Historical Place of Takht-i-Bhai

 

Takht-i-Bhai is an Ancient Historical Place of Buddhist in Kayber Pakhtunkhwa Province

Takht-i-Bhai is a Parthian archaeological site in Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It was first a Zoroastrian complex which. After the later arrival of Buddhism, was then converted into a Buddhist monastic complex. It dates back to the 1st century BCE. The complex is considered by archaeologists as being particularly representative of the architecture of Buddhist monastic centers from its era. Takht-i-Bhai is a different well-known and preserved monument, a Buddhist monastery located on a rocky ridge about 10 miles northeast of Mardan. This structure dates back to two to five centuries AD and stands 600 feet above the plane. The feature, which distinguishes this site from others, is its architectural diversity and its romantic mountain setting. The uphill approach has helped in the preservation of the monument. The exposed buildings here include the main stupa and two courtyards in distinct terraces surrounded by votive stupa and shrines, the monastic quadrangles surrounded by cells for the monks, and a large hall of assembly. In one of the stupa courtyard is a line of colossal Buddhas, which were originally 16 to 20 feet high.The site's fragmentary sculptures in stone and stucco are a considerable wealth but its most remarkable feature is the peculiar design and arrangement of the minor shrines, which surround the main stupa. These shrines stood upon a continuous sculptured podium and were crowned alternately with stupa like finials forming an ensemble. The beauty and grandeur provided by the entire composition is unparallel in the Buddhist world. 

The site is a major source of information on Buddhism and the way of life people here used to follow. The village needs to be based on the ruins of the ancient town, the foundation walls of which are still in a tolerably good formation. As a proof, that it was located in the past occupied by the Buddhists and Hindu races, coins of those periods are still found at the site. The monks constructed it for their convenience. Spring water was supplied to them on hill tops; living quarters for ventilators for light and alcoves for oil lamps were taken in the walls. From the description of Song Yun, a Chinese pilgrim, it appears that it was one of the four great cities lying along the important commercial route to India. It was a well-fortified town with four gates outside the northern one, on the mound known as Chajaka Dehri which was a magnificent temple containing beautiful stone images covered in gold leaves. Not far from the rocky defile of Khaperdra did Ashoka build the eastern gate of the town outside of which existed a stupa and a sanatorium. Excavations of the site have unearthed at Takht-i-Bahi may include; the court of many Stupas, the monastery, the main stupa, the assembly hall, the low-level chambers, the courtyard, the court of three stupas, the wall of colossi and the secular building. In 1871, Sergeant Wilcher found innumerable sculptures at Takht-i-Bahi.