A UNIQUE PHOTO-EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS SOME INTERESTING ASPECTS OF HISTORY OF BUDDHISM IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR

By Vijay Kranti

THE HISTORIC BUDDHIST SITE AT AKHNOOR NEAR JAMMU WHICH WON INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION DUE TO VISIT OF H.H. DALAI LAMA

In November 2011, the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Ambaran, a so far forgotten historic Buddhist site near Jammu’s Akhnoor town, placed it on the international Buddhist map. Since then Ambaran has become an important tourist spot of Jammu region. The findings of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) during its excavation in 1999-2000 period have established that a Buddhist monastery thrived at this site over 2000 years ago and remained active for about 900 years. A photo-exhibition entitled “AMBARAN: THE HISTORIC BUDDHIST CITADEL OF JAMMU & KASHMIR”  by renowned Tibetologist and journalist-photographer Vijay Kranti, presenting high quality images of a wide assortment of the historic artifacts, excavated by the ASI from this site, is on a 40-day long show at the National Museum in New Delhi these days. Inaugurated this month on 2nd April, the exhibition will be on public display till 9th May, 2025. An interesting historical fact about Ambaran is that Buddhism was flourishing in this region of Jammu even a thousand years before it went to Ladakh and Tibet.

Besides many archaeology and history enthusiasts and photography lovers, this exhibition is attracting the Tibetan community of Delhi also in a big way. The exhibition was inaugurated by Mr. Satish Sharma, Cabinet Minister in Jammu & Kashmir government and Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi, former Central Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Culture. Dr. B.R. Mani, archaeologist of national and international fame and Director General of National Museum was the host of this event. On the inauguration day special visitors included Mr. Wilson Chang the Counselor Taiwan, Mr. Jigme Jugney the Representatives of HH the Dalai Lama, Mr. Balbir Punj, famous journalist and former Rajya Sabha MP.

This photo-exhibition, is a wholesome visual, historic and cultural presentation of the spirit of an excavation site, called ‘Ambaran’ (pron: ‘ambaa-raan’) by veteran photo-journalist Vijay Kranti. The artifacts, discovered by a team of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the leadership of famous Indian archaeologist Dr. B.R. Mani during 1999-2000 period indicate that this site is over 2000 years old and has been an active and vibrant Buddhist monastery for about 900 years between 2nd century BC and 7th century AD.  This show has been jointly organized by capital’s  National Museum and ‘Centre for Himalayan Asia Studies and Engagement (CHASE)’, a think tank based in New Delhi. The exhibition is scheduled to be on public display between 2nd April and 9th May, 2025 at the Ajanta art gallery of the National Museum at Jan Path in New Delhi.

Ambaran is located at the right bank of river Chenab on the outskirts of famous Akhnoor town of J&K, about 30 km from Jammu. The Chenab, also known as ‘Chandra Bhaga’ and ‘Askini’ in earlier history, has been host to many learned saints and scholars along its banks. Archeologists believe that the Ambaran Buddhist establishment was an important link point for travellers between the ancient universities of Nalanda in the east and Taxila in the west. 

The articles and constructions discovered in these excavations present a wide range of interesting items which include the base of a large Buddhist Stupa; a smaller Votive Stupa; meditation cells, larger rooms and house walls constructed with well baked and long lasting terracotta bricks of standardized sizes; a set of copper, silver and gold caskets with some bone relics as well as jewelry made of pearls and semi-precious stones.  Another range of terracotta pots and human figures not only reflect the quality of various skills but also the refined tastes of the contemporary population in their choice of dressing and hairstyles. Discovery of some iron nails and a range of coins in addition to the copper, silver and gold caskets also indicate the knowledge of metallurgy among populations of those times in this region. 

According to Dr. Mani, who later served as the Additional Director General of ASI and is currently Director General at the National Museum, the coins — These coins, total 8 of them with 6 belonging to the Kushan rulers Soter Megas, Kanishka and    Huvikshka, establish the period during which this monastic establishment was active. One coin belongs to period of Toramana, the Hun ruler. These coins are believed to have been in circulation in later period also.

Vijay Kranti, the photographer of this exhibition is a veteran journalist and photographer with family roots in Jammu and Kashmir. His five decade long photographic work on the Tibetan diaspora is acknowledged internationally as the largest one-man aesthetic documentation of Tibetan life and culture. His other areas of serious photographic interest include Himalayan Buddhism, Ladakh and J&K. Currently he is focused at promoting some such areas of Jammu and Kashmir which are not much talked about but hold great potential as popular tourist destinations. 

It was on the persuasion of Kranti’s friend and Lok Sabha member (Late) Madan Sharma from Akhnoor that he undertook extensive photography at Ambaran site. It was after seeing Kranti’s photo exposition on Ambaran in 2011 that H.H. the Dalai Lama decided to visit Ambaran. Following his discussion wih Dr. Mani about the archeological findings and significance of this site that Dalai Lama commented that further excavations and research on this area might encourage the historians to rewrite some chapters of history of Buddhism.

According to Vijay Kranti, since taking over responsibility as the Chief Mister of J&K, Mr. Omar Abdullah has placed special emphasis on promoting the rich cultural heritage of the State and its tourism. His team member in the Cabinet and son of (Late) Mr. Madan Sharma, Mr. Satish Sharma too is actively  engaged with him in taking this cause ahead. His active involvement in this photo exhibition on Ambaran and Akhnoor is  one of many such projects.

About Akhnoor Mr. Sharma says, “Akhnoor is blessed with five extra-ordinary cultural, historic, natural and technological specialties. These are: the Buddhist Monastic Site of  Ambaran; the  Akhnoor Fort; the Jia Pota Mandir  which is also the Coronation site of  Maharaja Gulab Singh ji; Akhnoor Railway Bridge which is the highest in the world; and the majestic Chenab river which presents its most  beautiful and peaceful facet at Akhnoor”. It is J&K government’s endeavor to place    Akhnoor on the tourist map of J&K and India.

The area of Ambaran won attention of archaeologists first time in 1936 when Charles Fabri, an art critic and Indologist of Hungarian origin was appointed as Curator at the Lahore Museum. There he found some beautiful terracotta heads which lied undocumented in a forgotten corner. His curiosity to find the source of these heads took him to some placed in Jammu & Kashmir which finally ended at Ambaran where he found some more similar heads and other artifacts of identical nature in some locally tilled fields.  The next phase of archeological research at Ambaran started in 1999 when Dr. Mani, who was the Superintending Archeologist of ASI at Srinagar undertook a project of excavation at this site. 

VIJAY KRANTI is a senior Indian journalist, Tibetologist and photographer who has over 50 years of friendly association with Tibet and Tibetan people. He is the Chairman of the Centre for Himalayan Asia Studies and Engagement, New Delhi.  He can be contacted at  v.kranti@gmail.com  | www.vijaykranti.com. | +91 9810245674