18-04-2019
All Text own
All photos own
During my visit to Swat, I had the privilege of exploring various archaeological sites adorned with Buddha Rock carvings. One of the remarkable sites I visited was located in Rasha Ghata, nestled within the village of Kokarai. Kokarai, a union council in Tehsil Babuzai of Swat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, boasted a rich historical heritage.
Accompanying me on this journey was my gracious host and dear friend, Mr. Majid F. Masud, a Swat native who had spent the last decade meticulously collecting photographs of archaeological sites in the region. Driven by his deep passion for documenting these magnificent historical sites, he was even planning to compile his extensive research into a book.
As we arrived at Rasha Ghata, we encountered a sight that stirred a mix of intrigue and sorrow. Engraved on a single boulder, we discovered two Buddha rock carvings, their once pristine features now defaced and marred. Curious about the cause of their deterioration, I turned to Majid for an explanation. He shared a poignant and disheartening story. During the Taliban era, local villagers, driven by a misguided belief, had intentionally inflicted damage upon these carvings. Mistakenly perceiving the Buddhist statues as symbols of sin, they deemed it their religious duty to deface them, resulting in significant vandalism to these engravings.
Renowned journalist Mr. Fazal Khaliq, a prominent figure in Swat, highlighted the historical significance of these carvings in one of his articles. He noted that the carvings hailed from the Gandhara Civilization, widely regarded as a cradle of Buddhism, which thrived from the early first millennium BC until the 11th century AD. Their existence served as a testament to the rich cultural and religious heritage of the region.
Luca Maria Olivieri, the esteemed head of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan, emphasized the importance of these carvings to archaeologists, historians, and tourists alike. Describing their significance, Olivieri explained that the sculptures found in the Swat valley were representative of the late Vajrayana Buddhist schools, which had flourished in Swat between the seventh and ninth centuries. The mission, in its dedicated efforts, had successfully documented a total of 221 sculptures, shedding light on the profound artistic and spiritual legacy of the region.
As I stood amidst the defaced carvings, their silent beauty resonated with a profound sense of loss and resilience. These engravings, though bearing the scars of human ignorance, served as poignant reminders of the enduring power of history and the urgent need to preserve our shared cultural heritage.
