Dharmarajika Stupa,Taxila
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Dharmarajika Stupa (
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...
, ), also referred to as the Great Stupa of Taxila, is a
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
near
Taxila Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. It was built over the relics of the Buddha by
Ashoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...
, the Emperor of
Magadha Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and ...
, in the 3rd century BCE. The stupa, along with the large monastic complex that later developed around it, forms part of the
Ruins of Taxila Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the Harip ...
- which were inscribed as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
in 1980.


History

It is believed that the Dharmarajika Stupa was built over the remains of an even older stupa that had been built by the
Maurya The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...
n emperor King ''
Ashoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...
'' in the 3rd century BCE The stupa was believed to have been reestablished in the 2nd century CE during the
Kushan ''Kushan'' or Kushana may refer to: * Kushan Empire The Kushan Empire (– CE) was a Syncretism, syncretic empire formed by the Yuezhi in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of what is now Afghanistan ...
era in order to house relics of the Buddha, which may have been sourced from earlier monuments. Buddhist texts mention that
frankincense Frankincense, also known as olibanum (), is an Aroma compound, aromatic resin used in incense and perfumes, obtained from trees of the genus ''Boswellia'' in the family (biology), family Burseraceae. The word is from Old French ('high-quality in ...
was used during religious services at Dharmarajika, while the complex was paved with colourful glass tiles.
Indo-Greek The Indo-Greek Kingdom, also known as the Yavana Kingdom, was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic-era Ancient Greece, Greek kingdom covering various parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India. The term "Indo-Greek Kingdom" ...
coins found at the site date from the 2nd century BCE, suggesting earliest possible establishment of a religious monument at the site. Small stupas that predate the main stupa are found throughout the Dharmarajika site, and surrounded an earlier core stupa in an irregular layout. It is known that the earlier core stupa contained a pathway for
circumambulation Circumambulation (from Latin ''circum'' around and ''ambulātus ''to walk) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol. Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in ...
that was made of plaster, and decorated with shell bangles in geometric patterns. The earlier stupa likely had four gates in axial directions. The site came under control of Persian
Sassanid The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
rule, and suffered a period of stagnation. Large-scale developments took place during the late Kushan and
Kidarite The Kidarites, or Kidara Huns, were a dynasty that ruled Bactria and adjoining parts of Central Asia and South Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries. The Kidarites belonged to a complex of peoples known collectively in India as the Huna, and in Euro ...
era which added numerous monasteries and stupas to the site.


Destruction

The site was devastated by the
White Huns The Hephthalites (), sometimes called the White Huns (also known as the White Hunas, in Iranian as the ''Spet Xyon'' and in Sanskrit and Prakrit as the ''Sveta-huna''), were a people who lived in Central Asia during the 5th to 8th centuries CE, ...
in the 5th century CE, and then abandoned. Subsequent rulers, such as the Hun king
Mihirakula Mihirakula (Gupta script: , ''Mi-hi-ra-ku-la'', Chinese: 摩酰逻矩罗 ''Mo-hi-lo-kiu-lo''), sometimes referred to as Mihiragula or Mahiragula, was the second and last Alchon Huns, Alchon Hun king of northwestern region of the Indian subcont ...
, persecuted the region's Buddhists. Under his reign, over a thousand Buddhist monasteries throughout Gandhara are said to have been destroyed. The White Huns destroyed not only Taxilan sites, but also devastated nearby
Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...
.


Excavation

The stupa was excavated by
Sir John Marshall Sir John Hubert Marshall (19 March 1876, Chester, England – 17 August 1958, Guildford, England) was an English archaeologist who was Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India from 1902 to 1928. He oversaw the excavations of H ...
in 1913. The stupa had been looted several times prior to Marshall's discovery, and was badly damaged. Marshall noted that a large trench, requiring tremendous effort, was built at some point in the past in order to loot the stupa's precious relics. By 1934, enough of the site had been uncovered that the site's scale could be appreciated. Human skeletons were discovered in the open area immediately south of the stupa, and may be the remains of monks who were killed during the invasion of the
White Huns The Hephthalites (), sometimes called the White Huns (also known as the White Hunas, in Iranian as the ''Spet Xyon'' and in Sanskrit and Prakrit as the ''Sveta-huna''), were a people who lived in Central Asia during the 5th to 8th centuries CE, ...
.


Layout

The location of the stupa and its monastic community about one kilometre outside of
Sirkap Sirkap (Urdu and ) is the name of an archaeological site on the bank opposite to the city of Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan. The city of Sirkap was built by the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius after he invaded modern-day Pakistan around 180 BC. Demetr ...
is in conformity with the Buddha's recommendation that monasteries should be neither "too far" nor "too close" to adjacent towns. Three distinctive types of masonry in the buildings around the main stupa suggest the contributions of different periods to the building activity.


Core stupa

Dharmarajika Stupa is the largest of all stupas in the Taxila region, Surrounding the main mound is a passageway for ''
pradakshina Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only to the path alon ...
'' — the ancient practice of walking around a holy site. The stupa's large ''anda'', or hemispherical mound, is damaged − though the
plinth A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...
of the mound, known as the ''medhi'', is still largely intact. The ''anda'' mound was made of
ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...
stone. The stupa's ''harmika'', or fence like structure built atop the ''anda'' mound, has been lost. The stupa's southern gateway was initially considered the most important, though the construction of four smaller stupas (termed G7, G8, S7, Q1) to the west of the stupa indicate that this then likely became the preferred entrance for those performing circumambulation. Later constructions around the "Eastern Avenue" then shifted the preferred route for circumambulation to the eastern side of the stupa. Before entering the main sacred areas, visitors to the shrine from Sirkap would pass through a large building, now termed building H, that would openly display relics. Visitors likely venerated the relics at building H before entering the main stupa area.


Peripheral stupas

The stupa was surrounded by a circle of smaller stupas which were built approximately 200 years after the main stupa's construction, and were likely constructed together as part of a project funded by a single patron. Additional stupas were built further along the northern portion of the site by various patrons, and date from the
Indo-Scythian The Indo-Scythians, also known as Indo-Sakas, were a group of nomadic people of Iranian peoples, Iranic Scythians, Scythian origin who migrated from Central Asia southward into the present-day regions of Afghanistan, Eastern Iran and the northwe ...
period. These stupas form a "Northern Avenue," that had several small shrines with devotional images, rendering the Northern Avenue a processional corridor. Devotional images were likely relegated to the periphery of the complex due to religious conservatives, who were hesitant to fully embrace the new practice of using imagery in religious practice. Unlike constructions at
Sanchi Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist art, Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometers from Raisen ...
, stupas around the Dharmarajika Stupa were built by individual donors, rather than as part of a communal effort.


Monasteries

Early monastic cells near the stupa were built as a row of rooms, with a
verandah A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...
, The verandah style was later dropped in favour of monastic living quarters surrounding quadrangles that were built immediately north, northeast, and east of the stupa approximately 300 years after the stupa's construction. The northern monastery consisted of two courtyards that were each built around a large stupa. The smaller eastern courtyard is believed to have housed 13 monks. Monastery G, located immediately west of the stupa has at least 50 monastic cells, a stupa, and was likely multistoried. Monastery M in the extreme northwest section of the site, and contained its own stupa in a small courtyard. Monastery M is connected to a long residential monastery, oriented in a roughly north-south direction. At the southern edge of this monastery are the remains of two stupas, now termed E1 and E2. E1 was built in a pre-existing cell, while E2 was a more elaborated stupa that contained a small passageway for circumambulation. Neither stupa was likely open to the public.


Relics


Bone fragments of the Buddha

The site is famous for its bone relics – thought to be those of the Buddha, Much of the stupa's precious relics had been looted by the time it was discovered by Sir John Marshall. A silver casket containing a silver inscription was recovered from the stupa's chapel after discovery, The inscription is written in the ancient
Kharosthi Kharosthi script (), also known as the Gandhari script (), was an ancient script originally developed in the Gandhara Region of modern-day Pakistan, between the 5th and 3rd century BCE. used primarily by the people of Gandhara alongside vari ...
script that was once common throughout Gandhara, The inscription states that ''Urusaka'' of ''Noacha'' placed bone relics of the Buddha in his chapel at Dharmarajika in 78 CE. In 2016, 2 bone relics from the Dharmarajika Stupa were sent to
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
for one month. The relics were displayed at important shrines in
Polonnaruwa Poḷonnaruwa, (; ) also referred as Pulathisipura and Vijayarajapura in History of Sri Lanka, ancient times, is the main town of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The modern town of Polonnaruwa is also known as New Town, ...
,
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
,
Kandy Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...
, and
Anuradhapura Anuradhapura (, ; , ) is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies north of the cur ...
, and attracted 9.3 million visitors.


Reliquary vessels

18 reliquary vessels were also recovered from smaller stupas surrounding the Dharmarajika Stupa that yielded a wide array of relics, including one that encased a cylindrical piece of gold. Other reliquaries yielded gold jewelry and precious jewels, while others contained items from distant locations such as
lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Originating from the Persian word for the gem, ''lāžward'', lapis lazuli is ...
from
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, pearls, and shells − reflecting the large trade networks operating from Taxila. Several coins of the Indo-Greek king
Zoilos II Zoilus II Soter (; epithet means "the Saviour") was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in eastern Punjab. Bopearachchi dates his reign to c. 55–35 BC, a date approximately supported by R. C. Senior. It is possible that some of his coins were issu ...
were found under the foundation of such a 1st-century BCE stupa.Marshall, "Excavations at Taxila", "The only minor antiquities of interest found in this building were twenty-five debased silver coins of the Greek king Zoilus II, which were brought to light beneath the foundations of the earliest chapel", p248


Etymology

The name Dharmarajika comes from Dharmaraja, a name given to Buddha who was the true Dharma Raja (Lord of Law), according to Marshall. It is also believed that ‘Dharmarajika’ is derived from the word ‘Dharmaraja’, a title used by Mauryan emperor Ashoka. The stupa is also popularly known as ''Chir Tope'', or "Scarred hill".


Access

The Dharmarajika Stupa lies about 3 kilometers east of the
Taxila Museum Taxila Museum (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is located at Taxila (modern), Taxila, Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. The museum is home to a significant and comprehensive collection of Greco-Buddhist art, Gandharan art dating from the 1st to ...
, along the PMO Colony Road, northeast of
Taxila Cantonment Taxila Cantonment () is a cantonment adjacent to Taxila in Rawalpindi District, Punjab province, Pakistan.Sirkap Sirkap (Urdu and ) is the name of an archaeological site on the bank opposite to the city of Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan. The city of Sirkap was built by the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius after he invaded modern-day Pakistan around 180 BC. Demetr ...
, which also forms part of the
Ruins of Taxila Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the Harip ...
.


Gallery

File:Dharmarajika_stupa_and_monastery_c_by_Usman_Ghani.jpg File:Dharmarajika_stupa_and_monastery_g_by_Usman_Ghani.jpg File:Dharmarajika stupa and monastery d by Usman Ghani.jpg File:Dharmarajika stupa and monastery i by Usman Ghani.jpg File:((By @ibnAzhar))0DharmaRajika Stupa-Taxila-Pakistan (74).JPG File:Let's see Taxila 053.jpg Image:Taxila1.jpg File:ZoilosIICoin.JPG, Coins of the
Indo-Greek The Indo-Greek Kingdom, also known as the Yavana Kingdom, was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic-era Ancient Greece, Greek kingdom covering various parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwestern India. The term "Indo-Greek Kingdom" ...
ruler
Zoilos II Zoilus II Soter (; epithet means "the Saviour") was an Indo-Greek king who ruled in eastern Punjab. Bopearachchi dates his reign to c. 55–35 BC, a date approximately supported by R. C. Senior. It is possible that some of his coins were issu ...
were found under a peripheral stupa. File:Dharmarajika Stupa sculptures.jpg, Sculptures from the Dharmarajika Stupa Taxila map.jpg, The Dharmarajika Stupa is located to the southeast of
Sirkap Sirkap (Urdu and ) is the name of an archaeological site on the bank opposite to the city of Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan. The city of Sirkap was built by the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius after he invaded modern-day Pakistan around 180 BC. Demetr ...
. Dharmarajika Stupa Indo-Corinthian pillaster.jpg, Indo-Corinthian pillars. Dharmarajika Stupa stucco heads.jpg,
Stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
heads.


See also

*
Bhir Mound The Bhir Mound () is an archaeological site in Taxila in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It contains some of the oldest ruins of Ancient Taxila, dated to sometime around the period 800–525 BC as its earliest layers bear "grooved" Red Burni ...
*
Jaulian Jaulian (; meaning ''Seat of Saints'') is a ruined Buddhist monastery dating from the 2nd century CE, located in Taxila, in Pakistan. Jaulian, along with the nearby monastery at Mohra Muradu, form part of the Ruins of Taxila – a collecti ...
*
Sirkap Sirkap (Urdu and ) is the name of an archaeological site on the bank opposite to the city of Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan. The city of Sirkap was built by the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius after he invaded modern-day Pakistan around 180 BC. Demetr ...
*
Sirsukh Sirsukh () is an ancient city that forms part of the ruins at Taxila, near the modern day city of Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan. City The city of Sirsukh is said to have been founded during the Kushan era after 80 CE, and is the last of the great a ...
*
Mohra Muradu Mohra Muradu () is the place of an ancient Buddhist stupa and monastery near the ruins of Taxila, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The ancient monastery is located in a valley and has views of the surrounding mountains. The monks could medi ...
*
Taxila Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the ...
*
Mankiala stupa The Manikyala Stupa () or Mankiala Stupa is a Buddhist stupa near the village of Tope Mankiala, in the Pothohar region of Pakistan's Punjab province. The stupa was built to commemorate the spot, where according to the Jataka tales, an incarna ...
-commemorates the spot, where according to the
Jataka tales The ''Jātaka'' (Sanskrit for "Birth-Related" or "Birth Stories") are a voluminous body of literature native to the Indian subcontinent which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. Jataka stories we ...
, an incarnation of the
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...
sacrificed himself to feed seven hungry tiger cubs


Notes


References

*"Taxila" Sir John Marshall {{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan Stupas in Pakistan Buddhist monasteries in Pakistan Archaeological sites in Punjab, Pakistan Buddhist sites in Pakistan Maurya Empire Mauryan art 2nd-century Buddhism 2nd-century religious buildings and structures