Shaji-ki-Dheri is the site of an ancient Kanishka stupa about 6 kilometers from

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. French archaeologist

Alfred Charles Auguste Foucher Alfred Charles Auguste Foucher (1865–1952), was a French scholar, who argued that the Buddha image has Greek origins. He has been called the "father of Gandhara studies", and is a much-cited scholar on ancient Buddhism in northwest Indian subconti ...

, who was a professor at the University of Paris, had visited Peshawar towards the end of the 19th century, and had noticed two mounds southeast of Peshawar outside the walled city. He tried to relate them to Hiuen Tsang's description of the place. The excavations began. American archaeologist

David Brainard Spooner David Brainerd Spooner (February 7, 1879 – January 30, 1925) was an American archaeologist and linguist. He was born at Vernon, Vermont. Life Spooner graduated from Stanford University in 1899. Spooner first went to Japan to the Prefectural C ...

conducted excavations there in 1908-09 for the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

leading to the identification of the Kanishka stupa dated to the 2nd century CE, and the discovery of the Kanishka casket. Spooner published a paper following the excavations: "Excavation at Shaji-ki-dheri: Annual Reports of the Archaeological Survey of India 1908–09". Many statues of the Buddha at Shaji-ki-Dheri feature a halo similar to the haloes seen in the Buddha coins of

Kanishka I Kanishka I, also known as Kanishka the Great, was an emperor of the Kushan dynasty, under whose reign (–150 CE) the empire reached its zenith. He is famous for his military, political, and spiritual achievements. A descendant of Kujula Kadp ...

, suggesting a 2nd century CE date for the creation of the statues, rather than the usual datation to the 3-4th century CE. Lahore Museum Buddha.jpg, Statue of the Buddha, probably Shaji-ki-Dheri. Shah-ji-ki-Dheri excavation 1910.jpg, Excavations in 1910. Shah-ji-ki-Dheri remains 1910.jpg, Remains of the stupa. KanishkaCasket.JPG, Kanishka casket found in the ruins,

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

. Shah-ji-ki-Dheri Kubera and Hariti.jpg, Statue of

Kubera Kubera (, ) also known as Kuvera, Kuber and Kuberan, is the god of wealth, and the god-king of the semi-divine yakshas in Hinduism. He is regarded as Guardians of the directions, the regent of the north (''Dikpala''), and a protector of the ...

and

Hariti Hārītī (Sanskrit), also known as , , is a female rākṣasī or yakṣinī (nature spirit) in Buddhism. She appears as a character in all Buddhist traditions and she is revered as a fierce Dharma Protector and a fertility goddess in Ma ...

. Shah-ji-ki-DheriJataka of the archery contest.jpg,

Jataka The ''Jātaka'' (Sanskrit for "Birth-Related" or "Birth Stories") are a voluminous body of literature native to the Indian subcontinent which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. Jataka stories we ...

of the Bow contest. Shah-ji-ki-Dheri stupa plan.jpg, Ground plan of the

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

References

{{coord missing, Pakistan Stupas in Pakistan Peshawar District

References

Further reading