Sphola Stupa

The stupa is a 2nd century Buddhist monument in Zarai village near Jamrud. It is a reminder of the great Kushan Empire and Buddhism nexus which is often depicted in Gandhara artefacts. In fact, Gandhara sculptures were excavated at this very stupa and are now housed in the museum in Peshawar. In their wake came Buddhist missionaries and pilgrims in response to the intense religious revival occasioned by Kanishka's patronage. Several Buddhist monasteries nestled within the folds of the Khyber Pass offered haven. Even in ruin the Khyber's Sphola stupa proclaims the glory of its day.

Peshawar

KPK

Bala Hisar Fort

Today Pushkalavati is an eroded 21-meter high mound located one and a half kilometer west of modern Charsadda, "Four roads", a crossroads trading town 32-kilometer northeast of Peshawar. The mound marks the Bala Hisar, "High Fort", the citadel containing 52 levels representing 25 centuries of occupation, from the 6 century B.C. to the 18th century A.D. The city, a jumble of winding narrow alleyways, sprawled across 50 acres at its foot. Two and a half centuries after Alexander a series of foreigners arrived from the northwest. The most remarkable of these new rulers was the lndo-Greek King Menander who entered the Punjab from Kabul about 160 B.C. Ten years later he ordered drastic changes. Menander abandoned the Bala Hisar and laid out a pristine city a kilometer to the north, at modern Shaikhan Dheri, "Mound of the Shaikhs". In the new kilometer long city parallel streets ran arrow-straight, crossing a crisp right angle, according to the best dictates of Greek city planning. No crooked alleyways twisted and turned in the new Lotus City. At its heart rose an imposing stupa. Menander was a famous patron of Buddhism.   A century earlier, as Buddhism took root in Gandhara under Ashoka in the 3'd century B.C. the proponents of the new religion has sought popular appeal by associating local sites with events in the previous lives of the Buddha. At the Lotus City, they said, the Buddha had born a thousand times, and each time sacrificed his eyes for another. Ashoka built a stupa in the city to commemorate this supreme Eye-giving sacrifice.

Peshawar

KPK

Peshawar Museum

The Peshawar Museum is a museum located in Peshawar, capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Peshawar Museum is notable for its collection of Buddhist artwork dating from the ancient Gandhara Empire.

The museum was set up in November 1907 to house the Gandharan Sculptures excavated from the major Gandharan sites of Shah-Ji-Ki-Dheri Peshawar, Sahri Bahlol, Takht-i-Bahi in the Mardan District and later from Jamal Garhi and other Gandharan sites excavated by British scholars. The two-story building, an amalgamation of the British and Mughal architectures, originally consisted of a main hall and two side aisles on the ground and first floor, surmounted by four elegant cupolas and small pinnacles on all the corners. On the Easter. The Peshawar Museum has the most important and largest collection of Gandhara Art in the world. Including antiquities of Buddhist stone sculptures and panels, architectural elements, stucco, sculptures terracotta figurines, relic caskets, toiletry objects. The selected collection is exhibited in the main hall, eastern and western galleries on the first floor of the museum’s and western side of the building, two halls were added in similar fashion in 1969.

Early 2nd century A.D., records call Peshawar Poshpapura, City of Flowers. Perhaps this refers to the flowering of Buddhism and relates to the Buddhist tradition which associates Peshawar with conversion of the Kushan King Kanishka. Although no Buddhist monument survives in Peshawar today, the Peshawar Museum holds one of the richest stores of Gandhara Buddhist art.

Peshawar

KPK

Gor Khatri Peshawar

Gorkhatri is a public park in Peshawar, Pakistan, located within a Mughal-era caravanserai that was built at the site of ancient ruins. Gorkhatri is a typical Mughal-era serai and is located on one of the highest points of Peshawar city. It is a fortified compound consisting of an area of 160x160 square meters. It has two prominent gateways: one in the east and one in the west. The Goraknath Temple is situated in the centre, a network of cells and buildings in the southern and western side of the complex and a fire brigade building, which was built in 1917.

The archaeological site of Gorkhuttree is located at the heart of walled city of old Peshawar. It is the highest place in Peshawar having a huge deposit of the historic periods commencing from the Indo-Greeks or even earlier. The first excavations at this site were conducted in 1994-95 and thereafter series of excavations took place in the subsequent years. The city Museum is established inside the Gorkhuttri complex. The existing structure of the complex was established by Begum Jehanara, the beloved daughter of the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1640 A.D. It was established as caravanserai for the merchants who came to Peshawar from central Asia and Afghanistan etc.

The museum is consisting of two small galleries i.e., the Archaeological and Ethnological, while a third gallery is recently added for the exhibition of the antiquities of the British time. The archaeological gallery of this museum represents a continuous profile of the Peshawar Valley in the form of excavation material recovered from the site of Gorkhuttree.

Swat

KPK

Takht-i-Bahi Buddhist Monastery

"Throne of the water spring" commonly mispronounced as Takht-i-Bhai ("Brother throne"), is an Indo-Parthian archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery in District Mardan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The site is considered among the most imposing relics of Buddhism in all of Gandhara and has been "exceptionally well-preserved" It is located around 500 feet atop the small hill and around 2 km from village bazar. This Buddhist monastery was founded in the 1st century and was in use until the 7th century AD. Takht-i-Bahi was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. Structure of Takht Bahi Remains There are four main areas of the Takht Bahi complex:  The Stupa Court, a cluster of stupas located in a central courtyard.  The monastic chambers, consisting of individual cells arranged around a courtyard, assembly halls, and a dining area.  A temple complex, consisting of stupas.  The Tantric monastic complex, which consists of small, dark cells with low openings, which may have been used for certain forms of Tantric meditation.

Mardan

KPK

Jamal Garhi

Jamal Garhi is a small town located 13 kilometers from Mardan at Katlang- Mardan road in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Jamal Garhi was a Buddhist monastery from the first until the fifth century AD at a time when Buddhism flourished in this part. There is a beautiful monastery and main stupa, surrounded by chapels closely packed together. The ruins of Jamal Garhi were first discovered by the British explorer and archaeologist Sir Alexander Cunningham in 1848. The stupa at the site was opened by Colonel Lumsden in 1852 but little of value was found at the time. In 1871, the site was excavated by Lieutenant Cromten, who unearthed a large number of Buddhist sculptures which are now part of the collections of the British Museum and the Indian Museum in Calcutta. At the monastery a Kharoshti inscription was also discovered which is now kept in Peshawar Museum.

Mardan

KPK

Jahanabad Budha

The huge image of a seated Buddha carved into a high rock face of reddish colour that rises on the hillside to the southwest of Janabad (Shakhorai) village. It is situated at a distance of 5km to the N-E of Manglawar. This huge image of the Buddha can also be visible from the road, on the right side when one is on the way to Malamjaba. Due to its high position above the narrow terrace, it is well preserved except the nose seems to have been damaged by the vandals. The Buddha figure is about 7 meters in height and is certainly the most impressive piece of sculpture to be seen in Gandahara region dated back to 7- 8th century A.D. Apart from these Gandharan Sites, there are many more remains alongside the Karakoram Highway (Old Silk Route). Shatial and Chillas Rock Carvings, Kargah Buddha in Gilgit, Sadpara Buddha in Skardu and Ganish Rock Carvings are the most significant and prominent footprints of Buddhism in this area. Two famous Chinese Pilgrims, Fa-Hien (5 Century AD) and Hsüan-tsang (7 Century AD) travelled from China through the Silk Route to the present Pakistan and mentioned in their memoirs about the Buddhism at that time.

Swat

KPK

Shahbaz Garhi

Shahbaz Garhi, or Shahbazgarhi, is a village and historic site located in Mardan District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It is situated on the junction of three ancient routes, about 12 km from Mardan city.  Kabul to Pushkalavati (modern Charsadda)  Swat through Buner  Taxila through Hund on the bank of Indus River. The town was once a thriving Buddhist city surrounded by monasteries and stupas.The town is the location of ancient rock-inscriptions that are cut into two large rock boulders and written in the Kharosthi script. They retain immense historical importance, as they appear to be the first examples of writing in South Asia. They were constructed during the 3rd Century BC (272-231 BC), during the reign of Ashoka, the famous Mauryan emperor, inscribed in the Kharoshthi script. The rock edicts were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 30 January 2004 in the Cultural category.

Mardan

KPK

Rani Gat Buddhists Ruins

Rani Gatt (the queen of stones in Pashto) is a 2500-year-old Buddhist archaeological site belonging to the Gandahara civilization located in district Buner of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Rania Gutt is a good evidence of the Buddhist past of the area. The site is located on top of a hill, accessible by climbing the stairs constructed by the Japanese. The main attractions include; Stupas, a big rock erected by the ancient people at some distance that they probably used to worship. The city or the town was beautifully designed and stones from the local mountains have been extensively used. Rani Gutt is easily accessible through M1 and N35. It is about 20 km away from Swabi city and 100 km from Peshawar and Islamabad.

Swabi

KPK

Shingardar Stupa

The largest stupa of the Indian subcontinent is located in village Shingardar (a village between Ghalegay and Barikot) on the way to Saidu Sharif, Swat. This stupa is a remnant of Buddhist era, and is one of the thousands ancient monuments in Swat Valley. It was built by Uttarasena, an ancient king of Swat, to enshrine his share of the relics of Buddha. The building of stupa is made of large stones and layers of thin slate.

Swat

KPK

Ghalegay Rock Carvings

On the way to Saidu Sharif there is a statue of Buddha sculptured in a rock on the right side of the main road. There are also some remnants in a cave beside this statue.

Swat

KPK

Swat Museum

Swat Museum is located on main Mingora-Saidu Sharif road. This museum has a huge collection of Gandhara sculptures from the Buddhist sites in Swat. The original museum was constructed by DOAM with the contribution of the Wali Swat and the Italian Mission in 1958, when a twin Museum was inaugurated in Rome (Museo Naziolae d’Arte Orientale). The present building of the museum was constructed in various phases. The structure was severely damaged both by the 2005 earthquake and by a huge tragic bomb blast that occurred in February 2009. 

The museum was reconstructed under a project funded by Pakistan- Italian Debt Swap Agreement (FIDSA). The scheme was executed by Archaeology Community- Tourism/Field School Project while the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar extended technical support to it. The museum has been designed by Italian architects Ivano Marati and Candida Vassallo, and set up in collaboration with an engineer from the University of Naples Federico II and engineers from the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar.

The Italian ambassador said that Swat and Italy had a longstanding relation that would be strengthened further after the reconstruction of the museum.  Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan had been working on different archaeological sites since 1955 that started work under the guidance of Prof Giuseppe Tucci. During the last 60 years, the Italian mission successfully worked on many projects to preserve the archaeological sites in Pakistan, particularly in district Swat. Swat Museum was one of the best museums in the country that had a large number of collections of Gandhara civilization. After a gap of about seven years, scores of people made their way to the newly-reconstructed Swat Archaeological Museum The visitors were excited to not only see a massive collection of artefacts from the Gandhara civilization but also the building’s state-of-the-art design. This new building is so spacious and wide that one feels a great delight in walking among ancient civilizations.

Swat

KPK

Butkara i & ii

The Butkara Stupa is an important Buddhist stupa near Saidu Sharif, the capital of Swat, Pakistan. It may have been built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, but it is generally dated slightly later to the 2nd century BC. The stupa was enlarged on five occasions during the following centuries, every time by building over, and encapsulating, the previous structure. The stupa was excavated by an Italian mission to clarify the various steps of the construction and enlargements. The mission established that the stupa was "monumentalized" by the addition of Hellenistic architectural decorations during the 2nd century BC, suggesting a direct involvement of the Indo-Greeks, rulers of northwestern India during that period, in the development of Greco- Buddhist architecture.

Swat

KPK

Taxila Museum

Taxila remained as a hub of Buddhism for centuries, a centre of learning, an urban metropolis and a meeting point of various cultures, namely the Achaemenids, Greeks, Mauryans, Scythians, Parthians, Kushans, Huns and eventually the Muslims. Although today Taxila is known as a "region", in antiquity it was the name of a city which spread over 3 sites dating from the vedic era down to the late ancient period. Taxila is located in the province of Punjab, about 30 km north of Islamabad. The archaeological region of Taxila is composed of 18 sites of significant cultural values which were inducted as a whole into the UNESCO world heritage umbrella in 1980. The city of Taxila, was a renowned site of Buddhist Gandhara, especially after Ashoka's rule and in the 1st century Kushan era. The civilization flourished during the time of Buddhism in this area is known as Gandhara Valley Civilization.

Taxila

Punjab

Dharmarajika Stupa And Monastery

This is the largest Buddhist establishment in the Taxila region and dates from the time of Ashoka, the great Mauryan emperor who united India in the 3rd century BC and is known in some Buddhist sources as Dharmaraj, the name which the site itself is associated with. It is firmly believed by most scholars that Dharmarajika is one of the locations where the remains of the Buddha were buried and this makes it a relic depository stupa.

Taxila

Punjab

Bhir Mound

The archaeological remains of this, the 1st city, exist south of the existing Taxila Museum covering an area of approximately 1200 x 730 yards and consist of 4 levels ranging from the 5th-6th century BC (Achaemenid period) to the 2nd century BC in the Indo/Bactrian Greek period.

Taxila

Punjab

Sirkap Remains

The 2nd ancient city of Sirkap is thought to have been formally established by the Bactrian Greeks in the 2nd cent BC. The name of the city is associated with a local legend of the hero Rasalu who fought the seven demon Rakhshasas. These were 7 sibling demons namely 3 brothers named Sirkap, Sirsukh and Amba. The city has been attributed to the Greeks not only because of the archaeological remains but also because of various urban planning factors. Seven occupation levels have been identified with the lowest one (7th) belonging to pre-Greek era and representing an outlying settlement of Bhirmound and the earliest one (1st) dating from the Scytho-Parthian era, a period of approximately 150 years (~90 BCE to ~60 CE) which saw conquests by the Scythians and then the Parthians in quick succession. Some areas of importance include the Royal Residence, Sun Temple, Apsidal Temple, Double Headed Eagle Stupa and the Jain Temple

Taxila

Punjab

Sirsukh

Founded in the 2nd half of the 1st century CE, the Kushan city of Sirsukh was probably established either to shift the populace away from the earthquake ruined remains of Sirkap, or to establish a new capital to testify to the Kushan conquest. The site has not been properly excavated due to local farming in the area which would need to be heavily disrupted in order to facilitate the excavations. However the narrow strip of fortifications around the Lundi rivulet which hugs the walls on one side have revealed coin hoards of not just the Kushan rulers but also dating to the time of the Mughal emperor Akbar, showing that the city continued to function at least 1000 years after its original foundation.

Taxila

Punjab

Mohra Moradu Monastery

The ruins of Mohra Moradu lie about 1.6 kilometres to the south-east of the city of Sirsukh and are situated in a small glen at the back of the village of Mohra Moradu. Inside the glen an oblong terrace was constructed by the Buddhist builders, and side by side on this terrace were erected a stupa and a monastery of commanding size, the former at its western, the latter at its eastern end. When first discovered, both monastery and stupa were buried in a deep accumulation of detritus from the surrounding hills, the only part of the structures visible to the eye being about 1.5 meters of the ruined some of the stupa, which in years gone by had been cut in twain by treasure-hunters in search of the relics. Beneath this accumulation, however, both buildings proved to be remarkably well preserved, standing actually to a height of between 4.5 and 6 meters and still retaining many admirably executed reliefs in stucco on their walls. The walls of the stupa were decorated with many of the stucco reliefs and their colouring has mostly disappeared.

Apparently, the whole surface of the structure up to the top of the drum was covered with figures. There were groups of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, now removed to the museum, in the bays between the pilasters, and on the face of the pilasters themselves were series of Buddhas ranged one above the other. Among the many detached heads, found round the base of this stupa and now displayed in the museum, are several which are in an unusually good state of preservation. Over the surface is a fine slip, applied apparently before the final definition was given to the features. The face is left white, but the lips, edges of nostrils, edges and folds of eye-lids, edge of hair folds of neck and ear-lobes are picked out in red, and the hair itself is coloured grey-black. The monastery connected with the stupa, is open rectangular court it comprises several spacious chambers on its eastern side. The entrance to the rectangular court is on the north and is approached by a broad flight of steps with a landing at the top leading into a small portico. On the west wall of the portico is an arched niche containing a well preserved group of figures in high relief, namely, the Buddha in the centre and four attendant worshippers on either side.

Passing from the portico into the interior of the monastery we find ourselves in a spacious court with twenty-seven cells ranged on its four sides. In some of the cells, but not in all, there are small niches for lamps, etc. in the middle of the court is a depression about 2 ft. deep with steps descending into it on each of its four sides, and at its south-east corner, a square platform which once supported the walls of a chamber. This was a bathroom (jantaghara) an indispensable adjunct of every Buddhist monastery, A stupa, almost complete in every detail, which was found inside cell no. 9 on the left side of the monastery. It is standing to a height of 3.6 meters and is circular in plan, its plinth being divided into five tiers, with elephants and Atlantis alternating in the lowest tier, and Buddhas seated in niches alternating with pilasters in the tiers above.

Taxila

Punjab

Pipplan Stupa

Pippalan Stupa lies at the foot of the hills between Mohra Moradu and Jaulian, about 365 metres south of the road leading to the Jaulian monastery. The remains are of two periods. To the east, is a courtyard of a monastery dating from late Parthian or early Kushan times and comprising an open quadrangle in the centre with ranges of cells on its four sides. In the middle of the courtyard is the basement of a square stupa facing north, and close beside it the ruins of three other smaller stupas. The monastery is built of heavy semi-ashlar masonry and comprises a court of cells on the north, with a hall of assembly, kitchen and refectory on the south.

Taxila

Between Mohra Moradu and Jaulian

Badalpur Stupa

Badalpur site is located on the Link Julian road of Haripur; it is located near Jinian Wali Dheri. It is a large size site consisting of a stupa and with adjacent monastery. This site was excavated by Sir John Marshall. Stupa is located to the west with its total height of 25ft while monastery is almost 8ft high from ground level.. Structures have built in diaper masonry. On the basis of its architectural style this site is dated from 3 rd  to 5th  century A D.

Haripur

Link Julian Road of

Jandial Temple

Jandial near the city of Taxila in Pakistan is the site of an ancient temple well known for its Ionic columns. The temple is located 630 meters north of the northern gate of Sirkap. The Temple was excavated in 1912–1913 by the Sir John Marshal. It has been called the most Hellenic structure yet found on Pakistani soil. Jandial is a classically Greek temple built in the 2nd century B.C., stood opposite Sirkap's north gate. In addition, numbers of small circular steatite trays carved with erotic scenes from Greek mythology suggest ritual rites to the Greek god Dionysus were also practiced at Sirkap.

The Greek temple of Jandial located some half kilometre north of Sirkap city gate. The length, including the projection in front of the portico to the back wall, is 145 metres and excluding the peristyle, is 91 metres. The plan is almost identically the same. At the main entrance of the temple are two Ionic columns in antis, i.e. between pilasters, which supported the ends of the architrave passing above them. The masonry of the temple is mainly of coursed rubble like that of the Sirkap walls, and originally faced with plaster, patches of which are still adhering to the walls at various points. The Ionic columns and pilasters, however, are composed of massive blocks of grey sandstone, the bases, shafts and capitals being built up in separate drums fixed together with square dowels let in the centre.

TAXILA

KPK

Jinna Wali Dheri Site

The site is located 10 km north east of Taxila museum near village Bhera on the left bank of river Haro. The excavations carried out by the department of Archaeology in 2002 and remained continue to 2004, revealed four successive occupational levels, the lowest comprises a Buddhist sanctuary consisting of an imposing structure of stupa and monastery which yields semi ashlar and diaper masonry of the 3rd 5th century AD. The monastery is square in plan and consists of 17 cells and two entrances. Main entrance of the monastery is towards west, which leads to the main stupa and the backside passage in the eastern side. Floor of the monastery was found five meters below the surface of the mound and in the middle of the monastery 40 x 23 x 8 cm water tank lined with the burnt bricks was discovered.

Stupa is square in plan measuring 10 x10 meters with elongated staircase towards east, base of the stupa is decorated with Corinthian plasters on regular intervals, space between the pilasters was once adorned wit images of Buddha and Bodhisattvas which have been removed or destroyed by treasure hunters in the near past. Main stupa is flanked by two small votive stupas which are also square in plan, floor of the stupa court is paved with dressed lime stone and circumambulation path (pradakshinaya) was plastered with lime, traces of which are still visible. Stupa court is surrounded by the row of chapels of varied sizes. A fair quantity of minor antiquities, like coins of the Kushan dynasty including Kanishka, Vasudeva, Kidara Kushans and one silver coin of the White Huns, glass and shell bangles, stone and terra-cotta beads, earthenware storage jars, bowls and small spouted pots, metal objects consisting of large copper bells, iron arrow heads, fragments of daggers and spear heads and nails stucco heads of Buddha and Bodhisattva were recovered from stupa area.

The most remarkable discovery from Jinanwall Dheri is the Buddhist mural paintings. Fragments of painting were found on the floor of the main entrance of the monastery. The paintings depict images of Buddha and Bodhisattvas in different attitudes and figures of worshipers. The paintings were executed on the thick mud plaster of the walls of entrance. Black, red, sepia and blue colours were used on white surface of a fine layer of stucco. This type of mural paintings have yet not been discovered in any Buddhist sanctuary of Gandhara.

Taxila

Punjab

Jaulian Buddhist Stupa And Monastery

The name Jaulian means "Seat of Saints". The Jaulian establishment is a later work and is very lavish, harkening to a time in the Buddhist history of the region when the superficial depiction of the Buddha image was at its peak. It is a stupa and monastery site which dates back to 2 nd century AD, it has numerous chapels and votive stupas in its two courts. It is located on the top of a mountain, its location is considered one of the most picturesque in the region. Other sites include the Mohra Moradu complex, Jinna Wali Dheri and the recently re-excavated Bhamala stupa (a rare cruciform stupa).

Taxila

Punjab

Bhamala Stupa

Bhamala is situated at the very head of the Haro valley on the east and lies on the north-eastern route towards Mansehra, about 16 Kms. to the east of Sirsukh. On the three sides it is protected by the river Haro which at this point sweeps in sharp bends around its base, and on its fourth side are the hills. The monastic establishment came into existence in the 4th or 5th century. It consists of a well-built monastery on the east, almost of the same pattern as seen at Jaulian with the main stupa on the west, surrounded by a number of votive stupas and chapels. The main stupa is unique of its type, having a cruciform plan, consisting of a tall square base for the dome above with offset projections for flights of steps on all four sides. The core of the stupa is built of heave blocks of limestone, laid in regular courses, with small pebbles and mud filling, and the facing is of semi-ashlar masonry.

Taxila

Punjab

Ashoka Rock Edicts

In the course of extending his empire, Ashoka once experienced great remorse over the grief he had inflicted upon a city in 260 B. C. He vowed to put an end to misery in his empire and issued a series of edicts to this effect, with orders to his governors to post them at prominent places. Fourteen edicts were issued, and sometimes after 257 B.C. seven varying versions were carved on massive boulders throughout the empire. The two most complete versions to survive are in Gandhara. One on two natural boulders near Shahbazgarhi,16 kilometer east of Mardan; another on three boulders on the outskirts of Mansehra, east of the Indus River, 30 km north of Abbottabad.

The edicts were principles of ethics. They abolished the slaughter or sacrifice of man and beast, as well as useless and offensive ceremonies by women. They recommended obedience to parents, kindness to friends, servants, religious persons and animals, together with the practice of good deeds, self-control and moral behavior. They announced Ashoka's intention to establish medical centres for animals, as well as for men, and the appointment of special Morality Officers charged with the task of ensuring that the spirit of the edicts prevailed throughout his dominions.

Mansehra

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Mansehra Rock Carving

Mansehra Rock Edicts are fourteen edicts of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, inscribed on rocks in Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The edicts are cut into three boulders and date back to 3rd century BC and they are written in the ancient Indic script of Gandhara culture, Kharosthi. The edicts mention aspects of Ashoka’s dharma. The site was submitted for inclusion in the World Heritage Sites and is currently in the tentative list. The site is located near to the Karakoram Highway on the ancient Silk Route. Ashoka was dismayed by the destruction caused by his military during the conquest of Kalingas and in remorse later converted to Buddhism. Following his conversion, Ashoka visited sacred Buddhist locations throughout the Mauryan Empire and erected multiple pillars bearing his inscriptions of a new morality law. Mansehra Rock Edicts are one of the 33 inscriptions of Edicts of Ashoka describing expansion of Buddhism and his Law of Piety or dharma. The fourteen edicts contain text in the Kharosthi script which is an ancient script used in the Gandhara. The Kharoṣṭhi script was first deciphered by James Prinsep after which the Edicts of Ashoka in Kharosthi script were translated.

Mansehra

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Shatial Rock Carving

Shatial is a small town located on the Karakorum Highway (KKH) and administratively falls in the Upper Kohistan district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which is known for Buddhist and Zoroastrian symbolism and hundreds of ancient scripts especially Kharosthi, Sogdian, Brahmi etc. Even some Chinese inscriptions were recorded from this site. It is one of the best preserved and prominent rock art sites in KP province. The antiquities here are managed by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums of the Government of Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa. A huge stupa engraving covers the face of the boulder, flanked by a few votive stupas. Near the huge stupa is a Kharosthti inscription from the 5th century AD, the text of which has been provided by Professor Ahmad Hasan Dani in his book Human Records on Karakorum Highway. The inscription records the name of the artist of the stupa as “religiously devout daughter of Jikhodarkha”.

Shatial

Gilgit Baltistan

Chillas Rock Carving

There are more than 50,000 pieces of Buddhist rock art (petroglyphs) and inscriptions all along the Karakoram Highway in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan that are concentrated at ten major sites between Hunza and Shatial. The carvings were left by various invaders, traders and pilgrims who passed along the trade route, as well as by locals. The earliest date back to between 5000 and 1000 BC. The ethnologist Karl Jettmar has tried to piece together the history of the area from various inscriptions and recorded his findings in "Rockcarvings and Inscriptions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan" and the later released "Between Gandhara and the Silk Roads: Rock carvings along the Karakoram Highway". The Kharoshthi term "Kaboa" (or Kamboa) appears in a short commemorative Kharosthi inscription found from Chilas as reported by the Archaeological Department of Pakistan. The inscription has been transcribed, translated and interpreted by Ahmad Hasan Dani, a Pakistani archaeologist, historian, and linguist. According to Dani, Kaboa or Kamboa of the inscription is a Kharoshthised form of Sanskrit Kamboja. Thus, it seems likely that Chilas also formed part of ancient Kamboja kingdom.

Chillas

Gilgit Baltistan

Kargha Buddha

Kargah Buddha is an archaeological site located about 9.7 km outside of Gilgit, Pakistan. It is a carved image of a large standing Buddha, some 50 feet high, in the cliff-face in Karghah Nala. The carving, which is in a style also found in Baltistan, probably dates to the 7th century. From the 3rd century to the 11th century, Gilgit was a center of Buddhism. Nearby, about 400 metres (1,300 ft) upstream, a Buddhist monastery and three stupas containing Sanskrit manuscripts were excavated in 1931. It is estimated that the carving was completed in the 7th century. It was discovered in 1938–39, following the innovation of supposed Gilgit manuscripts in 1931.

Gilgit

Gilgit Baltistan

Manthal Buddha Rock

Manthal Buddha Rock is a large granite rock on which image of Buddha has engraved which probably dates back to 8 th century. This rock is located in Manthal village of Skardu Town, in Pakistan. Buddha Rock is one of the most important relics of Buddhism in Skardu. It is quite near to the main Sadpara Road. Before arrival of Islam in the region of Gilgit-Baltistan the majority of the people were Buddhist and they had engraved the Buddha on many rock pieces. This Buddha carving was not known to the world till beginning of 20th century due to its remote location. In 1906 the Scottish traveler Ella Christie wrote a book on her journey to the Western Tibet and featured the carving in her book which gave it an international attention.

Skardu

Gilgit Baltistan

Manikiala Stupa

The Mankiala Stupa is a 2nd-century Buddhist stupa near the village of Tope Mankiala, 36 km southeast of Islamabad, and near the city of Rawalpindi. It is visible from the nearby historic Rawat Fort. The stupa was built to commemorate the spot, where according to the Jataka tales,an incarnation of the Buddha called Prince Sattva sacrificed himself to feed seven hungry tiger cubs. The stupa is said to have been built during the reign of Kanishka between 128-151 CE. An alternate theory suggests that the stupa is one of 84 such buildings, built during the reign of Mauryan emperor Ashoka to house the ashes of the Buddha. The stupa was discovered by Mountstuart Elphinstone, the first British emissary to Afghanistan, in 1808.

Rawalpindi

Punjab

Ban Faqiran Stupa

Ban Faqiran, Islamabad’s oldest historical site at the top of the Margalla Hills, opened to visitors. The archaeological remains of Ban Faqiran, dating back to the 2nd to 5th century, were destroyed by heavy rainfall soon after they were excavated by the Department of Archaeology and Museums in 2015-16. Around two kilometers from the Buddhist caves in Shah Allah Ditta, the Ban Faqiran complex was thought to be a watchtower. But the late archaeologist and historian Dr Ahmad Hassan Dani argued that the Ban Faqiran stupa served as a milestone for travelers, mostly pilgrims, on the way to the 3 BC Dharmarajika monastery that housed some remains of Lord Buddha. Built by the Maurayan King Ashoka, Dharmarajika is a world heritage site that can be seen from Ban Faqiran, about two and a half kilometers away in the Taxila valley.

ISLAMABAD

ICT