Type: Archaeological Site - Stupa & Monastery
Province: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
District: Haripur
Period: Historic
Relative Chronology: 1st - 5th Century CE
Description: This Buddhist site is located on Jaulian Road on the south on Piplan Road, surrounded by Piplan Hills on south, south-west and by agricultural fields on north and south. There is a courtyard to the east of a monastery comprising an open quadrangle in the centre with ranges of cells on its four sides. In the middle of the courtyard is the basement of a square stupa facing north and close beside it the ruins of four other round and smaller stupas all constructed of diaper masonry. The monastery is built of heavy semi-ashlar masonry and is well preserved. This monastery is smaller in scale but its plan is generally similar to that of the monasteries of Jaulian and Mohra Moradu. It comprises a court of monks’ cells on the north, with a hall of assembly, kitchen and refectory on the south, and the stupa-court to the east. Similarly, the assembly hall, kitchen and refectory also resemble the corresponding chambers at Mohra Muradu and Jaulian. The overlapping walls suggest of different periods of constructions here. The monastery court proper is located on the south and originally contained double stories monk cells as suggested by a flight of stone steps at the side of the passage leading to the kitchen and the assembly hall and consisted of an open quadrangle with monk cells on its four sides and a broad-pillared veranda, two stories high, in front of them. In the centre of the court was a small rectangular depression about 30 cm in depth and paved with stone that served as the water tank accumulating rain-water from the roof of the cells and the verandahs. There are in all twelve cells on the ground-floor. According to Marshal one cell on the eastern side served as an entrance lobby, from which a double flight of steps descended to the court of stupas on the east. In another cell at the southeast corner was found a fine example of a stupa in almost as perfect preservation. This stupa and the cell in which it stands are 2 ½ ft. below of the rest of the monastery, which Marshall thought belonged to an early phase of construction. This stupa is a little less than 2 ½ m in height and rises in three diminishing tiers, the topmost surmounted by a dome and originally crowned by an umbrella, many pieces of which were found lying at its side by Marshall during excavations. Marshall had also observed that the lowest tier was once decorated with a series of Ionic pilasters alternating with lotus rosettes, but the Ionic pilasters were afterwards covered up by a coating of plaster and replaced by somewhat coarser pilasters of the Corinthian order. According to Marshall the second tier is plain save for the figure of a Dhyani Buddha on the north side. At the base of the dome was a series of eight seated Buddhas, of which two on the south side are still partially preserved. Marshall also noted traces of gold, red and black paint on the monument at the time of its excavation. Originally, the stupa cell was entered through a doorway opening from the courtyard, but this doorway was subsequently blocked up and replaced by a window at the higher level. Outside this monastery on the north side is another small stupa built of diaper masonry and enclosed by a wall of semi-ashlar work forming an ambulatory passage around it. The stupa-court contains stupas in the open quadrangle with one small stupa near the northeast corner of this court, resting on the foundations of the cells of the early monastery is also visible.
The Main stupa court is located on the north of the complex and contains the stupa with its plinth only surviving, while there are three votive stupas in the north-northwest corner and another big stupla with surviving plinth located in the northwest corner. Stairs to the ain stupa are from the west and to that in the northwest corner from the south. There is an access to the monastery from this court from north through a staircase of six steps. There are chapels on all sides and a tank on east in the court.
Latitude: 33.910950000
Longitude: 73.006683333
Ownership: Federal Government
Legal Status: Protected by The Antiquity Act 1975 (As amended in 1992)
Title of Publication: Archaeological Survey in Hazara Division, District Haripur (Campaign 2007-08)
Published In: Frontier Archaeology, Vol VI
Year of Publication: 2016
Bibliography/Reference: Khan, Saleh Muhammad et.al
