Badalpur Buddhist stupa and monastery- Pakistan

Address

Badalpur Buddhist stupa and monastery- Punj Katta Rd, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Diety

Buddha

Introduction

The Badalpur Buddhist site is situated about 9 km North West Taxila museum and 2 km North-West of Julian village. Alexander Cunningham, the then Director General of Archaeological Survey of India visited this important Buddhist monastery during 1863-64. Frontier Circle was the first to conduct a limited excavation at the stupa during 1916-17. Further excavations were carried out the site by the federal department of Archaeology. During the course of excavations a huge number of antiquities have been discovered. These antiquities include potteries, gold and copper coins, seals and sealings, beads, iron objects and grinding mills. But the most remarkable discovery of the excavations is the discovery of a Mathura sculpture of the Buddha made from reddish sand stone. The sculpture depicts a Buddha seated on a throne with a cross legged, both soles of the feet having dharmachakra symbols. The right hand is in abhaya mudra with a wheel of law on the palm. pipal tree is engraved at the back of the sculpture. Similar Mathura style sculpture of Buddha was also discovered from the surface of Bhari Dheri site in Taxila valley. Due to this unique discovery it is very clear that the Mathura images of Buddha from these sites were originated from the soil of Mathura and were presented to these monasteries by some devotees/monks during their pilgrimage to the holly shrine of Taxila in the era of 2nd century CE. Another remarkable discovery is the sculpture of bodhisattva Maitreya and a stupa shaped relic casket in schist stone was also revealed during the past excavation from this monastery.