Seri Bahlol ( ur, ), also Sahr-i Bahlol or Sahri Bahlol, is a city and archaeological site located near

Takht-i-Bahi Takht-i-Bahi ( Persian/ ur, , translation=throne of the water spring), is an Indo-Parthian archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery in Mardan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The site is considered among the most important relics of Bu ...

, in Mardan District, about 70 kilometer north-west of

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

History

Seri Bahlol is a historical place and it has been included in the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

since 1980. The ruins of Seri Bahlol are the remnants of a small ancient fortified town built during the Kushan period. The city was protected during the time of John Marshall. It contains the remains of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a 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 born in L ...

, which have not been properly excavated. Antiques such as statues, coins, utensils and jewellery are commonly found. The local people continue illegal excavation in their homes and land, damaging the historical monuments. Some of the local dealers of antiques misguide the local population and instigate them to involve in illegal excavation. It requires national and international attention in order to reserve the remnants at Seri Bahlol. The word "Seri Bahlol" has been explained by various people in different ways. The local people, however, explains that this is a combination of two

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

words "Sheri" means Sir and "Bahlol" the name of a prominent political and religious leader of the area. However, the name is not as old as the village Seri Bahlol. The village is located on a hillock protected by a well sophisticated stone wall which was constructed under the

Kushans The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, ...

. The wall is damaged in several places, but it is still visible in many places. The village is surrounded by fertile land where local people practice agriculture. For the last few years, the rapid population growth has engulfed the agriculture land which is a risk for food security.

Gallery

File:Seri Bahlol-Agriculture Land-1.jpg, A farmer applying pesticides to his crop File:Seri-Bahlol-General view-2.jpg, A view of the village Sahri-Bahlol excavations 1911-1912.jpg, Excavations in 1911-1912. File:024 Bodhisattva Meditating, 1c Sahr-i-Bahlol (9218660777).jpg, Meditating

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

. Schist. Sahr-i-Bahlol.

Patna Museum Patna Museum is the state museum of the Indian state of Bihar. Started on 3 April 1917 during the British Raj to house the historical artefacts found in the vicinity of Patna, it is in the style of Mughal and Rajput architecture and is known ...

39. Ordination of Nanda-2nd century CE-Sahri Bahlol-Gandhara Gallery- Indian Museum- Kolkata.-G11-A23282.jpg,

Ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...

Nanda Nanda may refer to: Indian history and religion * Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE ** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire ** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...

. Schist. Sahr-i-Bahlol.

Indian Museum The Indian Museum in Central Kolkata, West Bengal, India, also referred to as the Imperial Museum at Calcutta in colonial-era texts, is the ninth oldest museum in the world, the oldest and largest museum in India as well as in Asia. It has rare ...

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

. 8. Preaching Buddha, 4th century CE, Sahri Bahlol, Gandhara Gallery, Indian Museum, Kolkata.-NS3935-A23207.jpg, Preaching Buddha. Head of a bodhisattva, Gandhara, Pakistan, Sahri Bahlol, c. 100 AD, schist - San Diego Museum of Art - DSC06345.JPG, Head of a bodhisattva. MET DT235.jpg, Bodhisattva. Standing Bodhisattva. Gandharan (undated), from Sahribahlol. Indian Museum, Calcutta ei05-34.jpg, Standing Bodhisattva. Sahri-Bahlol Buddhas.jpg, Buddha statues. File:Buddhist Triad Peshawar Museum.jpg, Seated Buddha triad from Sahr-i-Bahlol. Peshawar Museum. File:Seated Buddha triad Sahri Bahlol excavations ASI 1911-1912.jpg, Seated Buddha triad, Sahri Bahlol excavations, 1911-1912. File:Great Buddha of Sahri Bahlol 1909 excavation (upright).jpg, Great Buddha of Sahri Bahlol 1909 excavation (upright) File:Peshawar Museum Sahri Bahlol Buddha, excavated 1909-1910.jpg, Sahri Bahlol Buddha, excavated 1909-1910, Peshawar Museum File:Bronze Buddha image Gandhara Sahr-i Bahlol BM.jpg, Bronze Buddha image,

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

References

{{Cultural heritage sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , state=autocollapse History of Pakistan World Heritage Sites in Pakistan Buddhism in Pakistan Populated places in Mardan District Buddhist sites in Pakistan Archaeological sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

History

Gallery

See also

References