which were clearly Buddhist temples. The Buddha's body is beautifully decorated with bell-shaped ornaments, and his clothes are decorated with bright blue and other colors, which shows that the Buddha's statue is very carefully crafted. The Buddha is not sitting on a throne, but on a platform attached to the central wall in front of the entrance. Archaeologists have unearthed a statue of the Buddha and found it to have been knocked over.
According to the location of the Buddha statue, it was destroyed during the Arab military campaign, as evidenced by the many sword marks on the statue. The Buddha statue and temple were reminiscent of Buddhist temples in East Turkestan. This indicates the influence of the Great Silk Road on the development of Buddhism in Quva.
Archaeologist Shokir Pidayev writes: “Apart from the south of Uzbekistan, Buddhist monuments are also known in the Fergana Valley. Here it is still represented in the VII-VIII centuries in the form of a temple complex in the city of Kuva.
Experts believe that the construction of a Buddhist temple in Quva is associated with a new direction of Buddhism - Vajrayana, the formation of which dates back to the middle of the first millennium AD. The Kuva temple consisted of a large rectangular courtyard with a front door and a temple. The peculiarity of the Kuva temple is that the two temples are located side by side.
The temple is decorated with various statues of Buddhist mythology — Maheshvara, the goddess of creativity, Bodhisattva Vajrapani, the invincible symbol of all Buddhas, the Buddha himself, Vajrahari, usually erected in the form of various terrifying demons. The statues in the Kuva temple are made on the basis of clay-clay plastic techniques common in Bactria-Tokharistan. At the same time, their unique feature is the eyes
