Gor Khatri ( ps, ګورکترۍ;

Hindko Hindko (, romanized: , ) is a cover term for a diverse group of Lahnda dialects spoken by several million people of various ethnic backgrounds in several areas in northwestern Pakistan, primarily in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pun ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...

located in

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

, Pakistan.

History

Gorkhatri in the ancient city of

was identified by

Alexander Cunningham Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly ...

with the Kanishka stupa, the giant stupa of Indian King

Kanishka the Great Kanishka I (Sanskrit: कनिष्क, '; Greco-Bactrian: Κανηϸκε ''Kanēške''; Kharosthi: 𐨐𐨞𐨁𐨮𐨿𐨐 '; Brahmi: '), or Kanishka, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign (c. 127–150 CE) the empire r ...

, while Professor Dr.

Ahmad Hasan Dani Ahmad Hassan Dani (Urdu: احمد حسن دانی) FRAS, SI, HI (20 June 1920 – 26 January 2009) was a Pakistani archaeologist, historian, and linguist. He was among the foremost authorities on Central Asian and South Asian archaeology ...

identified it with the place where the famous tower of the Buddha bowl once stood. The celebrated Chinese pilgrim

Xuanzang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

, who visited

Gandhara Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Vall ...

in the early 7th Century CE, had paid glowing tribute to the city and the Kanishka stupa in his memoirs. He also talked about a site, which many historians argue refers to Gorkhatri where "Buddha's giant bowl was kept". Mughal Emperor

Babar Babar ( ur, ), also variously spelled as Baber, Babur, and Babor is a male given name of Pashto, and Persian language, Persian origin, and a popular male given name in Pakistan. It is generally taken in reference to the Persian language, Persian ...

, who recorded its importance in his autobiography, visited the place in the Babur NamaPage 141 published by Penguin In the early 16th century,

Jahanara Begum Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a Mughal princess and later the Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire from 1631 to 1658 and again from 1668 until her death. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Emperor Shah ...

, daughter of Mughal Emperor

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

, built a pavilion at the ancient site, and converted the site into a

, and named it ''Sarai Jahanabad.'' She also constructed a Jama Masjid, a sauna bath and two wells inside Sarai Jahanabad for the convenience of travelers. The

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

s converted the site into the residence and official headquarters of their mercenary general

Paolo Avitabile General Paolo Crescenzo Martino Avitabile (25 October 1791 – 28 March 1850), also known as Abu Tabela ( hnd, ), was an Italian soldier, mercenary and adventurer. A peasant's son born in Agerola, in the province of Napoli near Sorrento (in sou ...

who was governor of Peshawar from 1838-1842. They constructed a Hindu temple for

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

there. Prof. S.M. Jaffar, in his monumental book "Peshawar: Past and Present", identified it with the place of Hindu pilgrimage where they performed the Sardukahr ritual (shaving off heads).

Layout

Gorkhatri is a typical Mughal-era serai and is located on one of the highest points of Peshawar city. It is a fortified compound consisting of an area of 160x160 square meters. It has two prominent gateways: one in the east and one in the west. The

Goraknath Temple Goraknath Temple () is a Hindu temple located in the Gorkhatri area of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The temple is dedicated to Guru Gorakhnath who founded the ''kanphata'' Jogi order at Tilla Jogian in the first century BC. The temp ...

is situated in the centre, a network of cells and buildings in the southern and western side of the complex and a fire brigade building, which was built in 1917.

Excavations

Dr.

Farzand Ali Durrani Farzand Ali Durrani (1 January 1933 - 10 December 2003) was a Pakistani archaeologist known for his work on the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the world's earliest urban civilizations that flourished in the region of modern-day Pakistan and In ...

initiated the first vertical excavations at Gor Guthrree in 1992-93 but his excavation work could not be completed due to lack of funds. However, he confirmed the city foundation went back to at least the 3rd Century BC. The second round of excavations carried on until 2007 in the north eastern aspect of Gorkhatri pushed Peshawar's age by another couple of centuries, officially making it the oldest living city in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

Gallery

File:Gorkhatree Tehsil gate.JPG, Entryway to the site as viewed from the site's park File:Gorakhnath Temple inside.jpg, Hindu temple at the site File:Gorakhnath Temple in Peshawar Old City, Pakistan.jpg,

Peshawar File:Old Firebrigade in Gorkhatree, Peshawar.jpg, Old fire brigade File:Gorkhatree_Entrance_Gate.jpg, Closeup of Gorkhatri's entryway File:Avitable Plaque in Gorkhatree.jpg, Plaque marking the former residence of Sikh-era General Paolo Avitable

References

External links

Feature on Gor Khatri - The News 07-01-2007

Article lamenting decline of Gor Khatri - DAWN 04-11-2012
{{Neighbourhoods of Peshawar Tourist attractions in Peshawar Caravanserais in Pakistan Archaeological sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hindu pilgrimage sites in Pakistan Populated places in Peshawar District Hinduism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa