Sunday 28 March 2021

Bhallar Stupa Taxila (2021)

The coordinates of Bhallar stupa are 33°48'48.44"N, 72°49'30.85"E. Located on the Sarada Hill, just beyond the Haro River, along the route from Mechanical Complex to Haripur, this stupa holds a commanding position. It proudly stands as the tallest stupa in Taxila.

Bhallar stupa has a rich history, with notable visits from Chinese pilgrims pa Hien and Hiuen Tsang. They believed it to be the spot where Buddha himself offered his head. Constructed during the "medieval period" following the Hun era, this magnificent structure comprises a grand stupa, surrounded by votive stupas, shrines, and a monastery. It served as the place where the Buddhist monk Kumaralabha composed his treatise.

The main stupa, though now broken on its northern face, once stood on a majestic oblong base. A flight of steps on the eastern side leads up to this base. The stupa consists of a plinth base, a drum, a dome, and originally, umbrellas. The drum is adorned with Corinthian pilasters, freezes, and dental cornices, beautifully divided into six or seven tiers.








The Sher Shah Suri Era Monuments in Taxila (2021)

(All pictures are owned, kindly respect copyrights) 

The Sher Shah Suri Era Monuments in Taxila

(Sarai Kala, Mughal Era Mosque and portion of Original Grand Trunk Road)

 33°44'15.82"N,  72°48'4.22"E

As soon as one enters the historical city of Taxila, he comes across the remains of massive gates and a portion of a dilapidated wall of  Sarai (inn ) near the Taxila bus stand. The gate and a part of a wall are visible from the link road. The Sarai once covered a large area and used to fulfill the requirements of the troops and people who would travel from Kabul to Dehli and stay in this Sarai. The Sarai is now located within the earlier residential town of Taxila with the result that the enclosed area of the Sarai has been turned into automobile garages, business centers, shops, and houses. Though the exact size of the Sarai cannot be precisely determined, it may be inferred from the structural remains that it once extended as far as the present G.T. Road, a distance of more than 200 feet.



There is an old mosque which is located in the vicinity of Sarai as well, which is also supposed to be constructed in the early 17th century. 







There is also a 100-meter-plus part of the ancient road of Sher Shah Suri’s G.T. Road. This was one of the four roads built by the Afghan ruler during his reign between 1539 and 1545 A.D. 



Friday 26 March 2021

A Hindu temple in Taxila (2021)

The coordinates of this location are 33.746. 72.804.

In 1932, a devoted woman named Ram Rakhi constructed this temple in loving memory of her husband, Bahagat Lal Rawalpindiwale. During that time, Taxila was home to a thriving Hindu population. However, with the partition of India in 1947, many Hindus migrated to India, leaving these magnificent places of worship behind. Sadly, as the Hindu population dwindled, these sacred sites became neglected and vulnerable to encroachment.

In the aftermath of the partition, Muslim migrants from India found shelter in Taxila, inadvertently leading to the encroachment upon these once-revered Hindu temples. As time passed, the condition of these temples deteriorated, falling into neglect and despair.

It is a poignant reminder of the shifting demographics and cultural changes that occurred during that period of history. The migration of the Hindu population resulted in the abandonment and subsequent encroachment of their places of worship. These sites, once vibrant centers of devotion and spirituality, now stand as a solemn testament to the bygone era and the need for preservation and understanding of our shared heritage.



Not my picture was taken from Pinterest

Not my picture was taken from Pinterest


Thursday 25 March 2021

The Anceint site of Sarai Khola Taxila (1000 BC) (2021)

 33.7309483636, 72.8001851553 

(All pictures are owned, text reproduce from W. Bernhard Report, kindly respect copyrights)



Introduction:-

Located about half a kilometer to the west of Kala Nala bridge on the G.T. Road and four km in southwest of Taxila Museum, Sarai Khola was discovered in 1968. It was considered an important discovery as it brought to light the presence of the late Neolithic and Kat Dijjan settlements in the Taxila Valley. Sarai Khola gave valuable information regarding the early farming communities in Pakistan. It may be interesting to reproduce the chronological sequence in Taxila Valley prior to and after the discovery of Sarai Khola. The archaeological remains discovered in Sarai Khola significantly contributed to the research carried out on the archeological and cultural aspects of Taxila Valley.

The mound's importance can be judged because it pushed back the chronology of Taxila Valley from the 6th century B.C. to 4000 B.C. The Department of Archaeology carried out excavations from 1968 to 1973, during which terra cotta figurines of mother goddesses were frequently found. Besides, chest blades and beads, terracotta pots, and shreds were also uncovered. The most interesting discovery was the different types of burial customs of those days. The inhabitants used different styles to bury the dead bodies.


ETHNIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL ALLINITIES OP TWO BRONZE AND IRON AGE POPULATIONS OF NORTH PAKISTAN 

Reference Report of W . Bernhard In stitut für Anthropologie der Universität Mainz,

In the 1960s, alongside the discovery of skeletal materials from the cemeteries of the Gandhara Grave Culture, another cemetery was excavated near the renowned prehistoric and historic town of Taxila. This town, once an influential Buddhist center in the Gandhara region, held great significance during the last centuries B.C. (as referenced in Bernhard 1969, 1981).

Situated a mere two miles southwest of Bhir Mound, which represents the earliest settlement in Taxila near Rawalpindi, this cemetery became known as Sarai Khola Mound due to its proximity to a nearby village. Excavations conducted between 1968 and 1971 revealed four distinct periods of human occupation, spanning from the Late Neolithic (Period I) to the Early Medieval era (Period IV). Of particular interest was the discovery of a cemetery during Period III, separated by layers of deposit from the Kot Diji Period (circa 2800 B.C.) of Period II and the Medieval Period IV (circa 700-800 A.D.) (refer to Halim 1970-71, p. 34-36; Bernhard 1981). Within the Sarai Khola cemetery of Period III, graves were dug in parallel rows. The skeletons within these graves were found in an extended position, oriented in an east-west direction, with the head facing east. Notably, the absence of grave furniture distinguishes this cemetery, leaving the identities of those who utilized the Sarai Khola Mound as their final resting place unknown. Only a few iron objects, including two-finger rings, were discovered in some late cemetery graves. The presence of these iron objects indicates a post-1000 B.C. dating for the cemetery. Further analysis, including C-14 dating of skeletal material, revealed a more precise chronological age of approximately 270 ± 60 years B.C.


This timeframe places the cemetery within the same period when Taxila and Punjab were conquered by Alexander the Great, subsequently becoming part of the Kingdom of Bactria established by Alexander's successors in the northern Afghanistan and western Pakistan region. During my stay in Taxila in 1968, I collected skeletal remains from 47 graves. Subsequent excavation seasons (1969-1971) uncovered an additional 65 graves. The collected material is currently located in Karachi and will be subject to future study. Notably, the 1968 excavation provided well-preserved or restorable skulls of 18 males and 10 females, allowing for extensive anthropological measurements and morphological observations to be conducted (see Table 1). In contrast to the long and narrow-faced population of the Gandhara Grave Complex, the Sarai Khola skeletal series is characterized by a relatively high percentage of brachycranic skulls. This distinction is further supported by the arithmetic means of cranial measurements, which show comparatively low values for cranial length and high values for cranial breadth (see Benhard 1969, 1981). Given its proximity, there is no doubt that the population buried in Sarai Khola Mound was somehow connected to Taxila and the historical events that transpired there. However, the exact identity of these people remains a mystery.


It is unlikely that they belonged to the native population of Taxila. Historical accounts from individuals who accompanied Alexander the Great on his journey to India indicate that the Iranian customs of exposing the dead to vultures, potentially introduced by Persian settlers in the 5th and 4th centuries B.C., as well as cremation, were practiced in Taxila (see Marshall 1951, p. 16 ff). Even during Buddhist times, cremation was the prevalent burial method. This may explain the lack of uncovered cemeteries in Taxila thus far. The few skeletons found in Taxila, which do not belong to regular burials, were excavated in the Dharmarajika Monastery and likely represent the remains of monks killed by the White Huns during the sack and burning of the monastery around the end of the 5th century A.D. (see Bernhard 1981). It is also improbable that the burials in Sarai Khola Mound were associated with a village population residing in the immediate vicinity of Taxila. The demographic composition of the cemetery deviates significantly from what one would expect from a rural population, primarily due to the low frequency of child burials. Hence, it is more plausible to suggest that the Sarai Khola cemetery was linked to foreign occupations of Taxila, particularly the seizure of Taxila by Alexander the Great and the subsequent nearly ten-year Greek garrison, as well as the conquest and approximately one-hundred-year domination of the Bactrian Greeks. The results of multivariate statistical analysis support this hypothesis. Thirteen series from the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent and 39 series from other regions in Asia, Europe, and North Africa were included in the analysis (for detailed information, refer to Bernhard 1981). Figure 3 illustrates the connections between these series, highlighting the closest morphological affinities to the Sarai Khola collection. It becomes apparent that the Sarai Khola population exhibits morphological relationships, particularly with skeletal series from Southeast and Eastern Europe, while no affinities with series from India and Pakistan are observed. According to the Penrose distance, the closest morphological relationship is found with two Greek series, one from Greece (No. 30) and the other from the Greek colony of Phanagoria (No. 31) in the Black Sea area (see also Bernhard 1981). Cluster analysis further supports these findings, revealing a close connection between the Sarai Khola population and various Greek series (see Bernhard 1981). Based on these results, it is reasonable to suggest that the Sarai Khola cemetery is somehow related to the Greek rule over Taxila, whether during Alexander the Great's campaign to India or the subsequent rule of the Bactrian Greeks. Lukacs' analysis of the dentition of the Sarai Khola skeletal series (1983) reinforces this conclusion, indicating the closest affinities with people from Southwest Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean.



















Tuesday 16 March 2021

Fort Abbas Railway Station (2021)

22-02-2021

Fort Abbas is a town in the Bahwalangar district in the Cholistan desert that lies on the border of Pakistan and India. Fort Abbas railway station was constructed in 1929 and it is also the last railway station in southern Punjab.  A broad-gauge single-line railway track connects Bahwalangar with Fort Abbas while passing through Haroonabad and Faqir Wali. Due to fewer passengers, twenty years back Pakistani railway had decided to stop train service on this track, and hence railway station building got abandoned since that time. It is a small British-era railway station building which is in a deserted state at the moment due to negligence of authorities.







Saturday 13 March 2021

A Bull-Cart Race in Cholistan (2021)

21st February 2021


We were deep in the desert when we found out about a nearby bullcart race. We decided to check it out. People from various far-flung areas, tobas, and villages had gathered there. They had prepared a special racetrack by clearing the desert shrubs and leveling the path. The local police were also present in their vehicles. This was a rematch between the same bulls from the previous month. We positioned ourselves at a distance, took out our cameras, and waited for the race to start. But when it did start, we were in for a surprise. Hundreds of bike riders supporting their respective bulls started moving alongside the bulls. We had not expected this; we thought only bull carts would be involved. So, we quickly moved aside to stay safe. Within seconds, we were the only ones left there, even our driver had gone towards the end of the 5 km race. All we could see was a massive cloud of dust. The police vehicle that came at the end took us to our booked jeep. The white bull took revenge from last month and won the race this time, along with a hefty prize. It was a nerve-wracking experience that could have easily led to injuries. Those bike riders looked like something out of a Western movie as if they were heading for a battle. Maybe they were inspired by Ertugrul and imagined their bikes were horses. In Punjab, Pakistan, there's a tradition that's as exciting as the region itself - bullcart racing. This practice is deeply rooted in Punjab's agricultural heritage and has been captivating both participants and spectators for generations. This article explores the world of bullcart racing, from its historical origins to its cultural significance. Bullcart racing has its origins in Punjab's agricultural history. It started as a simple amusement for farmers who used bullock carts for transportation and farming. Over time, these friendly races evolved into a full-fledged sport, becoming an integral part of Punjab's culture. The heart of bullcart racing is the magnificent bulls themselves. They are carefully bred and trained for intense competition. Owners invest a lot of time and resources in ensuring their bulls are not only powerful but also agile. These bulls, often unsung heroes, showcase incredible strength and determination on the racing tracks, embodying Punjab's agricultural spirit. Bull cart races take place on specially designed tracks in open fields or arenas. Teams compete to guide their bull carts through the course with both speed and precision. The real challenge isn't just about going fast but also maneuvering skillfully to navigate obstacles. These races often happen after the harvesting season and bring farmers and villagers together, creating an atmosphere of excitement and community. Bull cart racing is more than just a sport; it celebrates Punjab's rich agricultural heritage. These races often coincide with local festivals and fairs, becoming a focal point for communal joy and togetherness. They highlight the deep connection between humans and animals, emphasizing the vital role that bulls have played in Punjab's agriculture for generations. Despite its deep cultural roots, bullcart racing faces challenges, particularly regarding animal welfare. Ethical concerns have sparked discussions, prompting organizations and authorities to take action. Efforts are underway to ensure that racing practices are conducted humanely, striking a balance between tradition and ethical considerations.

















Friday 12 March 2021

An archeological Mound in Kala Shah Kaku (2020)

Tibba Kala Shah Kaku

Date of visit: 23/082020

(All pictures and writeup text used in this blog, is author property, kindly respect copyrights)


 31°44'10.28"N,  74°15'40.66"E





The site of this mound can be seen while traveling on Grand trunk road in Kala Shah Kaku. According to the Archeological Department of Pakistan, this mound belonged to 8 to 16th Century AD time zone. Tibba Kala Shah Kaku was one of the series of mounds that populated along the Bagh Bacha river(one of the tributaries of river Ravi in the ancient past). However, A. Cunningham did not mention this mound in his writings, while writing on the Bagh-Bacha mounds. 


The original site of Bagh-Bacha mounds lies twenty-seven kilometers in the west of the Tibba Kala Shah Kaku. 


The details about metropolises of Bagh-Bacha mounds were firstly found from the writings of Chinese Monk Hieun Tsang., who has visited India in the 6th century AD. Later these mounds were grouped by  A. Cunningham in the 18th century AD. 


For a long ago, the two-third land of Tibba Kala Shah Kaku has been occupied by private property owners. In a small portion of the total area of the mound, a graveyard has been present, on the surface of which one can still see debris and pottery items.


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