Archaeologists have discovered a large Buddhist complex in the Najigram area of the Swat district of KP province from the Kushan period that is considered an important archaeological which is being found.
It is the largest complex of its kind in the region and is estimated to be at least 2000 years old, reminiscent of Kushan-era architecture. The excavation was first started by Italian experts in the area in the 1930s, but they soon discontinued the project due to limited resources.
In 1955, another Italian mission visited the site and declared it very important and large.
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The complex is located approximately 25 kilometers from the town of Mingora in the village of Aabba Sahib Cheena in the Najigram region. A vihara, a stupa with two minarets or towers, was also excavated. Utensils made of clay were found, but they were not burned in an oven.
In conversation with media archaeologist Dr. Ashrarf, he said a treasure chest had been discovered during the excavation because the complex is certainly huge over an area of four to six kilometers, but they had started the first excavation on 94 channels.
“This is the only Buddhist site so far to have four stupas in an area, a huge hall, housing units and a monastery. There are chapels with Buddhist statues, ”said Dr. Ashraf. “The importance of the site has been documented in several historical magazines such as the East and West Journal of Rome and in the writings of famous Italian archaeologists,” he said.
It was first discovered in the 1930s and we started working again in December 2020. We are amazed to see the result, he said. Field Officer Saqib Razaq said that an investigation had been conducted in the first phase, and then excavation of the site began. It looks like the largest Buddhist place of its kind in Pakistan.
The government and the archaeological service have made all the necessary resources available to us. The website will soon be open to the public, ”he said, adding that in the Malakand division there were 150 Buddhist websites that, if properly developed and managed, could attract a lot of faith tourism.
