Takht-i-Bahi

Takht-i-Bahi, the throne of the spring, was founded in the early first century and functioned as a Buddhist monastery for some seven centuries, and because it stands high on a ridge rather than on the plain it escaped the quarrying that levelled most Gandharan sites. What survives is the most complete monastic complex of the region: the court of stupas with its ring of image chapels, the monks' cells around the quadrangle, the assembly hall, the refectory, and the tall vaulted chambers beneath whose function is still argued. The dry-stone masonry stands to impressive heights, and walking the stairways between courts gives a real sense of monastic circulation. The site was inscribed by UNESCO in 1980 together with the nearby city remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol. Sculpture from the excavations, including famous Buddha images, is in the Peshawar Museum.

History

The monastery was probably founded early in the 1st century AD, when an inscription naming the Indo-Parthian king Gondophares, who ruled around 20-46, was set up here, and its first period, under the Kushan kings from Kujula Kadphises to Kanishka, lasted into the 2nd century; the stupa court and assembly hall followed in the 3rd and 4th centuries and a third phase under the later Kushans and the Kidarites in the 4th and 5th. The Huns who took the region in the mid-5th century, under Toramana and Mihirakula, killed many of Gandhara's people and wrecked most of its monasteries, and Takht-i-Bahi seems to have been damaged then, though it stayed in use into the 7th century. A French officer first described the ruins in 1836, excavation began in 1864, and in 1980 the site became a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Takht-i-Bahi).

The main sights

• The court of stupas - the main sanctuary ringed by image chapels.
• The monastery quadrangle - cells, refectory and assembly hall.
• Vaulted underchambers - tall dark rooms beneath the courts.
• The ridge setting - views over the Mardan plain from the walls.

When to go

October to March for bearable temperatures; the ridge is brutal in summer heat and the climb is exposed. Mornings give the best light on the masonry and beat the school groups that arrive later. Fridays are busiest with local visitors.

What to expect

The finest sculpture is in museums, so the site is architecture without images. The climb from the road is a steady twenty to thirty minutes on steps. Interpretation is basic. Facilities are a ticket office and stalls at the base. The surrounding plain hazes over for much of the year, muting the famous views.

Nearby

Peshawar and its museum are an hour and a half west; Mardan is the base town.

Key facts