|
|
|
|
 |
 |
  
|
heritage Utopia
for me The sites of Jamal Garhi and Sawal Dher in NWFP are an archaeological treasure that needs more attention By Tahir Ali After crossing the Rashakai
Bridge on Nowshera-Mardan road, you enter Mardan with a billboard The archaeological site at Jamal Garhi lies to the northeast of Mardan City at a distance of 15 kilometres on the Mardan-Katlang road. This road has been renamed as Rahimullah Yousafzai's Route after the great son of the soil who has achieved worldwide fame in journalism. Located between the villages of Jamal Garhi and Shikray Baba on top of a hill at an elevation of 122 metres, this site is called 'The Jamal Garhi Kandarat' by the locals. The remains at the site are traced back from 1st to 5th century A.D. It is said that Kushans, Little Kushans and Hindu Parthians had inhabited the place. With the end of the Kushan rule in 225 A.D., the Gandhara civilization gradually declined. The invasion of White Huns around 450-500 A.D. put an end to this era. The Huns virtually destroyed monasteries and killed its inhabitants. Little is known about this period. But a Chinese Pilgrim Fa Hsein, who travelled through the Peshawar valley in 400 A.D. said that the Gandhara region was flourishing then. When his successor Sung Yen came to the region in 520 A.D. he reported that the Huns had destroyed the country. A company 'Sappers and
Miners' explored this site first in 1873. As told by Yasir Ali, the site The site comprises a main round stupa, circumscribed by chapels that are closely packed together. According to Sir John Marshal, a famous archaeologist, the round stupa at Jamal Garhi is one of the oldest from the Gandhara period. There are many votive stupas which were built by votaries who had got their wishes fulfilled here at the main round stupa. The Kitchens, courtyards, meditation rooms, secret wall, a meeting hall, general and guests' dining hall and monks' quarters are some of the important constructions at this complex. A distinctive feature of the site is the separate quarters, probably meant for the visiting scholars and monks. All the constructions are stone-made and are still intact in some of the cases. Another salient feature of the complex is the path in the middle. The Jamal Garhi's
archaeological site is situated in the middle of Takht Bhai and Shahbaz Garhi
-- This monastery is easily accessible from each side. From Shahbaz Garhi you may approach it via Charguli to Sawal Dher to Katlang road. If you are at Takht Bhai, it is better you take up the Takht Bhai to Jamal Garhi route to reach here; and if you want to come straight to Jamal Garhi from Mardan, take up the Katlang-Mardan road. Here you will enjoy an easy drive right up to the site as Department of Archaeology and Museum, Government of Pakistan, has constructed a beautiful zigzagging passage with the help of Japanese engineers. The Jamal Garhi and the Sawal Dher sites are not as yet on the world's heritage list of UNESCO, which must be ensured. Visitors in the site told The News on Sunday that a tuck-shop, a police-post, a park, lavatories and seating arrangements with sun-cover are the immediate requirements of the place. They also urged an awareness campaign on the media about the site. Sajjad Haider, a visitor, called upon the department of Archaeology and Museums to expedite the repair work and save many of the remains from further damage. "It is our heritage. We must join hands with the government to preserve and develop the historical sites," said a man Qayyum Khan. Bakht Raziq from Katlang suggested that power and water must necessarily be provided at the site without any further delay. The Jamal Garhi's site is ideally located for a picnic. It has a stream of fresh water flowing below on its northern side while the famous Lower Swat Canal and one of its subsidiaries flows close to it in the east. Despite the hot weather, cool breeze makes the weather pleasant throughout the summer. The site affords an impressive view of the picturesque district of Mardan. Stand anywhere in the site and you will get a handsome panoramic view of Mardan and its surrounding areas. An excursion here especially at the time of sunrise and sunset is an excellent idea. The hill on which the structures stand is part of a vast mountainous range and many tiers of mountains can be seen. Far in the west and east, the hills that house the Takht Bhai and Shahbaz Garhi's archaeological remains are visible if the sky is blue and clear. Looking down below at the plain in the south is refreshing. But no less amusing and wonderful is the sight of the vast mountainous range in the north, east and west.
Utopia
for me By Babar Mirza "I mean Negative Capability, that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason." John Keats's famous definition of the quality crucial to form 'a Man of Achievement' has inspired many in literature and philosophy. I heard about it only a couple of years ago from a friend who has a good taste in literature (though my good luck in this regard doesn't compensate for the regrettable rarity of this breed now a day). Initially I thought of it
as a hedonistic ideal implying an escapist lifestyle: complacency, the lack
of will to explore, or submission to a chaotic or false reality. Moreover, I
found it beneath human Truth no doubt is a worthy ideal; seeking it has always been the lofty ambition that distinguishes humans from other living species. In the beginning, nature crafted those superstitions that labelled fear and dependency as truth. The more sophisticated social systems, later on, derived the strength of their foundations from an unknowable but certain supernatural force. But the more we came to know, the more we doubted the certain. After the failure of nature and God to deliver 'objectively' verifiable certainty, science made the last attempt to give definite answers to the same 'big' questions, but ended up miserably with the Uncertainty Principle. In social theory, liberalism (a euphemism for capitalism) leaves the individual free to find any answer he or she likes as long as it doesn't conflict with the business interests. Not much help there. Communism, on the other hand, held the very questions to be irrelevant and exploitative and concerned itself with the material only, which, it claimed, fashioned the inner-self or the spirit. Notwithstanding the moral appeal of communism to struggle for a better future, the idea of a purely biological, materially determined life doesn't give me much to live on. Existentialism is another notable modern philosophy that urges human beings to discover and actualise their true potential; for me, it's a rephrasing of the problem, not a solution. 'To be or not to be?' had always been the question, and, it seems, shall always be. In fact, reviewing major ideologies of the past and the present seems like trying different lenses on an optometrist's trial frame until you can read the images on the last line of the box; the only difference being that here you never find the right match for your eyes. The answer seems to exist but doesn't reveal itself. We try to guess and even be reasonably sure about it, but soon time and events collapse the castles built on our interpretation of those blurry images. It was at this point that I realised the true import of Keats's immortal sentence quoted in the beginning. The result was a tendency to look at things without any trial lenses. Hence I found in me a passive submission to the uncertain, but this submission is only provisional, and in a delicate balance with active struggle for truth. I must reach after 'fact and reason', but without any haste or irritation, and even if I never get there, I must not lose sight of the essential ingredients of my life -- the natural beauty and the unique individuals that surround me. In short, I should be content with the certainty I have at any given point, and that I can do through finding common grounds among people and understanding and tolerating other's eccentricities, even relishing in a union of dissimilar individuals. These are the sources of that peace of mind that give me reason to live. Some intellectuals proudly boast about how they are interested in ideas and not people. I pity them. It's hard for an idea to apply equally to two individuals, let alone a community or a nation. However, my motive is strictly personal. It's my utopia. Having realised that truth is not out there, I don't see any point in fretting over it. Caring to look above every night to see how beautifully the moon wanes and waxes and the utter delight felt on seeing it round with a milky light; trying to feel the pain of others and, subject to my capacity, helping them assuage it is the summary of my utopia, and no cost appears to be too much for it.
|
|
saying 'Welcome to Mardan: The land of Gandhara.' Mardan has been the heart
of ancient Gandhara and has a huge presence of the remains of Buddhist
Civilization at Takht Bai, Jamal Garhi, Shahbaz Garhi, Therelli (Sawal Dher),
Mekha Sanda, Chanakai Dheri, Aziz Dheri, Sehri Bahlol and so on. Sculptures
excavated from here are displayed in various museums of Pakistan and around
the world.
attendant, a statue of Buddha -- known as the Fasting Buddha -- recovered
from here in 1907 was taken to the Lahore Museum where it is kept with the
information that it was excavated from a village near the site. The Chinese
Pilgrims say nothing about this important place. A Kharoshti inscription
discovered from the excavation conducted during 1907-08 revealed Samavat 359,
which corresponds to 275 A.D. In 1836 Sikh General made it Gandaparas. The
site was excavated in 1876 and later on in 1910-11, it was again excavated.
the two other important Buddhist centres -- at an equal distance of 12
kilometres from each side. The site is some eight kilometres away from
another historical place of Therrelli (Sawal Dher) which is situated to its
east and which also has many archaeological remains though they are in a very
dilapidated condition and seem to have been forgotten. The Theralli
Establishment was excavated by Japanese and Pakistani experts in three
sessions -- in 1964, 1966 and 1967. This is a large complex comprising main
stupa, many surrounding votive stupas, residential rooms and other sections.
This site also dates back to 1st to 5th century AD. and many of the remains
have been destroyed by illegal excavators.
dignity to stop being curious about that deceptive specter called truth, or
being incensed by the malicious lies I am told? But, as soon turned out, I
was too drunk in youthful adventurism to understand its real meaning.