About the place
I can imagine how astonished the French officer must have been when he came across the remains of the ancient Buddhist monastery of Takht-i-Bahi in 1836, in what is now Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. We were equally surprised when the ruins came into view. None of us had heard of the site before our visit. It reminded me of Machu Picchu in Peru: the same sight, the same feeling, and almost the same degree of preservation. Of course, Takht-i-Bahi is not as large as Machu Picchu and has little else in common with it, but it seemed just as magical and imposing. The monastery was considered one of the most important Buddhist sites.
IIn the 6th and 7th centuries, the Huns from Central Asia invaded Gandhara (present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan), destroying everything except Takht-i-Bahi and a few other Buddhist sites. The monastery’s location high in the mountains may have helped preserve it. The site lies near the fortified town of Sahr-i-Bahlol (a UNESCO site since 1980), whose residents probably supplied the monks with food and other necessities. This must have been no easy task: from the parking lot, we had to climb for about half an hour. The path is not particularly steep or rugged, but visitors still need to be fit enough to make the climb. Today, a paved path makes the site more accessible.
Archaeologists believe the monastery was founded in the 1st century. It survived the invasions, but began to decline around the 7th century as Buddhist influence waned and donations dwindled.
Excavations began in 1907, uncovering hundreds of statues, sculptures, and other artefacts. Many are now in the British Museum in London. Today, the central courtyard, numerous stupas, monks’ meditation cells, service rooms, and covered walkways remain almost entirely intact, seemingly untouched by time.
We walked along the cobbled lanes among the ancient ruins. A group of Pakistani tourists took selfies noisily or ran between the walls.
The site was first identified in the travel records of the Chinese monk-pilgrim Xuanzang (602–64), who travelled through India in search of Buddhist texts. In 1864, Indian-born British medical officer Dr Henry Walter Bellew took part in an archaeological survey, which led to excavations in 1910–11. Bellew published a description of the remains and provided a floor plan of the monastery and a stupa on the central spur. According to his report, the stupa had apparently been looted, but its base still bore in situ relief panels.
Location
Practical information
Takht-i-Bahi is located near Mardan, the second-largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the provincial capital, Peshawar. You can reach Mardan by bus or car from Islamabad in about three hours, then take a taxi to the parking lot next to the ruins, around half an hour’s drive away. However, the best way to explore the province is with a local guide and arranged transportation. Takht-i-Bahi can be visited on a day trip from Islamabad. We managed to see both Peshawar and the ruins in one day, but allowing two days would make for a more relaxed visit. You could stay overnight in Mardan or return to Islamabad, though the latter option means spending considerably more time in the car.
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