Bamiyan Comes to Bangkok: Situating the Buddha of the Cave Museum at Wat Saket

The Bamiyan Buddhas, once confined to Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley, have become mobile global symbols following their destruction. This study reveals how one such Buddha was reconstructed at Wat Saket in Bangkok, serving as a placeholder for the lost originals while embodying transnational histories of reproduction, material shifts, and iconographic decisions. The research situates this reconstruction within Thailand's evolving engagement with Buddha imagery, examining its role in curatorial visions, ritual practices, and leisure. By analyzing stylistic choices—such as scale, media, and iconography—the study highlights the Buddha's function as a dynamic site of retinal and haptic experience, challenging distinctions between pedagogy, aesthetics, and ritual. The findings underscore how these Buddhas circulate globally through collecting, exhibitions, gifts, and piety, reflecting broader cultural and material transformations.

Mukherjee, S. (2024). Bamiyan Comes to Bangkok: Situating the Buddha of the Cave Museum at Wat Saket. South Asian Studies, 40(1), 80–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/02666030.2024.2332012