Abstract
The physical relationship between space and objects is certainly one of the key aspects for a correct understanding of historical, cultural and artistic phenomena. This is particularly true with the Buddhist rock sculptures that flourished in Swat (ancient Uḍḍiyāna, North-West Pakistan) in the 7th–8th century AD. They not only revive pilgrimage routes leading to the ancient Buddhist sacred areas –many of which were already falling into decay if not abandoned – but are closely bound up with the sacred space. In fact, the primary concern of the artists seems to have been to fit the works into a suitable natural theatre in such a way as to reflect the idea that the sacred place was entirely a work of nature. Accordingly, the figures carved into the rock had to appear as if they spontaneously emerged from it.
This artistic project may have drawn fresh vitality from the Indian concept of the swayaṃbhū (uncreated, self-existent) image, but certainly it is primarily indebted to the ancient religious world – characterised by an animistic and geomantic nature – which preceded Buddhism and Islam and still survives in the regions south of the Hindukush under the guise of popular beliefs.
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1 The title (in English “The roads of Swat”) is in homage to Giuseppe Tucci and to his book La via dello Swat, Roma 1963, a small literary masterpiece that, by combining scholarly accuracy and passionate communicativeness, made great scientific achievements available to a wide audience.
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Acknowledgements
This research project is being carried out within the framework of the activities of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan of the IsIAO (formerly IsMEO). It was promoted by the late and deeply regretted Domenico Faccenna, who led the Mission from 1956 to1995. I had as a faithful and patient companion in this adventure my colleague and dear friend Luca M. Olivieri, who is the author of the most of the territorial survey and to whom I am deeply indebted for his generous commitment and support. My warmest thanks are also due to the colleagues of the interdisciplinary research project FWF NFN S 9802 “The Cultural History of the Western Himalaya from the 8th Century” led by Prof. Deborah Klimburg-Salter. The participation in the project, which I joined for the years 2007–2008 within the framework of the Art History section, opened much broader horizons for my current research activities.
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Filigenzi, A. (2011). Le vie dello Swat1 . In: Kriz, K., Cartwright, W., Hurni, L. (eds) Mapping Different Geographies. Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-15537-6_12
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