Connecting with the Theme of "Ozymandias": The Bamiyan Buddhas
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Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Lesson Plans by Kristy Littlehale
Inspired by a statue of Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, unearthed by British archaeologists in the early 1800s, Percy Bysshe Shelley explores the theme of the transience of human power. What once was a symbol of a great and powerful leader, is now a shattered statue slated to sit in a museum.
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Storyboard Description
Text Connections: Theme of Ozymandias Poem
Storyboard Text
- The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two large statues of Buddha carved into the side of a cliff in Afghanistan. Their origins are thought to be in the 6th century.
- One Buddha is smaller than the other. The larger Buddha was over 180 feet tall, and the smaller Buddha measured over 124 feet.
- The Buddhas were carved into the cliff at this location because it was once a Buddhist hub of activity. Buddhist monks used this site as a place to study, meditate, and worship. They were erected as a tribute to the power of Buddha, and there were many caves which the monks lived in, carved into the cliffside.
- There were many attempts to destroy the Buddhas over the centuries, and thankfully, most were unsuccessful. One Afghan king was successful in destroying the larger statue’s face.
- In 2001, the Taliban successfully destroyed the statues by blowing them up. The Taliban viewed the statues as idolatry, and decided that they went against the tenets of their interpretation of Islam. Behind the statues, great caverns, filled with beautiful carvings were discovered.
- In 2011, despite the statues being reparable, UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) announced that it would not repair the Buddhas. They cited cost and lack of original materials for use in reconstruction in their decision. This great and powerful religious landmark now only exists in history books and pictures.
Image Attributions
- 090331-N-2903M-005 - ResoluteSupportMedia - (License Attribution )
- Buddha statues, Bamyan, Afghanistan - N.Rio - (License Attribution, Non Commercial )
- Image taken from page 678 of 'De Aardbol. Magazijn van hedendaagsche land- en volkenkunde ... Met platen en kaarten. [Deel 4-9 by P. H. W.]' - The British Library - (License No known copyright restrictions )
- Inside one of the Caves - Tracy Hunter - (License Attribution )
- Scaffolding - Tracy Hunter - (License Attribution )
- Sunrise of Bamyan Valley - AfghanistanMatters - (License Attribution )
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