Chapter 1041 Bamiyan Caves

……

"$890,000, is there anything higher?"

The auctioneer, Inclar, shouted twice and there was no answer, and the third time finally dropped the hammer! This strong African lion was bought by a slightly short and fat middle-aged man for a high price of $890,000!

It is clear that he is not a native of Pakistan, but more like an Indian! Although he is wearing a robe, he does not wear a turban!

The lion is also a very sacred animal in the Indian religion, and the only forest park with a large number of Asiatic lions is in India!

After the eight strong men lifted the iron cage down again, the second auction item finally became much more normal!

However, this time it was not a real thing, but a picture with a length of nearly 150 centimeters and a height of 70 centimeters. The picture shows a Buddha statue lying upside down!

"Everyone, please forgive me, because the stone statue of this Buddha is nearly 5 meters long, 150 centimeters high, and weighs more than 8 tons, which is not convenient to transport, so it can only be shown to you in pictures for the time being.

“…… In the 4th century A.D., the Buddha statue of Virujana of the Kushan Dynasty came from the Bamiyan Caves in Afghanistan! The reserve price is 600,000 US dollars, and each price increase shall not be less than 10,000 US dollars, and the auction is now open!"

"Alas!"

Looking at the lively Bai Quan and sighing, Liu Dong couldn't help but be surprised: "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing! It's just a little sigh, I'm afraid that after the destruction of the Taliban forces, the Bamiyan Caves, a famous treasure house of Buddhist art, will cease to exist!" Bai Quan shook his head.

"Bamiyan Grotto?" Liu Dong repeated!

Because of his hobby of collecting, he is no stranger to this famous treasure trove of Buddhist art in Afghanistan.

Bamiyan Caves, a Buddhist cave excavated in the 3rd ~ 7th century AD, carved along the cliff. There are about 750 large and small grottoes in total, there is a huge stone carving standing Buddha in the cave-like caves at the left and right ends of the main cave group, 53 meters and 35 meters high respectively, the big Buddha is dressed in a shoulder robe, thin clothes and close to the body, just like Cao Yi out of the water. The demeanor is solemn and majestic. The face and feet of the Buddha statue have been damaged.

There are murals painted on the wall of the big Buddha cave niche and more than 50 other caves, and the contents include the Buddha Nirvana, the donor, the circular bead pattern, etc., the composition is rich in variety, and the form of the cave roof painting is particularly diverse. The style of the frescoes and statues was influenced by the Persian Sassanid art, as well as Indian and Western art.

It was only at the beginning of the 8th century, with the gradual Islamization of the local religious culture, that the Bamiyan Caves were greatly damaged. Later, with the eastward spread of Buddhism, the artistic characteristics of the Bamiyan Grottoes had a significant influence on the grottoes in China's new Xinjiang and other places.

In terms of artistic achievement alone. The Bamiyan Grottoes are not inferior to the Chinese Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Luoyang Longmen Grottoes, Tianshui Maijishan Grottoes and the Great Tongyungang Grottoes Buddhist Art Treasure House!

If such a treasure trove of Buddhist art is really destroyed, it will indeed make people who really like ancient culture and Buddhist culture deeply saddened.

“…… During our time in Pakistan, especially in Peshawar, we had heard that the Taliban had blown up two large Buddhas in the Bamiyan Caves and stole many of them. Originally, I didn't believe it, but now that I see this statue of Virujana Buddha, I finally believe it!"

For the destruction of this treasure trove of Buddhist art. Liu Dong was also a little distressed, but he was not as obvious as Bai Quan.

"Do you believe in Buddhism?" Liu Dong said curiously.

After nodding, Bai Quan said: "Everyone in our family believes in Buddhism!"

Liu Dong, who suddenly understood, nodded. In modern times, this materialism is rampant. In a society with many temptations, it is a good thing to have faith, as long as it is not extreme, and there is a spiritual conversion, it is very helpful for a person's growth and moral improvement!

"If I want to take a picture of this Buddha statue, you won't object, right?" Liu Dong joked.

"Of course not!" Bai Quan shook his head.

He is not a fanatic, and he is emotional. But it is still separate from real life! And he is also optimistic that this precious Buddha statue from the fourth century in the park will fall into Liu Dong's hands.

An intuition in his heart told Bai Quan that this compatriot around him, who had only known him for less than a day, could treat this precious Buddhist statue kindly!

"A million dollars!"

Liu Dong raised the bidding sign and said loudly.

His offer directly exceeded the bidder just now by nearly $150,000, which was a big bet in this kind of auction occasion, so a lot of scrutiny focused on Liu Dong in an instant.

"VIP 56 made a bid of $1 million. Is there anything higher?" said the auctioneer in his heart, slightly excited.

But he asked twice in a row, but no one raised the card again!

After all, in Pakistan, it is still the Muslims who make up the vast majority, and so do the wealthy, so they are not too keen to take the giant Buddha statue.

Here, it was mainly antiquities dealers from all over the world who wanted to win the lot, but a million dollars clearly exceeded their expectations.

If you buy it at this price and they change hands again, the freight plus the cost of promotion will greatly dilute the profits, which is somewhat worthless!

So, just when the antiquities dealers were hesitating, the auctioneer dropped the third hammer!

"Congratulations to Mr. 56 for winning this stone statue of Buddha Virujana from the Bamiyan Caves in Afghanistan!"

In the applause of everyone around him, as well as the surprised eyes of Bai Quan and Ren Guotao, Liu Dong harvested his first collection in Peshawar!

"Liu Dong, did you really buy it?"

The upright Ren Guotao was still a little hard to believe, he didn't expect that Liu Dong, who was a few years younger than him, actually had such financial resources?

"Or else?" Liu Dong smiled.

"Then Liu Dong, is your family particularly rich?" Ren Guotao said curiously.

"It's okay!" Liu Dong gave an ambiguous answer!

But the envy in the eyes of Bai Quan and Ren Guotao is still undiminished!

In addition to the two of them, Ishak next to him was obviously a little surprised by Liu Dong's sudden generosity, and looked him up and down many times before retracting his gaze.

Soon the third lot also appeared on the stage!

After the auctioneer uncovered the red silk covering it, a pair of scope was attached, with clear water chestnuts and black throughout. A huge, modern sniper rifle has been unveiled!

"This is an ultra-long-range anti-materiel sniper rifle that was handcrafted by three gun-making masters in Peshawar using imported American materials and taking half a year to make the whole gun! The total weight of the gun is 12.8 kilograms, the length of the gun is 1548 mm, the barrel length is 823 mm, and the caliber is 12.7mm. It is fed with a rotating rear-pull bolt and a 5-round separable magazine. ”

"McMillan fiberglass stock, pistol-style grip, Remington-style trigger, 3.5 pounds trigger. A race-grade high-quality barrel with grooves on the outside, and an accuracy of 0.3MOA can be achieved with high-quality ammunition. ”

"Muzzle velocity 936 m / s, effective range 2500 meters, 16x scope!"

"The butt is equipped with a bipod at the front and a special rubber cushion at the tail, and the entire tail of the stock can be removed for easy support. ”

"Without a doubt, this is the world's top anti-materiel sniper rifle! There is no one who can take care of it! I hope that you here today will be able to solve these two problems...... 12.7mm caliber anti-materiel sniper rifle, the reserve price is $200,000, and the price increase is not less than $5,000 each time, and the bidding starts now!"

"$210,000!"

"$220,000!"

"$230,000!"

Looking at Ishak who raised his card for the first time, Liu Dong smiled and said, "I didn't expect Your Excellency to be so interested in this sniper rifle?"

"Hehe, I didn't buy this sniper rifle to fight, but to get some inspiration from it and improve my own gun-making experience!"

"Oh. Really!"

After glancing at Liu Dong, Ishak said, "In Peshawar." There are too many private gun-making workshops, and unless you are skilled enough to make high-performance and lucrative custom guns, you can only make hard-earned money!

After nodding, Liu Dong said, "But there are so many people competing for this gun." I'm afraid it will cost you a lot of money if you want to take it!"

"I knew I was ready when I came...... All the auction items have nothing to do with me, I just want this one gun!"

Looking at the persistence in Isak's eyes, Liu Dong felt his love for the profession of gun making, which was just like Liu Dong's love for collecting, jade carving and painting.

And Liu Dong, who empathized, also gave up the idea of bidding for this gun.

For him can only be considered a good marksmanship. The Barrett M99 is enough, and the rest of the sniper rifle, no matter how good it is, is just a waste in his hands!

But Liu Dong's abandonment does not mean that there is less competition from Ishak!

Men who have experienced war and can carry guns freely don't want to have a good gun in their hands that can wear through the Yang and have superior performance, so in less than five minutes, the price of this privately built anti-materiel sniper rifle has climbed to a whopping $380,000!

In the end, Ishak gritted his teeth and bought the gun for $455,000.

Looking at the other party's excited look, Liu Dong shook his head lightly and continued to pay attention to the next collection!

This kind of auction with a variety of auction items has made him have a greater sense of anticipation.

In addition to the Tibetan mastiff, lions, tigers, leopards and other items sold as pets, the rest of the various Buddhist artworks from war-torn Afghanistan, the Hellenistic cultural relics handed down from the Seleucid Dynasty and the Baritrian Dynasty, the cultural relics of the Tang Dynasty and ancient China passed down in Afghanistan through the Silk Road, and the cultural relics with the Islamic characteristics of the Arab Empire, also made Liu Dong addicted......!

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