Manthal Buddha Rock on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Manthal Buddha Rock is a large granite rock with a
Before the arrival of
relief sculpture
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
of Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
, which probably dates back to the 8th century. This rock is located in Manthal village in Skardu
, nickname =
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan
, pushpin_label_position ...
, in Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. Buddha Rock is one of the most important relics of Buddhism in Skardu. It is about 3 km from the Sadpara Road that leads to Satpara Lake
Satpara sar Lake ( ur, سدپارہ سر جھیل) is a natural lake near Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, which supplies water to Skardu Valley. It is fed by the Satpara Stream.
Satpara Lake is situated at an elevation of 2,636 meters ...
.
History
Before the arrival of Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
in the region of Gilgit-Baltistan
Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...
, the majority of people were Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
and they sculpted Buddha images on many rocks. This Buddha carving was not known to the world until the beginning of the 20th century due to its remote location. In 1906 the Scottish traveller Ella Christie
Isabella "Ella" Robertson Christie (21 April 1861 - 29 January 1949) was a pioneering Scottish traveller and explorer, landowner, gardener and author.
Early life
Christie was born on 21 April 1861 at Millbank in Cockpen, near Bonnyrigg, to A ...
wrote a book on her journey to Western Tibet and featured the carving in her book which gave it international attention. Since then the government has taken many steps to preserve this monument and it is visited by tourists who visit Skardu.
The Pakistani government has recently been attempting to promote religious travel. In order to inform the global Buddhist community, these sacred sites are being recognised in national forums.
See also
*Kargah Buddha
Kargah Buddha ( ur, کارگاہ بدھ; scl, Yʂhani یݜنی) is an archaeological site located about outside of Gilgit, Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan. It is a carved image of a large standing Buddha, some high, in the cliff-face in Kargah ...
References