Pakistani and Italian archaeologists unearth Hindu temple dating back 1,100 years in Swat/KPK

[hydrabadi_arab]

PESHAWAR: The archaeology and museums directorate in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in collaboration with an Italian archaeological mission, has discovered an ancient Hindu temple in Swat Valley believed to be around 1,100 years old, the region’s archaeologists have said.

In recent years, Pakistan has moved to restore ancient temples and relics in the province as part of an initiative to encourage tourism and project religious harmony in a region roiled for decades by militancy.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region was once the center of Buddhist civilization that took root under the Mauryan king Ashoka 2,300 years ago.

“The temple was discovered almost ten days back, which is believed to have been built by the Hindu Shahi or Hindu dynasty (850-1026 CE) during their rule in Gandhara and Kabul Valley,” Dr. Abdul Samad, director for archaeology and museums in the province, told Arab News. “It is believed the temple is of Lord Vishnu,” he added, referring to one of the principal deities of Hinduism.


He said Barikot Ghundai, a hillside on the outskirts of the scenic Swat Valley where the temple has been discovered, was an important archaeological site dating back to the twelfth century BC till the Islamic period. He said the newly-discovered temple dated back to roughly the ninth or tenth century AD.

In this undated photo, the site of a newly-discovered Hindu temple in Barikot Ghundai in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, can be seen. (Photo courtesy: KP Directorate of Archeology and Museums)


Niaz Ali Shah, a regional officer at the KP directorate of archaeology and museums in Malakand region, said excavation work in the Barikot Ghundai area was reinitiated by his directorate in collaboration with an Italian archaeological mission in 2010 after it was marked safe following a Taliban insurgency in the area.

In this undated photo, a view of the village in Barikot Ghundai, a hillside on the outskirts of Swat valley in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, where the provincial archeology and museums directorate, in collaboration with an Italian archeological mission, has discovered an ancient Hindu temple believed to be 11,000 years old. (Photo courtesy: KP Directorate of Archeology and Museums)


The excavation has so far revealed what looks like a lookout tower and a water tank most likely used for bathing by followers of Vishnu, Shah added.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is home to Takht-i-Bahi, or ‘Throne of the Water Spring,’ an Indo-Parthian archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery, considered among the most imposing relics of Buddhism in all of Gandhara.

In this undated photo, a view of Barikot Ghundai, a hillside on the outskirts of Swat Valley in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, where the provincial archeology and museums directorate, in collaboration with an Italian archeological mission, has discovered an ancient Hindu temple believed to be 11,000 years old. (Photo courtesy: KP Directorate of Archeology and Museums)


In 2017, Pakistan unveiled the remains of a 1,700-year-old sleeping Buddha image. A reflection of the diverse history and culture of the South Asian country, the ancient Buddhist site in Bhamala province was first discovered in 1929. Eighty-eight years on, excavations resumed and the 14-meter-(48-foot)-high Kanjur stone Buddha image was unearthed, with then opposition leader and now Prime Minister Imran Khan presiding over the presentation.

Pakistani and Italian archaeologists unearth Hindu temple dating back 1,100 years

PESHAWAR: The archaeology and museums directorate in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in collaboration with an Italian archaeological mission, has discovered an ancient Hindu temple in Swat Valley believed to be around 1,100 years old, the region’s archaeologists have said...

www.arabnews.pk

 

[El Sidd]

“It is believed the temple is of Lord Vishnu,” he added, referring to one of the principal deities of Hinduism.

What archeological evidence clinches the temple for Vishnu? The article has nothing archeological about it, it's a political piece.

 

[TNT]

The area of hindu kush is full of old temples and cities, centuries old. We have found so many utencils and even idols while digging for construction or wells.

 

[Varunastra]

Are Pakistanis taught anything about their pre-Islamic era in school academia? These finding can be eye openers for many.

 

[Goenitz]

Are Pakistanis taught anything about their pre-Islamic era in school academia? These finding can be eye openers for many.

Won't make any difference except our knowledge. Technically, we believe in the religion of Abraham, and even before of Adam. So, 1000-5000 years old history is puny era in front of these.

The area of hindu kush is full of old temples and cities, centuries old. We have found so many utencils and even idols while digging for construction or wells.

I hope, you safely given it to the govt or else keep it safe and give it to hindus.

 

[Varunastra]

Won't make any difference except our knowledge. Technically, we believe in the religion of Abraham, and even before of Adam. So, 1000-5000 years old history is puny era in front of these.

I hope, you safely given it to the govt or else keep it safe and give it to hindus.

Just the knowledge is enough imho, can affect the world view and make him/her more accepting of people of different beliefs.

 

[TNT]

I hope, you safely given it to the govt or else keep it safe and give it to hindus.

Well we mostly threw it away. Some people with a rare larger find sell it but in our area money from selling idols is considered haram. We found small ones and just threw it away. The museum in the area is full of it.

 

[Goenitz]

Well we mostly threw it away. Some people with a rare larger find sell it but in our area money from selling idols is considered haram. We found small ones and just threw it away. The museum in the area is full of it.

I can understand that. It is the probable way people will follow.

 

[TNT]

I can understand that. It is the probable way people will follow.

Its just that they r small and usually fragments and abundant so usually nothing special here. The larger ones are rare and are sold in black market or given to museums.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Won't make any difference except our knowledge. Technically, we believe in the religion of Abraham, and even before of Adam. So, 1000-5000 years old history is puny era in front of these.

I hope, you safely given it to the govt or else keep it safe and give it to hindus.

I'm getting a headache.
Has no one of my Indian brothers ever head of the master A. H. Dani?

I'm getting a headache.
Has no one of my Indian brothers ever head of the master A. H. Dani?

I don't agree with everything the master wrote, but he was a colossus of the discipline.

 

[Surya 1]

Well we mostly threw it away. Some people with a rare larger find sell it but in our area money from selling idols is considered haram. We found small ones and just threw it away. The museum in the area is full of it.

you can give it to India.

 

[TNT]

you can give it to India.

Why?

 

[Bengal71]

If you are planning to find a bride on a mail order site, You need to know how much is a mail order bride. Of course, you will have to invest money to secure the relationship you want. You will need to decide how much you want to spend on wooing her, as well as how much money you can afford to invest in the relationship. However, there are some ways to cut the cost of your mail order bride experience.

Wow I want a mail order bride. But wait.....what was the topic of the thread again?

 

[Surya 1]

Why?

Because you don't beed it.

 

[TNT]

Because you don't beed it.

I dont need my old socks, should i send it to india? Lolz on a serious note, india doesnt really "need" it either, neither india has any claim to it. Some maybe ready to sell it for good price.