The Buddhist religion that was prevalent over all the northern area of the subcontinent of ancient India has left innumerable traces in the region which can still be seen here in the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Thousands of tourists from Europe, the USA, China, and several other countries of the Far East come to these historical places and watch these monuments zealously. One of such worth seeing sites is the one situated a few furlongs from the Takht Bhai town of Mardan district of the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
A Brief Survey of its Past
Analysis of its name, Takht Bhai, reveals that the town was named after a spring which was situated on an elevated place or Takht. The town lies approximately 9 miles from the city of Mardan and 47 miles from the provincial capital of the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province. Nearly 27 miles to the west of it is Charsadda, another city having considerable importance from historical point of view. Sakia Mani Gotam Budha, or Prince Sidharatha, the heir apparent to the Raja or the ruler of Giya---- a small kingdom lying in the northern part of central India, was the founder of the Buddhist religion. After enduring severe hardships during its earlier days, it had at last gained a number of followers in the north western parts of the Indian subcontinent where there had been numerous shrines and sacred places of the Buddhist cult in the Punjab, the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, and the Kashmir regions in the past. Incessant invasions of the Scythians, Parthians, Kushans, and particularly the savage hordes of Epthalite White Huns destroyed nearly all those places sacred to the Buddhists people. Only a few remained intact; such as, those lying in the hills of Swat and a shrine or two at the Takht Bhai archeological site. And that was only because of their being present on elevated places so the marauding White Huns, not bothering to climb mountains, spared them on their way to India onwards.
Just a few furlongs from the main market of Takht Bhai and to its eastern side, is a large cliff having a maximum height of around 600 feet. It is that cliff where the valuable monuments of the Buddha’s religion are preserved miraculously up to this day. The depredating White Huns ravaged the whole plain area including the cities of Peshwar, Charsadda, Multan, and Lahore save the highlands of Swat and this small elevated spot near Takht Bhai.
Journey to the Shrines
It was the spring of 1992 when I visited those shrines. Upon reaching the town of Takht Bhai, I was informed that the site was accessible through a jeep able road leading to a nearby small village a little further from the place. Catching an old Mazda pickup, I reached the site in a few minutes. Huge stairs are constructed in the hill, leading to the holy places of the Buddhists, situated dozens of feet above near the summit, for the convenience of tourists.
The scheme for residence of these Buddhist monks is, indeed, remarkable. The total area over which the monuments are scattered is approximately 98 acres. They include a main stupa hall, a votive stupa, meditation cells, chapels, and meditation quadrangles. The main stupa is surrounded by a n umber of small and very beautifully arranged shrines.The main stupa hall lies nearly 215 feet high from the aearth and about 1600 feet above the sea level. First comes a vast conference hall when you ascend a few flights of steps above and then turn to your right. From a large window like cavity in the front wall of the hall, there is a charming view of the hill. A thing worth noticing about this shrine is that the places specified for worship are constructed in such a way that they provide the worshipers protection from the severity of weather in both seasons of the year: summer and winter.
Up on the hill, a group of American archaeologists was busy in surveying the relics eagerly. The site has been frequently surveyed since the British period.
Buddhist Shrines Monuments Takht Bhai
