29-03-2018
33°45'52.91"N
72°49'44.09"E
Taxila is known as the cradle of Buddhist civilisation, with numerous
Buddhist sites. But few know that in heart of the great Buddhist civilisation
there stands a Zoroastrian temple known as the Jandial Temple.
The Temple was
excavated in 1912-1913 by the Archaeological Survey
of India under John Marshall. It has been
called "the most Hellenic structure yet found on Indian soil
The
Jandial temple dates back to 1st century BC, standing on an artificial mound,
north of Sirkap City.
The resemblance
of this temple to classical Greek temples is striking. The structure of the
temple is in limestone and kanjur with plaster on the façade, patches of which
are still intact. Kanjur is a porous form of sedimentary stone, used in
Gandhara. Some large columns and pillars are constructed with massive blocks of
sandstone.
Built
in the Scythio-Parthian period, this is believed to be the temple described by
Philostratus in his Life of Apollonius of Tyana. According to A.G Lone, a
former curator of Taxila Museum, Philostratus may have spoken of this temple
when he says “They saw, a temple in front of the wall, about 100 feet in length
and built of shell like stone. There were brazen tablets on which were
portrayed the deeds of Porus and Alexander”.
Behind
the main building is a set of stairs that leads to a platform where a Parthian
fire Sanctuary probably existed in the 1st century BC.
Late veteran scholar
and historian A.H. Dani, in his book ‘History of Civilisations of Central Asia’
notes that “the remains of a Zoroastrian fire temple were shown from Jandial,
said to have been built by the Indo-Parthians”.
Mahmoodul
Hasan Shah, assistant director in the federal directorate-general of
archaeology and museums, quoting Dr A.H. Dani, said: “The Jandial temple was
found at the same place where Alexander the Great erected his tent.”
He
said that the Greek rulers of Taxila performed religious ceremonies of their
own faith at this temple.
The Temple may
have been built in the 2nd century BCE under the Greeks in
India (Indo-Greeks). The
exact alignment of the Temple with Sirkap leads
some authors to think that it may have been built during the main occupation
period of the Greek city, and that it may have been the work of an
architect from Asia Minor, or from Greece or
an architect trained in Greek techniques.
Alternatively, it may have been built under the Indo-Parthians in
the 1st century BCE in order to practice the Zoroastrian faith, possibly right
after their invasion of Hellenistic lands, using Greek manpower and expertise. Alternatively,
it may be the construction of a Greek devotee of Zoroastriasm, at it known that
in India the Greeks easily followed other faith, as examplified by the
dedication to Garuda made
by a Greek envoy on the Heliodorus
pillar in Besnagar.
A coin of the Indo-Scythian ruler Azes I was
found in the rubbles of the Temple, which may suggest that construction
occurred during his reign.
The Jandial Temple may have been the one visited by Appollonius of Tyana during his visit of
the subcontinent in the 1st century CE.
"Taxila,
they tell us, is about as big as Nineveh,
and was fortified fairly well after the manner of Greek cities; and here was
the royal residence of the personage who then ruled the empire of Porus. And they saw a
Temple, in front of the wall, which was not far short of 100 feet in size, made
of stone covered with stucco, and there was constructed within it a shrine, somewhat
small as compared with the great size of the Temple which is surrounded with
columns, but deserving of notice. For bronze tablets were nailed into each of
its walls on which were engraved the exploits of Porus and Alexander."
