Historical Place of Taxila

Taxila is One of Most Ancient Historical Heritage

There are a number of world heritage sites present in Pakistan and Taxila is one of them and Taxila is a town and an important archaeological site in the Rawalpindi district of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Taxila is situated about 32km north west of Islamabad and Rawalpindi just off the famous Grand Trunk Road. The town lies 549 metres above sea level. It is the headquarters of the Taxila Tehsil in Rawalpindi district.Owing to its strategic location, Taxila has changed hands many times over the centuries, with various empires vying for its control. When the great ancient trade routes connecting these regions ceased to be prominent.The very earliest examples of Buddhist art are not iconic but an iconic images and were popular in the sub-continent even after the death of the Buddha. This is explained by the fact that the Buddha himself did not sanction personal worship or the making of images. As Siddhatha Guatama was a Buddha, a self-perfected, self-enlightened human being, he was a human role model to be followed but not idolized. Of himself, he said. Buddha's only point the way.Within the boundaries of the property are situated all the elements necessary to express the Outstanding Universal Value of Taxila. Exposure of the archaeological remains to the extremes of a tropical climate, uncontrolled growth of vegetation, and earthquakes represents a risk to the overall integrity of the property, as do expansions of the industrial estates located within the Taxila valley despite their location outside the buffer zone, limestone blasting and quarrying activities in the valley, and illegal excavations by looters in the Buddhist monastery sites. Taxila's downfall came in the 5th century A.D. when the White Hun hordes sacked the area, destroying monasteries and looting the city's treasures. When the famous Chinese Pilgrim monk Hsuan Tsang visited the area in the 7th century while looking for Buddhist Sutras, he described it by saying monasteries are half ruined. The country is depopulated and now a dependency of Kashmir. Archaeological excavations later showed that the city may have increased substantially during the Achaemenid Empire of the 6th century BCE. In 516 BC, Darius I engaged in a campaign to Central Asia, Ariana and Bactria and then marched into Afghanistan to Hindush in modern Pakistan. Darius spent the winter of 516-515 BCE in Gandhara, getting ready to conquer the Indus Valley. Darius conquered the Indus in 515 BCE. He controlled the Indus Valley from Gandhara to modern Karachi and appointed the Greek Scylax of Caryanda to explore the Indian Ocean from the mouth of the Indus to Suez. Darius then marched through the Bolan Pass and returned through Arachosia and Drangiana back to Persia. There are five small stupas in the city. 

The first one being the Dharmarajika stupa, which is located two miles from Taxila museum. Then is the glen of Giri, which is about three and half miles from Dharmarajika stupa. This is atop the highest peak of the range of hills is two stupas and a fortress built-in a cleft near a spring of pure, sweet water. Jaulian is another marvelous complex of chapels, stupas and a monastery with an assembly hall, store rooms, refectory, kitchen and bathrooms still very well preserved. Two miles west of Jaulian is another well-preserved monastery at Mohra Moradu. In one of the monk’s cells here there was found a stupa with almost all the details intact. At Jandial, a mile and a half of Sirsukh, is an image less temple in the classic Greek style, with sandstone columns and cornices. One of the oldest recognized universities of the world is also attended in Taxila. This university came into being located in the Gandhara period. At one stage, it had 10,500 students including those from Babylon, Greece, Syria, and China. Experienced teachers taught languages, Vedas, philosophy, medicine, politics, warfare, accounts, commerce, documentation, music, dance and other performing arts, futurology, the occult and mystical sciences and complex mathematical calculations. Taxila can be visited as an excursion from Islamabad or can be seen en route to Peshawar or to Besham either way it is best to see the archeological remains of Sirkap and Julian first which are the most important one. Sirkap is the citadal of the city and was a planned city having multicultural people living in it. When you visit Sirkap you can see the interesting style of masonary from Kashan period to the last period of the 6th century when the city was destroyed by the while Huns. Taxila is well known historical place for national and international tourists.