Gandhara Civilization and Religious Tourism

Pakistan came into existence on the basis of these civilizations which are thousands of years old.

There are many ancient sites in Pakistan, but six sites have been included in the World Heritage List, including Moin Jo Daro, Takhtbai Ruins, Taxila, Shahi Fort, Shalamar Bagh, Rohtas Fort, Makli.

However, Pakistan’s cultural heritage, remains, antiquities and archeology are suffering from government neglect including degradation. Now heavy rains and floods have partially damaged many ancient sites.

Pakistan has been the home of many civilizations, the traces of which are still found here, especially the Gandhara civilization.

It was an ancient state mentioned in the Vedas and Buddhist scriptures. It was established in the 6th to 11th century BCE and extended up to Potohar in present-day KP, Punjab.

When Ashoka came here in 230 BC, the people here converted to Buddhism in large numbers. It was a modern civilization with monasteries, places of worship, educational institutions and commercial centers.

Its architecture emerged from the confluence of Greco-Iranian and local culture. It is exemplified in the carvings found under Gandhara art on sculptures and vessels.

Forty sites of the Gandhara civilization exist in Pakistan, including the Ben Faqiran Stupa in Islamabad, two kilometers from the Buddhist caves and based on the same architectural style as the 2nd to 3rd century AD.

However, hardly tourists know about this place. Along with it, Saphola Stupa Jamrud, Gor Guthri Complex Peshawar, Peshawar Museum, Badalpur Stupa Haripur, Jehanabad Buddha Swat, Swat Museum, Mansehra Rocks, Bhamla Stupa Haripur, Julian Stupa Haripur, Shangardar Stupa Swat, Gahligye Rocks Carving Swat , Batkara One and Two Mengurahs, Batkara Three Mengurahs, Amluk Dara Swat, Shahbaz Garhi Rocks Mardan, Takht Bai Ruins Mardan, Rani Ghat Bunir, Jamal Garhi Mardan, City of Caves Bela Lasbela, Sri Bahlul Mardan, Sudhiran Jo Daro Tandu Muhammad Khan , National Museum Karachi, Johi Town Stupa Dadu, Buddhist Stupa Muniju Daru, Menkala Stupa, Jindal Tapmal Taxila, Jinan Wali Dheri Taxila, Piplan Stupa, Sarasakh City Taxila, Sirkup City Taxila, Dharmarajka Stupa, Manthal Rocks Skardu, Pher Mound Taxila, Kargha Budha Gilgit, Thal Pan Rocks Carving Chilas, Sheetal Rocks Carving are included.

There are 19 signs of Gandhara civilization in KP, five in Sindh, one in Balochistan, ten in Punjab, four in Gilgit and one in Islamabad.

Many tourists avoid visiting these monuments in KP and Balochistan due to incidents of terrorism.

However, now there is peace and order, but there are no good accommodation facilities near many monuments and there is no special arrangement in many places so that tourists can know about the place.

Nor has any survey been done so far as to which places have been damaged by the recent rains and floods. These areas have Buddhist architecture, statues of Gautama Buddha, stupas and organized urban culture, but religious tourism is non-existent.

Dr. Nadeem Umar Tarar is an archeological historian, according to him there are traces of Indus Valley Civilization in Islamabad as well.

In Islamabad’s Sector I-11 center there is an entire mound containing Indus Valley Harappan and Buddhist relics. Traces of 5,000 years old history have been found there.’

However, the regime is engaged in construction by bulldozing everything there. Islamabad is as ancient as other parts of the country and is associated with old civilization.’

‘There is a watch tower in the Margalla Hills associated with Buddhism, which archaeologists have mistakenly identified as a stupa. Similarly, the cave of Shahullah Dutta and the surrounding area are so old that there used to be a sea here and marine fossils were found here during the excavation. All this place is very ancient and this place can be used for Buddhist religious tourism.’

There is an ancient inn in Sarai Kharboza, which is also neglected. Similarly, there are Hindu temples dating back to the eighteenth century.’

“Saidpur village was an ancient place of Hindus but CDA destroyed it and commercialized it.”

‘Now there are food and drink spots. There used to be a confluence of water springs which was a holy place. In such places only renovations are allowed, new constructions are not allowed.’

‘Lower Dundee were Buddhist sites which were destroyed. Before 1971 Pakistan had a very large Buddhist population.’

‘Raja Tridev Roy stayed here, was given the status of Federal Minister, did many works and built a Buddhist temple in the Diplomatic Ankilo.’

‘Islamabad is a part of ancient Taxila, we need to pay attention to this. We should celebrate a Buddha Day so that more and more religious tourists come here. Fairs should be held at these places. Souvenirs should be made.’

Yusuf Akhtar is a travel enthusiast and runs a travel management company called ‘Sayah’. He says, ‘Before 9/11, there was a lot of tourism here, after that things changed completely. We have to show many interesting and historical places to the foreign tourists, most of the traces of Gandhara civilization are in Swat.’

‘We should have made tourists visit not only Taxila. Even now, many countries issue travel advisories to their tourists to visit Pakistan, like even today there is no travel advisory for Japanese tourists to visit Peshawar.

“However, the PTI government and Imran Khan have done a lot for tourism, in which e-visa has changed the tourism situation in Pakistan, now tourists are coming in large numbers.”

‘During his time monks from Sri Lanka came to see these places and monks from Thailand also came. The older generation takes a keen interest in Buddhism. The new generation is not so trendy. Now peace is good so we will also introduce Gandhara trip. Now we are taking Polish tourists on Great Pakistan tour through ‘Sayah’ platform.

If we talk about Ben Fakir Stupa in Islamabad, hardly people are aware of it.

It is a historical place which is a mirror of Gandhara civilization.

The Ben Faqira Stupa is a landmark of the Gandhara civilization and stands near the caves of Shahullah Dutta.

In this place, the historical place is seen which was built by Raja Ashoka. When this place was discovered, some coins were also found here which were also related to Gandhara civilization. They were made to adorn the museum.

A stupa is a sacred place of Gandhara civilization around which worshipers used to circumambulate and worship.

Dr. Tariq Rahim is the owner of ‘Sadhoki Re-Treat’. They are working to promote camping and cultural activities around Shahullah Dutta.

‘We camp around the stupa and encourage people to walk with us in groups,’ he says. When we take tourists here, we tell them the stories of the Gandhara civilization. This place is two and a half thousand years old.’

“When we go to Ben Faqira Stupa, we can see Taxila on one side and Islamabad on the other side. At night, this scene looks very romantic, but this place is hidden from the eyes of people.’

Pakistan is full of Buddhist landmarks but religious tourism is non-existent. If the government pays attention to this along with Sikh historical places, a large number of Buddhist population will come to Pakistan. At present, Buddhism and the population in Pakistan have almost disappeared.