Type: Archaeological Site - Rock Art
Province: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
District: Mardan
Period: Historic
Relative Chronology: 4th - 2nd Century BCE
Description: The ancient inscriptions are cut into two large rock boulders and written in the Kharoshthi script. They retain immense historical importance, as they appear to be the first examples of writing in South Asia. They were inscribed during the 3rd Century BCE (272-231 BC), during the reign of Ashoka, the famous Mauryan emperor. The rock edicts were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 30 January 2004 in the Cultural category.
Latitude: 34.224194444
Longitude: 72.165250000
Ownership: Federal Government
Legal Status: Protected by The Antiquity Act 1975 (As amended in 1992)
Title of Publication: Archaeological Survey of District Mardan in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan
Published In: Ancient Pakistan Vol.XIV
Year of Publication: 2001
Bibliography/Reference: Ali, Taj
