Stone craft in Pakistan is as ancient as Buddhism itself. Wherever the followers of Buddha went, they took with them the story of Buddha, carved it in stone and adorned all stupas up to China and Afghanistan in the north and Sri Lanka in the south. Skillfully crafted, these wonderful monuments elucidate the story of Buddhism to this day, writes Amjad Iqbal

Famous as a remnant of the capital of Gandhara and the abode of splendid Buddhist establishments, the 3,000-year-old city of Taxila is no less than a Mecca for Buddhists from all over the world. Presently, it has become notorious for the production of fake sculptures, the unscrupulous business of which is rampant globally.

The master sculptors and stone carvers known as ‘Miracle-warriors of Taxila’ are famous all over the world for their excellent masterpieces from Gandhara art and Madhura art, which include hundreds of unique replicas of stonework. According to experts, most of the sculptures seized by the police in Karachi have been crafted by them.

Ilyas Muhammad Khan, a master sculptor in Gandhara art explains that it was from these centres that a unique art of sculpture originated, which is today known as Gandhara art all over the world. Pakistan has a rich legacy of Buddhist art and architecture going back to the first and second centuries and despite the vagaries of time, the art of stone carving and sculpting was bequeathed from generations to generations. But today, a potential extinction is seen due to socio-economic conditions, unreasonable laws of the departments of archaeology and museums and fleecing by national and international smugglers.

He further explains that the tradition of stone craft in Pakistan is as old as Buddhism itself. Wherever the followers of Buddha went, they took with them the story of Buddha and carved it in stone and adorned all ancient Stupas up to China and Afghanistan in the north and Sri Lanka in the south. Skillfully crafted, these were wonderful monuments which elucidate the story of Buddhism to this day.

Today, Taxila has developed into a small craftsmen city with over 45 workshops where more than 200 skilled artisans produce tombstones in black stone. Dhabian, located near Taxila Museum is the hub of craftsmanship where artists produce these tombstones in excellent shape and detail.

The roots of these carvers can be traced back to ancient Gandhara as they live between two ancient cities today known as Bhir Mound (the first city of Taxila) and Sirkap (the second city). The small locality has a number of skilled artisans who have inherited the art from their ancestors and have been earning their living by carving locally collected hard stone into beautiful shapes and replicas of artefacts.

The master sculptors and stone carvers are forced by certain influential people to sell their art pieces at throwaway prices to powerful smuggler mafias. Khan says that a powerful mafia of six influential people is active in the country’s national market which exploits the sculptors and stone cravers and restricts the purchase of the artefacts produced by the local sculptors so that no one else is allowed to buy them.

According to Khan, smugglers take away the rights of the artists. “Local sculptors are aware of the fact that smugglers take advantage of the artisans’ talent by selling replicas of Gandhara’s famous artwork abroad as ‘antiques’ at inflated prices,” he explains. “The sculptors of Taxila are so adroit in creating sculptures that even the sharpest of the cognoscenti cannot tell the difference between the real and the copy, except for the fact that the latter has a fresh look. Although if required he can actually make his work look 3,000 years old.”

Khan explains that the stone cravers of Taxila produce world famous statues and artistic images of Buddha in black stone with inscriptions influenced by the different types of carvings from Greek, Indo-Greek and Persian culture. “According to an estimate, genuine Gandhara carvings worth at least Rs3 million are smuggled out every year with customs officials turning a blind eye to the matter.” He also claims that all the antiquities seized in Karachi were produced by artists in Taxila and were to be smuggled to Thailand via sea route.

“Pakistan is the land from where Gandhara art originated, especially Buddha images carved in black stone that have flourished across the world,” says Rashid Mehmood, another sculptor. “It is the artists from Taxila whose masterpieces decorate the personal museums of the people in South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, France, UK and Thailand. However, since new laws were promulgated through the Antiquities Act in 1975, the practice is now illegal and subject to fine and imprisonment.”

Apparently, the mafia selling fake sculptures on the pretext of authenticity and antiquity are active and continue unabated to fleece foreign and local visitors around the various ancient sites of Taxila, right under the nose of the concerned authorities.

Sources, on condition of anonymity, testified that in this illegal business, two big names emerged in preliminary investigations — one of a former provincial assembly member who is also an influential personality in Taxila and the other of an Islamabad-based antiquities aficionado and smuggler. “If national agencies including FIA involve themselves in the probe of the smuggling of this priceless antiquities cache, they would ultimately succeed in busting the mafia involved.”

It was further revealed that the department of archaeology officials deputed in Taxila museum are well aware of this sorry state of affairs but for reasons best known to them do not take any action against these treasure hunters. It is probably true that the illegal element greases the palms of concerned officials hence managing to avoid any kind of penalty.

The department of archaeology and museums is supposed to be the custodian of the nation’s rich cultural heritage, responsible for conservation, preservation and meaningful presentation of ancient relics and historical monuments but they seem to be viewing the whole affair of human vandalism with apathy.