Ancient Buddha Statue Discovered In Taxila, Pakistan

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                                            Ancient Buddha statue discovered in Taxila
 



 
Associated Press
of Pakistan
 
WAH CANTT:
The Federal Archaeology and Museums Department team discovered a statue of a future Buddha made of black shiest stone belongs to the second century AD at the Buddhist monastery, locally called Badalpur, about 13 kilometres northeast of the Taxila Museum.

Exploration Director Dr Muhammad Ashraf Khan, who is conducting the excavation and preservation of this ancient site, unveiled to the journalists on Friday that a sculpture of Bodhisattva Maitreya, a future Buddha, discovered during the recent excavations. The statue, belongs to Kenshka-I dynasty, was measuring two feet high and 16 inches wide, he said.

Dr Ashraf said that other important antiquities including a relic casket made of soapstone, three grinding mills with Kharashoti inscription in which name of the owner is engraved, ten coins, four iron and copper monastery bells and more than ten beads were also discovered recently. The assembly hall was also found in the monastery in good shape and being excavated and preserved accordingly, he said.

The director said that this was an important discovery in the historic Taxila Valley as it would not only open new chapters of the history for the archaeologists and researchers of the Gandhara as well as Buddhism but also attract more tourists from abroad especially the Buddhist countries.

In the current excavation, other major and significant discoveries were made from this ancient site including sores of articles, including five umbrellas of votive stupas, a big iron pan with one metre dia, 188 copper coins, 128 sealing, a ritual copper pot, a surgical instrument, copper plates, copper pendants, a copper bell, copper strainers, iron objects like nails, clamps, hinges, a saw, door bosses, stands, strips and a number of potteries like storage jars, pots, bowls, terra-cotta oil lamps and a heart shape schist stone lamp.

The remains of eight cells (rooms) of monks have also been discovered. The walls of the cells still retain mud plasters both on interior and exterior surfaces, which are in a good state of preservation. While giving the significance of the site, Dr Ashraf said that this stupa and the monastery belongs to early Kushan period (first century AD). The monastery comprises 2.9 acres of land.

Dr Asharf posses doctorial degree from Sorbonne University of France in the Buddhist art and culture and having over 27 years experience in archaeology with credit of preservation and restoration of many Buddhist sites especially Junna Wali Dehri where he discovered the first and only Mural painting of the Buddha and golden coins.

The stupa of the site would be preserved in the future, he said, adding the stupa has its own significance and importance. He said that this was one of the biggest stupa of the Taxila valley. The stupa has significance, as it is unique in the Buddhist architecture as it is only site in the Taxila where huge boulders of local limestone used with conjure moulding.

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PANORAMA AT JAULIAN -TAXILA
Ancient Bhuddist Monastery








Taxila (Urdu: ٹیکسلا, Sanskrit: तक्षशिला Takṣaśilā, Pali:Takkasilā) is an important archaeological site of Ancient India and is currently in modern-day Pakistan.

It contains the ruins of the Gandhāran city of Takshashila (also Takkasila or Taxila) an important Vedic/Hindu and Buddhist centre of learning from the 6th century BCE[3] to the 5th century CE.  In 1980, Taxila was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site with multiple locations.

Historically, Taxila lay at the crossroads of three major trade routes: the royal highway from Pāṭaliputra; the north-western route through Bactria, Kāpiśa, and Puṣkalāvatī (Peshawar); and the route from Kashmir and Central Asia, via Śrinigar, Mansehra, and the Haripur valley across the Khunjerab pass to the Silk Road.

Taxila is situated 35 km to the west of Islamabad Capital Territory—and to the northwest of Rawalpindi in Punjab—just off the Grand Trunk Road.

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History



See also:
Taxila (satrapy)
 
Taxila is in western Punjab, and was an important city during Alexander's campaign in ancient India.



The Indo-Greek king Antialcidas ruled in Taxila around 100 BCE, according to the Heliodorus pillar inscription.
Jaulian, a World Heritage Site at Taxila.
 
Jaulian silver Buddhist reliquary, with content. British Museum.Legend has it that Taksha, an ancient Indian king who ruled in a kingdom called Taksha Khanda (Tashkent) founded the city of Takshashila.

The word Takshashila, in Sanskrit means "belonging to the King Taksha". Taksha was the son of Bharata and Mandavi, characters who appear in the Indian epic Ramayana.

In the epic Mahābhārata, the Kuru heir Parikṣit was enthroned at Taxila.

According to tradition The Mahabharata was first recited at Takshashila.

Ahmad Hasan Dani and Saifur Rahman Dar trace the etymology of Taxila to a tribe called the Takka.

According to Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi, "Taxila" is related to "Takṣaka," which means "carpenter" and is an alternative name for the Nāga.

c. 518 BCE – Darius the Great annexes modern day Pakistan, including Taxila, to the Persian Achaemenid Empire.

326 BCE – Alexander the Great receives submission of Āmbhi, king of Taxila, and afterwards surrender to Porus at the Jhelum River.

c. 317 BCE – In quick succession, Alexander's general Eudemus and then the satrap Peithon withdraw from the Indus.

321BCE-317 BCE Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Mauryan empire in eastern India, makes himself master of the northern and northwestern India, including Punjab. Chandragupta Maurya's advisor Kautilya (also known as Chanakya) was a teacher at Taxila.

During the reign of Chandragupta's grandson Aśoka, Taxila became a great Buddhist centre of learning. Nonetheless, Taxila was briefly the center of a minor local rebellion, subdued only a few years after its onset.

185 BCE – The last Maurya emperor, Bṛhadratha, is assassinated by his general, Puṣyamitra Śunga, during a parade of his troops.
 
183 BCE – Demetrios conquers Gandhāra, the Punjab and the Indus valley.  He builds his new capital,
Sirkap, on the opposite bank of the river from Taxila.  During this new period of Bactrian Greek rule,
several dynasties (like Antialcidas) likely ruled from the city as their capital. During lulls in Greek rule, the
city managed profitably on its own, managed independently and controlled by several local trade guilds,
who also minted most of the city's autonomous coinage.

c. 90 BCE – The Indo-Scythian chief Maues overthrows the last Greek king of Taxila.

c. 25 CE[25] – Gondophares, founder of the Indo-Parthian Kingdom, conquers Taxila and makes it his capital.

 – The date of and inscription found at Taxila of 'Great King, King of Kings, Son of God, the Kushana' (maharaja rajatiraja devaputra Kushana).

c. 460–470[29] – The Ephthalites sweep over Gandhāra and the Punjab; wholesale destruction of Buddhist monasteries and stūpas at Taxila, which never again recovers.

Before the fall of these invader-kings, Taxila had been variously a capital for many dynasties, and a centre of Vedic and Buddhist learning, with a population of Buddhists, Classical Hindus, and possibly Greeks that may have endured for centuries.

The British archaeologist Sir John Marshall conducted excavations over a period of twenty years in Taxila.

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A coin from 2nd century BCE Taxila.

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Jaulian, a World Heritage Site at Taxila.

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                                                          Ancient Centre Of Learning



 


The Dharmarajika stupa, Taxila.

Takshashila was an early center of learning dating back to at least the 5th century BCE.  There is some disagreement about whether Takshashila can be considered a university. While some consider Taxila to be an early university or centre of higher education, others do not consider it a university in the modern sense, in contrast to the later Nalanda University. Takshashila is described in some detail in later Jātaka tales, written in Sri Lanka around the 5th century CE.



Stupa base at Sirkap, decorated with Hindu, Buddhist, and Greek temple fronts.

Takshashila is considered a place of religious and historical sanctity by Hindus and Buddhists. The former do so not only because, in its time, Takshashila was the seat of Vedic learning, but also because the strategist, Chanakya, who later helped consolidate the empire of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, was a senior teacher there. The institution is very significant in Buddhist tradition since it is believed[citation needed] that the Mahāyāna sect of Buddhism took shape there.

Some scholars date Takshashila's existence back to the 6th century BCE or 7th century BCE. It became a noted centre of learning at least several centuries before Christ, and continued to attract students from around the old world until the destruction of the city in the 5th century CE. Takshashila is perhaps best known because of its association with Chanakya. The famous treatise Arthashastra (Sanskrit for The knowledge of Economics) by Chanakya, is said to have been composed in Takshashila itself. Chanakya (or Kautilya), the Maurya Emperor Chandragupta[45] and the Ayurvedic healer Charaka studied at Taxila.

Generally, a student entered Takshashila at the age of sixteen. The Vedas and the Eighteen Arts, which included skills such as archery, hunting, and elephant lore, were taught, in addition to its law school, medical school, and school of military science.

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BUDDHIST RELIQUARY

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Archaeological artifacts from the Indo-Greek strata at Taxila
(John Marshall "Taxila, Archeological excavations").



From top, left:


* Fluted cup
(Bhir Mound, stratum 1)

* Cup with rosace and decoratice scroll
(Bhir Mound, stratum 1)

* Stone palette with individual on a couch being crowned by standing woman,
and served (Sirkap, stratum 5)

* Handle with double depiction of a philosopher
(Sirkap, stratum 5)
 
* Woman with smile
(Sirkap, stratum 5)

* Man with moustache
(Sirkap, stratum 5)

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TAXILA MUSEUM








Taxila today
 


Present day Taxila is one of the seven Tehsils (sub-district) of Rawalpindi District.

It is spread over an undulating land in the periphery of the Pothohar Plateau of the Punjab.

Situated just outside the capital Islamabad's territory and communicating with it through Tarnol pass
of Margalla Hills, Taxila is a mix of posh urban and rustic rural environs.

Urban residential areas are in the form of small neat and clean colonies populated by the workers of heavy industries, educational institutes and hospitals that are located in the area.

The industries include heavy machine factories and industrial complex, ordnance factories of Wah Cantt and cement factory. Heavy Industries Taxila is also based here.

Small, cottage and household industries include stoneware, pottery and footwear. People try to relate the present day stoneware craft to the tradition of sculpture making that existed here before the advent of Islam.

In addition to the ruins of Gandhara civilization and ancient Buddhist/Hindu culture, relics of Mughal gardens and vestiges of historical Grand Trunk Road, which was built by Emperor Sher Shah Suri in
15th-16th centuries, are also found in Taxila region.

Taxila Museum, dedicated mainly to the remains of Gandhara civilization, is also worth visiting.
A hotel of the tourism department offers reasonably good services and hospitality to the tourists.

Taxila has many educational institutes including University of Engineering and Technology (UET).



FROM

wikipedia

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Archaeological & Historical Sites
 
 
 


Margallah Pass


This small pass is located 26 km west of Islamabad on G.T. Road. Margallah is mentioned by historians and emperors like Alberuni, Ferishta and Jehangir. Today, it is a pass between the ancient capital of Gandhara, that is, Taxila, and the modern capital of Pakistan, i.e., Islamabad. There is an obelisk right on the top of the Pass, built in 1890 in memory of Brig. Gen. John Nicholson (died on 23 Sept.1857) of the British army, by his colleagues. A small part of the ancient Shahi (Royal) Road can be seen just across the pass, left of G.T. Road. This road was first built by the Persians in c.516 BC and later developed by the Afghan King Sher Shah Suri in 1540s. An inscription on the western side of this stone pavement shows that is was again repaired in 1672 AD.





Wah Gardens


Once a major campsite of Mughal rulers, Wah Gardens is located 12 km west of Taxila on G.T. Road. The gardens were developed with magnificent trees and water channels by successive Mughal emperors. Tapering cypress trees, loved by the Mughals, line the canals through which cool waters once flowed between elegant Romanic pavilions and cascading into large reflecting basins. The gardens are being restored to their original beauty, by the Department of Archaeology, Govt. of Pakistan. Entry fee is Rs.4 per person.





Hasan Abdal & Gurdwara Panja Sahib


Hasan Abdal is 48 km from Rawalpindi. It is a beautiful, quiet place and a convenient halting point on G.T. Road enroute to Peshawar or Abbottabad. This town has a particular association with Mughals and Sikhs. It was mentioned by Emperor Jehangir in his memoirs and frequently visited by successive Mughal Kings, on their way to Kashmir. It remained a holy place for various religious groups through the ages. It has a Sikh Gurdwara (temple) known as Panja Sahib having a scared rock with the handprint of their religious leader, Guru Nanak. Twice a year, Sikh pilgrims visit this Gurdwara from all over the world.

On the nearby hill, at an altitude of 714 meters, there is a meditation chamber related to a 15th century Muslim Saint, Baba Wali Qandhari, popularly known as Baba Hasan Abdal. The saint stayed in Hasan Abdal from c.1406 - 1416 AD but died and buried in village Baba Wali near Qandhar (Afghanistan). The devotees and visitors climb over the steps leading to the hill, for offerings and to have a panoramic view of Hasan Abdal.

Just opposite the eastern gate of Gurdwara Panja Sahib, there is a small mosque and chilla gah (meditation cell) of Baba Wali. Behind the mosque is a fresh water pond with big Mahasheer fish. Adjacent to the pond is a building called Maqbara Hakeeman. Two Royal Hakeem (doctor) brothers namely, Abual Fateh Gilani (died 1589 AD) and Hamam Gilani (died 1595 AD) are buried here on the orders of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Both, the fishpond and the tomb were built by Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, Akbar’s minister, between 1581 and 1583 AD. A paved path leads from the fishpond to a small, walled garden. The garden has two graves, one in the center and the other in a corner. The central grave is wrongly attributed to a so-called Mughal Princess, Lala Rukh. However, it is not known that who is buried here.





Mankiala Stupa



The remains of a Buddhist Stupa lie about 32 km south east of Rawalpindi in Mankiala village, 2 km off the G.T. Road. Apparently, this stupa was built in the reign of Kanishka (128-151 AD). According to a legend, Buddha had sacrificed parts of his body here, to feed seven hungry tiger-cubs. In 1930, several gold, silver and copper coins (660 - 730 AD) and a bronze casket having Khroshti inscriptions were discovered from this stupa.



http://www.tourism.gov.pk/archaeoilogical_historical_sites_isb_destinations.htm