Dharmarajika Stupa Taxila!

Описание: 1. If we talk about some of the most historical cities of Pakistan which have cradled ancient civilizations and have attracted international attention over time, Taxila will surely come at the top because of the heritage it bears from over a thousand years.

2. Being a place of extreme significance for Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, and Greeks, Taxila has seen civilizations breathing and then crumbling back into the bed of soil.

3. There is a very interesting tale about the name of the city. The word Taxila was the alteration of the Sanskrit word, “Takshashila” which comes from a very loving anecdote of Ramayana. Taksha was the son of Bharat, the brother of Lord Ram who named this city to honor his son. The word Takshasila means “The rock of Taksha”.

4. It is also believed to be the first place where the Hindu epic Mahabharata was narrated by sage Vyasa’s student “Vaishampayana”. This is one single account of the city’s name mentioned in the Hindu scriptures; however, the city itself was exuberating its magnificence from the ancient Gandhara and Buddhist civilizations which is why it attracted Alexander’s attention as well.

5. Today, the ancient city of Taxila bears the ruins of the ancient cities which were established back then by the Gandharas and even before that. The city had lived and progressed through the Mauryan and Kushan empires while being the center of important political and social activities.

6. The ruins of the ancient Taxila first grabbed attention in 1863 when Sir Alexander Cunningham began the project of excavations of the hidden city which was further extended by Sir John Hubert Marshal till the year 1934.

7. During these years, innumerable stupas, ancient temples, old city buildings, monasteries, and even the world’s first university, and relics were found and it was the same time when the British empire felt a need to preserve the relics by forming a specified sanctuary of their preservation which is why the Taxila Museum was established and opened for public eye in 1928, which marks as one of the most important places of the ancient city of Taxila today.

8. The Taxila museum preserves the heritage which has been passed from generations and almost 4000 historical relics been preserved which date back to the 6th and 7th century B.C. From the earliest Gandhara civilization to the Buddhist sculptures, arts, carvings, and coins, the considerable collection of the museum displays the heritage very opulently.

9. Some of the relics at the museum come from the period of the Kushan empire which mark the daily life of the inhabitants of the earliest Taxila. The museum not only holds significant relics belonging to the Buddhist period, but one also finds sculptures that hint at the earliest presence of Hinduism in the region where a blend of ancient Gandhara and modern-day Hindu art combines together.

10. The stone carvings excavated by Sir John Marshall are also a visual appeal giving an insight into the ancient cities which are discovered nearby along with the grand Dharmarajika stupa.

11. Dharmarajika stupa and monastery bear the significance of being UNESCO’s world heritage site. This ancient stupa tells a lot about the Mauryan period and art style since king Ashoka led the original foundation of the carved central stone which forms the base of the monastery in 3 BCE.

12. With time, the original stone of the stupa no longer remained in its original shape and that was during the onset of the Kushan empire.

13. During the 2nd century A.D, when the Kushans made Taxila a city of prime significance, the founding stone of the stone was once again reinvigorated with a new base and during this reconstruction of Stupa, several sacred bone relics of Buddha himself were placed at the monastery along with several precious stones and scriptures.

14. After the placement of Budhha’s relics in the monastery, the stupa got its name, “Dharmarajika” which in many religious Sanskrit scriptures relates to the “Lord of Law” and the one who revived law again on earth which was a title given to Budhha.

15. The Hun empire turned out to be a nightmare for this great monastery as they started unleashing havoc upon the local people as well as priests of the monasteries. They devastated the monastery greatly and the assets of the monastery were heavily damaged because of the serial looting in which several relics of considerable significance were taken away from the monastery.

16. Today, we find the ruins of the central stone and several small stupas accompanying the central building. The relics excavated at this site are a part of the Taxila Museum’s catalog and several other relics have been transferred to international museums worldwide. At a distance of about 8 km approx to the Dharamarijka stupa, is the monastery of Mohra Moradu which is known for its peculiar votive stupa located in it.