3-D Projection Of Buddha To Commemorate 20th Anniversary of Taliban's Attack On Statues In Afghanistan

To pay tribute to the destroyed Buddhas and denounce the destroyers, hundreds of people including young boys and girls held a lantern-lit procession, which led to the front of destroyed Buddhas cliff on Tuesday.

The projection filled the alcove that once housed Salsal -- the 55-meter (155-feet) high statue. "These moments also remind you of what a great treasure we lost," said Gulsoom Zahra, a 23-year-old Bamiyan resident who attended the ceremony. (Image: AFP)

New Delhi: Commemorating the horrific attack on the two Buddha Statues At Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan pledged to preserve the world's cultural heritages. Believed to be built in the sixth century, the destruction of the 55-metre-tall and 38-metre-tall statues by the Taliban militants in March 2001 has been condemned globally.

"Although the Taliban dynamited the two statues, the monuments are still popular as many people annually get together in Bamiyan to commemorate the giant Buddhas in ceremonies where the speakers express their anger over vandalising the world's cultural heritages," provincial governor Sayed Anwar Rahmati told Xinhua news agency.

The Taliban drew international revulsion when they blew up the centuries-old figures during their brief, iron-handed rule over the country as they went on a rampage against Afghanistan's rich pre-Islamic cultural heritage. To pay tribute to the destroyed Buddhas and denounce the destroyers, hundreds of people including young boys and girls held a lantern-lit procession, which led to the front of destroyed Buddhas cliff on Tuesday evening IANS reported.

Rahmati pledged that his provincial administration is committed to preserving and repairing all the historical monuments and cultural heritages in Bamiyan province with the support of national and international agencies.

The participants arranged a 3D projector and an image of the Buddha was projected on the space where the statue used to be. In a statement, Ernesto Ottone R., UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Culture, said on Thursday: "As we mark 20 years since the destruction in Bamiyan, we at UNESCO reiterate our support to the Afghan people and reinforce our commitment to stand together with people everywhere to safeguard cultural heritage as an embodiment of our common humanity," according to IANS. 

Although the commemoration has been clouded by fears the Taliban are on the verge of returning to power after signing a landmark deal with the US that could see international troops exit the country in the coming months.