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"Stunning" Buddha Art Found in Nepal Cliff
Paintings of Buddha dating back at least to the 12th century have been discovered in a cave in Nepal's remote north-central region by a team of international researchers who were tipped by a local sheep herder.
A mural with 55 panels depicting the story of Buddha's life was uncovered in March 2007, with the team using ice axes to break through a snow path to reach the cave in Nepal's Mustang area, about 160 miles northwest of the capital, Katmandu.Coburn said the main mural measured around 25 feet wide, and each panel was about 14 inches by 17 inches.
The team of Nepalese, Italian and American archaeologists, art experts, and climbers, were tipped by a local sheep herder who mentioned that he had seen a cave with old paintings several years ago when he took shelter from the rain.A full expedition of scientists, art experts, and climbers from the U.S., Italy, and Nepal then climbed high into Nepal's mountainous Mustang area, some 250 kilometers (160 miles) northwest of Katmandu, locating the caves.
"What we found is fantastically rich in culture and heritage and goes to the 12th century or earlier," U.S. writer and conservationist Broughton Coburn told the Associated Press.
The expedition spent three weeks in the remote mountainous area, where there are few people due to the extreme weather and barren land.
“We learnt how much we don't know, how much there is to discover, explore and understand,” Coburn said, adding they plan to return to the cave next spring to conduct more research.***