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DOI: https://doi.org/10.37547/history-crjh-02-05-01 
ISSN 2767-472X 
©2021 Master Journals 

   
  Accepted 15th May, 2021 &  Published 20th May, 2021  

 

 
 

 

CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY                           
ISSN – 2767-472X 

1 

   https://masterjournals.com/index.php/CRJH 

 

BUDDHIST ART MONUMENTS IN UZBEKISTAN 
 

Eshmamat Haitov 

Associate Professor National Institute Of Fine Arts And Design Named After Kamoliddin Behzod Tashkent, Uzbekistan 

 

 

INTRODUCTION 

The historical significance and influence of the 
Great Silk Road on the development of 
Uzbekistan's fine and applied arts is unrivaled. 
Buddhism's relics and masterpieces of art 
created on its foundation, which entered through 
this caravan route that connected East and West 
artistic culture for centuries, are still partially 
preserved (1). According to sources, Buddhism 
entered the Kushan Empire through the Great 
Silk Road at the end of the 1st millennium BC, 
covering a large area from Central Asia to India. 
Archaeological excavations of Shakyamuni 
statues, animal statues, symbolic wheels, and 
stupa remains in Uratepa, Dalverzin-Tepe, Quva, 
Zartepa, Qorovul-Tepe, Ayritom, and Fayoz-Tepe 
confirm the importance of Buddhism in the 
Kushan Empire (3). 

METHODS AND MATERIALS 

In the fine arts, particularly sculpture, there are 
so many Buddhist works. The Buddha and 
Bodhisattva statues found in the Dalverzin-Tepe 

temple of the first and second centuries, in 
particular, support this conclusion (11). In terms 
of size, processing techniques, and appearance, 
these sculptures differ from those of other 
regions. Some of them were made to be three 
meters or higher. The body of the bodhisattva, in 
contrast to the image of the Buddha, is adorned 
with precious jewels - bracelets on the hands and 
earrings on the ears. Such a distinction acquires a 
symbolic meaning. That is, this image was 
created as a sign that the followers of the Buddha 
had not yet completely renounced the pleasures 
of life (5). 

All the statues found in the temple are painted in 
distinctive red, pink and blue colors. But their 
backs, which are attached to the wall, appear to 
be ignored. Presumably, the sculptures were 
made of a wood-based primary semi-finished 
product, which was then covered with clay. The 
tops of all the statues were plastered with 
multiple layers, and the exact bodies and their 
faces were made. After that, the appearance of 
the image-the clothes and the head-were 
processed. According to scientists, such 

ABSTRACT  
 
This article is devoted to the coverage of the earliest ideas and concepts of Buddhist art monuments in 
Uzbekistan on the basis of existing scientific sources. 
 
 
KEYWORDS:- Buddhist art, great silk road, nirvana, shakyamuni, wheel, lotus flower, stupa, bodhisattva, 
statue of monks, fayoz-tepe, dalverzin-tepe, ayritom, kampir-tepe, kara-tepe. 
 
 



CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY 2(5): 01-05, May 2021      
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37547/history-crjh-02-05-01 
ISSN 2767-472X 
©2021 Master Journals 

   
  Accepted 15th May, 2021 &  Published 20th May, 2021  

 

 
 

 

CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY                           
ISSN – 2767-472X 

2 

   https://masterjournals.com/index.php/CRJH 

processing techniques and imagery are typical of 
Bactrian sculptors, as this has also been observed 
in sculptures found in several monuments of 
Bactria (11). 

We can see the only famous image of the Buddha 
with his monks around him in the embossed 
images of the Buddha found in Fayoz-Tepe (old 
Termez) and in the embossed murals of the I-II 
centuries. Unlike others, it was made of marble-
like limestone. It was created using a placement 
method in a columnar style composition that was 
unnatural for local sculpture (5). 

According to archaeologist Bohodir Turgunov, 
the art of Buddhism gradually began to emerge 
under the influence of this religion and in the 
process of propagating its ideas. Art samples 
from the early period of Buddhism depicted 
various symbols (such as the wheel, the lion, the 
sacred idol tree) based on the ancient Hindus' 
notions of celestial bodies instead of the Buddha. 
The depiction of the Buddha in human form 
appeared only in the art of Gandhara and 
Mathuri in the early AD.  Later, in many 
countries, in the art of sculpture and painting, 
symbolic images of different sizes were created. 
The main figure in Buddhist art is Prince 
Sitdharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, 
who is depicted in works of art mainly in three 
situations: 

The standing Buddha is a preacher; 

The seated Buddha is a contemplative thinker; 

The lying Buddha is a Buddha who has passed 
away. (10) 

Ancient monuments of Buddha-related art have 
emerged in India. The range of symbols and 
images, Buddhist buildings - cave temples, which 
created a unique harmony of architecture, 
sculpture, and fine arts, stupas that built in honor 
of the legendary events of the life of the Buddha 
that preserving the sacred monuments, cave 
temples and stupa-like monuments (pagada, 

dagob, suburgan and etc.) were common in other 
countries. Various types of wooden temples were 
built in China, Japan, and Korea, and along with 
monumental painting in the context of 
Buddhism, bench painting also developed. In 
Indonesia, Cambodia, and other countries, stone 
temples and temple ensembles associated with 
Buddhism; in India, Burma, and Nepal, 
monastery complexes; in Tibet, Mongolia, 
Buryatia, and other regions, lomanism 
monastery ensembles emerged. 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 

 

It was discovered that the people who lived in 
the Kushan kingdom's territory believed in 
Buddhism as well as other religions. This is 
confirmed by the fact that Kushan coins depict 
Buddhist figures (5). 

Monumental buildings (mostly the construction 
of Buddhist monasteries), which were decorated 
with statues and murals, played a major role in 
Buddhist art. In Ayritom, an underground 
monastery (sangarama), in Kara-Tepe, cave 
temple (vihara), in Chingiz-Tepe and Dalverzin-
Tepe, the remains of a complex of ancient cave 
monasteries were found. These also include 
limestone carved plaster, clay sculptures, 
colorful murals, and other artifacts related to 
Buddhist art. In particular, the Zurmala Tower is 
a remnant of the Buddha Stupa, which is believed 
to have been three-storied. Samples of Buddhist 
art were similar in form and content regardless 
of where they were found (10). 

Between the 1st century BC and the 4th century 
AD, the Kushan Empire announced Mahayana 
Buddhism as the state religion. Although 
Buddhism had a long history in India before that, 
Hinayana, which was the main direction there, 
had not achieved such a position. Kanishka, 
Vima, Kadphises, and the subsequent Kushan 
emperors, spread Buddhism widely. They built 



CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY 2(5): 01-05, May 2021      
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37547/history-crjh-02-05-01 
ISSN 2767-472X 
©2021 Master Journals 

   
  Accepted 15th May, 2021 &  Published 20th May, 2021  

 

 
 

 

CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY                           
ISSN – 2767-472X 

3 

   https://masterjournals.com/index.php/CRJH 

Buddhist temples, khanaqahs, and temples in 
Balkh, Merv, Termez, Samarkand, Bukhara, 
Shosh, Turkestan, Kuva, Kasan, Osh, Bolasogun, 
Kashgar, and other cities in order to develop 
these religious traditions in practice and spread 
them among other peoples. They also created the 
conditions for the study, translation, and 
interpretation of the sacred books of Buddhism 
and the sutra vapostoris. As a result, the basic 
ideas of this religion began to become extremely 
popular in these areas, gaining a great position 
among the local population. 

A lot of pottery was found in Qoratepa. The 
inscriptions on them belong to the teachings of 
Mahasanghika. This school played an important 
role in the spread of Buddhism in our country. 
The inscriptions in the Brahma script in another 
part of Qoratepa came a little later, in the 
Kanishka period (6). 

In the III-I centuries BC, Buddhism spread 
beyond India in the form of the Hinayana 
doctrine in a south-easterly direction. But at the 
beginning of the century AD, it moved north, 
northwest, and northeast in a Mahayana style. 
The reason for this was that for several 
centuries, the territories of Northern India, 
Central Asia, were united under the banner of a 
single Kushan kingdom. There is speculation that 
Buddhism entered the Far East through Central 
Asia and began its second life. 

Many monuments of fine arts and historical 
monuments of Buddhism have been found in our 
country. Among them, the religious complex 
found in Fayoztepa is one of the largest in 
Uzbekistan. The area of the temple, along with 
the religious inscriptions and statues found 
there, occupied a much larger area (7). 

The "Zurmala Tower" in the east of the old 
Termez, discovered in 1926 during archeological 
excavations, is mentioned as the first and most 
important cultural monument in our country (6). 

Remains of the Kara-Tepa Buddhist complex 
have been found on the site of the old Termez 
ruins in the Surkhandarya region. Each structure 
in this monument, which dates from the first 
century AD, the heyday of the Kushan Empire, is 
located above ground and in a cave (7). It is 
assumed that the Buddhist temple built in it 
consisted of a main hall, a room adapted for a 
servant-a monk. 

One of the main sects of Buddhism is the 
Hinayana direction. Hinayana means 'small 
wheel'. It was established as an official religious 
direction in the first century BC. However, its 
basic rules have been stated long ago, including 
in Tripitaka. 

Hinayana emphasizes that the study of the 
nature of dharma and the attainment of nirvana 
is a spiritual path. This path is very difficult and 
only monks can reach the state of nirvana. Later, 
very complex and lavish prayers (e.g., "worship 
of the Buddha’s tooth") were introduced in the 
hinayana, and public visits to Buddhist shrines 
were introduced. This route was widespread in 
eastern India, Sri Lanka, and Indo-Chinese 
countries. 

"In ancient architecture, the practical decorative 
part of the column, which was included in the 
order system, is called the capital. The capitals 
served to distribute the load falling on the girder 
evenly over the columns. They were originally 
made of wood. Under the influence of Greek 
architecture, they began to be made of stone. In 
Bactrian architecture, the presence of ionic 
vascorphic species of stone capitals has also been 
identified. The main element of ionic capital - the 
gajak, which is turned down by its two sides - are 
currencies. In addition to their aesthetic 
significance, currencies also have symbolic 
meanings. There is a belief among people that 
comparing them to sheep (goat) horns protects a 
building or structure from evil forces. Currencies 
also come in the form of a spiral. Gajak has 



CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY 2(5): 01-05, May 2021      
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37547/history-crjh-02-05-01 
ISSN 2767-472X 
©2021 Master Journals 

   
  Accepted 15th May, 2021 &  Published 20th May, 2021  

 

 
 

 

CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY                           
ISSN – 2767-472X 

4 

   https://masterjournals.com/index.php/CRJH 

symbolic meanings such as origin, expansion, 
development, periodicity, and continuous 
duration. It represents the practice of force and 
motion that emerges from the center and leads to 
infinity. Gajak is considered to be the moon, 
fertility, life expectancy, duration of gradual 
development (8). 

 

The lotus can also be found among the less 
common themes in the capitals. The theme of the 
lotus has existed in the eastern peoples since 
ancient times. Its semantics are different. 
Especially among the Egyptians, the lotus leaf 
was recognized as a symbol of goodness, light 
and love. The lotus also appears as a symbol of 
the universe (the sun). The lotus was given 
special attention in Buddhism. It symbolized the 
divine birth and belonging to the Buddha, that is, 
the "miracle of the birth of the Buddha." This is 
why the image of the lotus leaf was so common 
in Buddhist art. Ceramic vessels, relics (vessels 
used in religious ceremonies) lids were 
decorated with lotus leaves. Lotus flowers are 
also found in murals. Stupa platforms, the base of 
Buddhist statues, thrones and other architectural 
pieces were decorated with them. According to 
Sh.R.Pidaev, the depiction of twelve lotus leaves 
in the capital of Termez is significant in that it 
represents the state of nirvana. This is another 
example of how the concept of Buddhism 
influenced all aspects of Kushan Bactrian art 
(11). Human images in Ayritom friezes have been 
interpreted in the scientific literature as gifts or 
charitable donors. Due to the fact that frieze was 
used in Buddhist construction, it was noted that 
they were associated with a Buddhist theme, 
while the images represented themes in 
Buddhist mythology (11). 

CONCLUSION 

As a result, many statues and murals have been 
erected based on Buddhist teachings and some of 

its legends. These masterpieces of art deserve 
special scientific study in the history of art in 
Uzbekistan. At the same time, the fact that it is 
mentioned among the ancient Chinese and 
Indian civilizations also testifies to the 
importance and place of the Great Silk Road in its 
historical development. 

 

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4. Ibrokhim Abdurakhmanov. (2019) "Specific 
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CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY 2(5): 01-05, May 2021      
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37547/history-crjh-02-05-01 
ISSN 2767-472X 
©2021 Master Journals 

   
  Accepted 15th May, 2021 &  Published 20th May, 2021  

 

 
 

 

CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF HISTORY                           
ISSN – 2767-472X 

5 

   https://masterjournals.com/index.php/CRJH 

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