Taxila, cut of stone city

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                                      Taxila is a ‘ city of secrets  and rich history ‘

Taxila city is 35 km, which is 20 minute drive from Islamabad

towards the northwest where the civilization of Gandhara exist

Taxila original name was Takshasila. After being destroyed 3 times

 by the earth quake it was made earth quake proof. Its name was 

change from Takshasila to Taxila where the word tax means to cut

 and sila means stone cut of stone city

Taxila is one of richest South Asia archeologist site.

Taxila is a testament to Buddhism. The Buddha himself spent 40

 years in life traveling and teaching in this part of Pakistan and 

many says that it is from here the modern Buddhism takes its roots.

 The Greeks came to Taxila under the banner of the conqueror, 

Alexander the great.

Buddhism religion finds its roots in the subcontinent so it is not 

surprising that some of the best archeologist figures for Buddhism

 are in Pakistan. Taxila is one of the greatest.

Taxila Museum

Taxila Museum is located 35 km from Islamabad on the Grand 

Trunk Road to Peshawar. Founder of the museum is Sir John 

Marshall, who was then the director Genral of Archeology in India.

 He was behind the Greek style concept of the museum.

It has many significant finds from the Taxila site. And is perhaps

 few of the museums in the world that tells the story of Europe

 meeting the Far East. Museum is most noted for its Buddhist 

sculpture with features that were created when Alexander the great

 visited here in some 2400 years ago.

This is a site museum and its collection consists of objects from the

 period 600 B.C to 500 AD. Related to Buddhist, Hindu and Jain

 religions objects discovered from three ancient cities are more than

 twenty Buddhist stupas and monasteries and Greek temples. The

 collection of Stone Buddhist sculpture from the first to the seventh

 centuries in Pakistan is called Gandharan Art. There are 5000 

objects displayed, including stone, stucco, terracotta, silver, gold,

 iron and semiprecious stones.

The material has been presented in the six galleries of the 

museum. In the middle of the halls are table showcases & other

 objects have been exhibited in the wall showcases as well.

As we enter the museum, there is a main big hall, which has a 

complete stupa from the Buddhist monastery of Mohra Moradu to

 showcase. Archaeological map of Taxila is present on its left side.

 Table showcases exhibit small finds. The wall show cases schist 

stone sculptures on the two sides. The museum presents scenes

 from the life of the Buddha and examples of Gandharan Art. Red

 sand stone sculptures, two sandstone sculptures have also been 

displayed.

The second hall to the left has stucco sculptures from Mohra

 Moradan in the wall showcases and Buddhist sculptures brought

 from Julian monastery. On the floor are glazed tiles of the Kushan

a period.

In the third hall they have stucco heads on the hall showcases. The

 heads show different faces and hairstyles. The big Buddha heads 

are typically Gandharan in style.

Through the main hall, we can enter a small fourth hall, which has

 silver and gold jewelry and coins of the local kings in the display.

 The gold jewellery is in foreign as well as local styles.

In the fifth small hall the first object is an Aramaic inscription of 

King Asoka. Then we see a series of inscription written in 

Kharoshthi and also in Brahmi on paper. Then we see small 

terracotta figurines and a small terra cotta ceremonial tank model.

 On the opposite wall there are iron objects; arrowheads, nails, 

horse strips and plough.

Finally when we enter the last sixth hall, on the wall showcases we

 see silver glasses of different shapes, bowls and spoons, toilet 

trays, small pottery pieces, bowls and plates of terracotta and 

pottery arranged for distillation. On the floor are big storage jars,

 pestle and mortar and saddle querns.

It is one of the best museum in the whole world. Its timings are 

from 8 30 to 530 in summer and from 9-4 in winter.

SIRKAP

The Greeks came to Taxila under the banner of the conqueror,

 Alexander the great. They built Taxila 1stcity and called it Sirkap.

 The city was first of its kind in South Asia using the same building

 style that was found in the Asian Greek capital of Athens. Today 

all that is left is roads and building foundations. Sirkap history 

spends for over 1000 years that involves different empires

 conquering and rebuilding it.

It is the second major ancient city at Taxila. It is known as Sirkap

 after the name of a wicked character of a folk legend, “Raja Rasalu

 and seven demons” that is said to have lived on this site. The

 excavation of this old city was carried out by H. Hargreaves during

 1912-1930 under the direction of Sir John Marshall and in 1944-45

 by Sir Mortimer Wheeler and his colleagues.

Sirkap is part of the larger archaeological complex at Taxila, now

 located in the modern state of Pakistan, in the province of Punjab.

 The archaeological complex at Taxila, of which Sirkap is one site,

 is located about 22 kilometers to the west of Islamabad, and about

 25 kilometers to the northwest of the city of Rawalpindi.

The great city was one time termed the greatest university for law,

 history and medicine on subcontinent. And the ancient city 

architectural design plans was so ahead of its time that it was put to

 use when Islamabad was built some 50 years ago.

It was a well planned city islamabd is built on this design.  It has 2

 cities beneath it which is still to be dugged. When in 1912 digging

 was carried out, just to show the signs of 2 cities under it, on one

 corner of the city 3 layers were digged which represents 3 periods

Archaeologists have identified three phase

1-The first, Demetrian phase of the Greek city, second century AD.

(picture, bottom)

2- The Saca period, until an earthquake in ca. 30 CE. (Picture,

 center)

3- The Parthian period (picture, thin layer at the top).

The city is heavily influenced by Greek city planning principles. 

The streets of the city were more regular than those at Bhir, and the

 houses were mostly made of coursed stone. There were temples, 

houses, shrines, and stupas. A stupa is a funeral mound, usually 

associated with the death and nirvanas of Buddha. Buddhists 

always were the main religious group, and we find many stupas

 in Sirkap.

A straight line,  dividing the 1200 m long town into two halves.

 The private houses were constructed of rubble masonry covered

 with mud plaster. Usually, they had a small court, a second floor

 and a flat roof. After the earthquake that marks the break between

 the Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian periods, many houses were

 rebuilt with stronger walls and deeper foundations.

THE MAIN ROAD OF SIRKAP

The city is dominated by the main street along, which small rooms

 are meant for shops. As we enter the  gateway,we see the refuse the

 walls just inside, and than the passage bends and we have the inner

 guard rooms before we reach the main street

Sun Temple

There were sakas people who believed in sun god. When the city

 was digged, a statue of a sun god was found. When Parthian came

 they changed the place and used it as a sun dile. It’s been called a 

“SUN TEMPLE” because the residents used it to know the timing

 ,standing in front of the temple to see where the shadow of sun 

comes in different angles and identifying the timings.

Round Stupa

On the left side of Sun temple there is the solid drum of a round 

stupa, is also called private stupa because it was built in a house.

 When it was digged, the statue of a dancer was found Raqasa

Apsidal Temple

After the earthquake that destroyed the city in 30 AD, the Buddhist

 shrine was built in spacious courtyard.The round part was probably

 in use for a small stupa, but no traces of it remain.

Jain Temple

It is a sect of Hindus who believe in a mahaveer. When mahaveer

 died his ashes were divided into different parts. One part of ashes 

is inside it. When city was dugged, some temples of mahaveer were

 found which are now in Taxila museum. Some inscriptions

 regarding jain mark were also found

Juliann Buddhist Monastery

Its real name was Jaye Walian means place of Walian. It is included

 in the Gandharan civilization as one of the best educational city. 

People from different parts of the world used to come here to learn

 Buddhism.

Buddha sculptures found here were more than anywhere and were

 in better condition. Before 600 BC Julian University was on its

 peak. It was created in a top hill mountain which was 100 m above

 the ground. What is let over now, one can find signs of kitchen, 

bathrooms dining room and places of worship there.  Many stupas

 were built here. Places of worship are covered with roofs of steel.

 At that time whenever monks’ type people used to come here to 

worship main stupa than just as a favor before going back they used

 to build one small stupa. Here statues of Yunnan god Atlantes are

 also found about which it is said that he is holding skies in his own

 shoulders.

Main statue of Julian which is mahatma statue is known as statue

 for health, people of Buddhism believe that when an ill person out

 his finger in the belly button of it and pray for his health then he

 gets fit. Around main stupa there are about 21 more stupas Julian

 University was burned by Mongol tribal in 400 century and after

 1000 of years these signs were found by South Korean experts. By

 promoting Historical places like Julian, tourism can be enhanced

 which in turn will also help Pakistan economy.

Dharmarajika Stupa (2nd century AD)

The earliest Buddhist monument in Pakistan.It’s an archeological

 site situated about 2km from Taxila Museum.

It was built by Asoka to enshrine the relics of lord Buddha at the

 time of its re distribution  to enshrine them in a number of other

 stupas at different places , it is referred that king asoka opened 7 

original old   stupas  and collected memento  to accept thousand of

 stupas and dharmarajika stupa is one of them.

The stupa is situated in a circular structure and is about 15 meter

 high, raised on a plate form.

The passage to the ruins at hillock from the main the main road is

 very fine and lush green with lots of trees and there seems to be a

 small stream from the old times of Asoka, used to for water supply

 to the resident of the shrine and monastic areas.

Dharmarajika Stupa is one of eight shrines constructed in the 3rd

 century BC during the reign of Emperor Asoka of the Mauryan

 dynasty to house relics of the Buddha. The shrine gradually

 expanded, reaching its largest size in the 2nd century A.D. Now a

 ruin, the stupa was once coated with lime plaster and gilding

, though these have fallen away along with a seven-tier umbrella

 stone that once crowned the top. Near the stupa are the remains of

 vast monasteries that are barely distinguishable but for the

 foundation stones

Shrine of Double Headed Eagle 

:

There is a double headed eagle shrine along the main street of 

sirkap.  Nobody knows its original name. It is called shrine of 

double headed eagle because of the bird on the arch that has two

 heads. The alexander’s army also left the cultural imprint on this

 shrine. The pediment of the shrine is of classical greek

 architecture. Indian culture influence can also be seen especially

 on the outer side of the shrine.

Bhirmound 

:

The ruins of the city were first discovered in 1913 – 1925 by the Sir

 John Marshall and it continued uptill 2002 by different

 archeologists.  The ruins form a town of irregular shape. 

Bhirmound remained very important city as it was the centre of 

administration, education, trade. Bhuddhism became an important

 religion during the period of Ashoka – The grandson of 

chandargupta.  It was also provincial capital during mauryan

 dynasty.

Jandial Temple :

It is one of the most unique buildings in Central Asia. It closely

 follows the structure of classical temples of Greece. It consists of a

 central shrine with four Ionic columns supporting a porch. Two

 variations are noted in temple layout at Jandial : Firstly, the roof of

 the temple was supported by a wall that had 20 windows instead of

 the Greek colonnade. Secondly, the place of the tower was 

traditionally reserved for a chapel. It is probably the only or atleast

 one of the very few greek temples in the subcontinent.

Nicholson Monument 

:

There comes a monument enroute the historical city of taxila. The

 monument  was constructed  in honour of brigadier general  

Nicholson  who was a famous british military figure.  It is situated

 at the Tarnol pass or Margalla Pass. It was constructed in 1868. It 

is about 40 feet high monument.  There is also a small memorial 

fountain at the base of the hillock on which the Memorial 

stands.Besides these places, there are also no. of other places that

 can be visited while one is in taxila. No. of good restaurants, hotels

 and motels have been build and they provide good facilities. E.g

  Ghandhara hotel, Ghandhara restaurant, PTDC motel.

There are also hindu temples located in the heart of town.  These

 were the temples built by Ram rakhi in memory of her husband 

Bhaghat Lal.