Ushkur Buddhist Stupa- Jammu and Kashmir

Address

Ushkur Buddhist Stupa- Kanli Bagh, Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir- 193101

Diety

Buddha

Introduction

Ushkur is an ancient Buddhist site near Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Ushkur also called Hushkapur in Kashmir. This town is said to be founded by King Huvishka of Kushan Dynasty. During the medieval period, Ushkar was a famous town owing to its position on the principal trade-route between Kashmir and north-western India. The ruins of a pre-historic temple and a large vihara with a stupa can be found here. Other objects of interest nearby are two colossal shivlings erected at the two ends of the village.

Puranic Significance

They ruled parts of North India and Afghanistan during first three centuries AD. It is said that a Chinese Monk Xuanzang spent a night in 630AD on his way to Kashmir. He then pridicted this place to be the flourishing center of Budhism. This place was also visited by the Chinese Monk Wukong in 759AD. After the excavations of this place in 1870’s there were several stupas found. The excavations have also unearthed many finely modelled terracotta heads in the Gandhara style which are now being displayed in the British Museum. As per Henry Hardy Cole’s Archaeological Survey of India report, ‘Illustrations of Ancient Buildings in Kashmir,’ (1869), in which he wrote, ‘the locality which includes the remains of a Monastery is called the ‘Jayendra Vihar’, and the erection is assigned by local tradition to one ‘Praverasena’ in 500A.D. Excavation required.’ It is said that the Jayendra, the maternal uncle of ParvasenaII had built this Vihara (hence called Jayendravihar) with the colossal statue of Buddha installed in it. Hiuen Tsang has mentioned this as Che-ye-in-to-lo on his arrival in Kashmir where he stayed for some time. Later this Vihara was burned down by Ksemagupta and the Buddha statue was melted down to make the statue of Shiva.