Archaeologists have unearthed a nearly 2,000-year-old Buddhist temple in the Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan, which may be one of the oldest in the country.
According to the estimate made by the archaeologists, the structure which is located in the city of Barikot dates back to the 2nd century BC. As reported by Tom Metcalfe for Live Science, it dates from a few hundred years after the death of the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, between 563 and 483 BC.
Luca Maria Olivieri, an archaeologist at Ca ‘Foscari University in Venice, led the excavations in partnership with the International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies (ISMEO). The excavation site is located in the historic region of Gandhara, which use to be “a trading hub and cultural meeting place between India, Central Asia and the Middle East”. According to the Deutsche Press-Agentur (DPA), Gandhara was conquered by Hindu, Buddhist and Indo-Greek rulers during the first millennium BC.
The ruins of the temple are about ten feet high; it has a ceremonial platform that used to have a dome or a stupa over the top which is often found in Buddhist temples. On the front side at its peak, the temple had a small stupa, a staircase, and a open courtyard, overlooking a street.
In a statement Luca Olivieri said that this discovery of a great religious monument built during the Indo-Greek Empire proves that it was an important and ancient center for cult and pilgrimage. Swat was already a holy land for Buddhism.
Along with the temple, the team also discovered & unearthed different ancient artifacts consisting of statues, jewelry, pottery, and coins. According to the archaeologists estimate the temple was abandoned somewhere in the third century after an earthquake.
In traditional Greek and Latin texts Barikot appears as Beira. Researchers from the past suggest that the area was already active at the time when the Macedonian leader Alexander the Great invaded modern day Pakistan and India
After Alexander’s death in 323, the territories occupied by Alexander were divided between his generals. During this time, Gandhara region became a part of the Mauryan Empire, which lasted from about 321 to 185 BCE.
Italian archaeologists have been excavating the Swat Valley since 1955. Since then, digging at Barikot has uncovered two other Buddhist sanctuaries along the road connecting the city center.
According to Live Science, Buddhism gained a foothold in Gandhara during the reign of Menander 1 around 150 BC and became a Buddhist center under Kushan Empire.