Type: Archaeological Site - Rock Art
Province: Gilgit-Baltistan
District: Ghanche
Period: Historic
Relative Chronology: 5th-8th Century CE
Description: About 23 km north-east of Khaplu, on the terrace about 1 km above the village of Kariwa, Skilma Ghorse, on the main Khaplu-Domsum road, are found the Ghorse group of rock carvings. There are three huge boulders preserving more than 150 petroglyphs of ibexes, human beings shown in different postures with carvings of stupas and inscriptions. Down below the main road at the southern end of the village, there is a ditch which according to the tradition is believed to be a place containing a life size image of Buddha. The place is called Gon-pa, where Buddhist offers their prayer or worship the image. The inhabitants believe that this was the place where Buddhist used to offer their prayers but when the most of the mass become Muslim, then the monks with few other remaining Buddhist fled after burying the image and this is the way, they consider this to be the Gon-pa the religious place.
Latitude: 35.211052520
Longitude: 76.557856698
Ownership: Private
Legal Status: Not Protected
Title of Publication: Pak-German Archaeological Mission to the Northern Areas of the Heidelberg Academy for the Humanities and Sciences
Published In: Miscellaneous
Year of Publication: Miscellaneous
Bibliography/Reference: Hauptmann, H.
