THE last time I went on a Buddhist trail, it was an odyssey.
It started with a four hour flight to Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, then driving another five hours to get to Mihintale and climbing 1,840 steps of an ancient stairway barefoot in the sun to get to the top of a hill where Buddhism is said to have started in Sri Lanka. In 247 BC, King Devanampiyatissa was converted by Mahinda, the son of Emperor Ashoka, to Buddhism on this hill.
This week, however, I took just a short 20 minute drive from my home, I got to keep my shoes on and I stayed in the air-conditioned comfort of The Peranakan Museum. But the creature comforts didn't overshadow the impact of what I saw: Exquisite Buddhas, made over 1,400 years ago, lost for about 800 years and now on show in Singapore, the only South-east Asian stop for the exhibit, Serenity in Stone: The Qingzhou Discovery.
In 1996, Chinese construction workers hit upon a pit in Qingzhou, Shandong province. The pit contained 400 limestone sculptures, all 6th century Buddhist figures, the likes of which had never been seen before. All were damaged, some with missing torsos, others with missing hands or arms, still others with major cracks.
But none of these flaws could hide the gentle smiles, the bodies carved intricately with rich ornaments or the simple yet exquisite folds of the statues' robes. Some of them had traces of coloured pigments and gilding that continues to glow despite the long entombment.
Source: Shandong Provincial Museum
Coming face to face with 35 of the best preserved Qingzhou finds, it is hard to believe these were created centuries ago.
There is a certain timeless quality to these sculptures. This is enhanced by the enigmatic smiles hinting at the inner contentment of beings who have reached nirvana or spiritual enlightenment. They look unworldly, yet with the robes clinging to their perfectly chiselled bodies, they look almost human too.
Source: Shandong Provincial Museum
Created between about 500 and 577 AD, they transform Lord Buddha into a more human form. The Torso of the Standing Buddha, for instance, shows him with one leg slightly raised, giving the whole piece a sense of movement. Another standing figure of Buddha creates the same sense of movement through the fluid flow of the robe. What makes the effect even more dramatic is the fact that it is all carved out of local limestone.
It is "the real thing", says Tan Huism, the show's curator and deputy director, curation and collection at the Asian Civilisations Museum. She adds: "In this day and age when we are practically living in a virtual world, there is something to be said about the craftsmanship of the past. I don't think anyone has the patience to create something like this anymore."
Beyond the beauty of these sculptures, the bigger story is about the inter-connectedness of ancient Asian cultures.
Many of the sculptures on show are inspired by Indian art and sculptural forms of the Gupta period. But the Chinese artisans have added on their own elements to their creations. So you get to see dragons, Chinese inscriptions and less elaborate halos around Lord Buddha's head.
A week ago, all the stone figures, now on show in all their glory, were lying flat in coffin-shaped wooden boxes. Some pieces, like the star attraction which shows a Buddha with two bodhisattvas, weighed 1200 kgs. It took 11 men to bring the whole piece back to life.
Looking at the men hard at work, carefully handling the pieces, I couldn't help but think of the artisans who worked on this piece centuries ago. What sort of picture did they have in mind, if at all? Did it all start with a sketch? And could they have ever imagined the journeys their creations would make some day?
Source: Shandong Provincial Museum
It is unanswered questions like these that make these lost and found Buddhas all the more intriguing.
Sure, you don't get to see the sun set among broken ruins, which you would if you journeyed across the seas to the Unesco World Heritage Site of Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka. What you do get to see in the 35 sculptures on show in Singapore is what happens when the cultures of the world come together. In this day and age of conflict, it is a wonderful reminder of what is possible when people choose to exchange the best, rather than the worst, of their cultures.
View it:
www.peranakanmuseum.sg
What: Serenity in Stone: The Qingzhou Discovery
Where: Peranakan Museum, 39 Armenian St. Exhibition is at Dr Tan Tze Chor Gallery, Level 2 and Upper Annex Gallery, Level 3
When: Till April 26, 9:30am-7pm (Tues-Sun, open till 9pm on Fri), 1pm-7pm (Mon)
Admission: $8 (adult), $4 (concession). Ticket price includes admission to the museum's permanent galleries.
For details call 6332-7591 or visit www.peranakanmuseum.sg
Read Deepika Shetty's full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times' Life!