Kargah Buddha
کارگاہ بدھ
Carved image of Buddha
LocationGilgit, Pakistan
RegionGilgit-Baltistan Gilgit−Baltistan
Height50 ft (15 m)[1]
History
CulturesBuddhism
Site notes
ConditionIntact
OwnershipPakistan Ministry of Tourism
Public accessOpen
Websitewww.gilgit.gov.pk

Kargah Buddha (Urdu: کارگاہ بدھ; Shina: Yʂhani یݜنی) is an archaeological site located about 6 miles (9.7 km) outside of Gilgit, Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan.[2] It is a carved image of a large standing Buddha, some 50 ft (15 m) high, in the cliff-face in Kargah Nala.[3][4] The carving, which is in a style also found in Baltistan, is estimated to date back to the 7th century.[4]

The image is surrounded by the holes for a wooden house structure, which would have sheltered it from inclement weather.

Location and history

The Buddha is carved into the face of a cliff

Kargah Buddha is located at the junction of two streams, the Kargah and Shukogah, about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of the city of Gilgit.[4][5] Nearby locales include Barmas, Napur, and the Rakaposhi mountain.[4]

From the 3rd century to the 11th century, Gilgit was a prominent centre of early Buddhism.[2] During this time period, multiple powers vied for control of the region, including the Tibetan Empire, the Kashmiri Karkota Dynasty, and the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates.[2] Nearby, about 400 metres (1,300 ft) upstream, a Buddhist monastery and three stupas containing Sanskrit manuscripts were excavated in 1931.[2] By the 11th century, Gilgit had grown into the autonomous kingdom of Dardistan before largely adopting Islam.[2]

Carving excavation and legends

It is estimated that the carving was completed in the 7th century.[4] It was discovered in 1938–39, following the innovation of supposed Gilgit manuscripts in 1931.

According to local legend, the figure is actually a man-eating giantess or witch (yakshini or ya-chaani or yacheni) who terrorized the local residents and was ultimately pinned to the cliff by a pir (holy man) as punishment.[4][6][7]

References

  1. ↑ "Kargha Buddha site – a true picture of neglect". Associate Press of Pakistan. 8 September 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Bernier, Ronald M. (1997). Himalayan architecture. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Press. pp. 180. ISBN 9780838636022.
  3. ↑ "Sustainable Tourism and Cultural Heritage" (PDF). Bakhtiar Ahmed. IUCN, Northern Areas Programme. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 King, John S. (1989). Karakoram Highway: the high road to China, a travel survival kit. Berkeley, CA: Lonely Planet. pp. 130. ISBN 978-0864420657.
  5. ↑ Tsuchiya, Haruko (September 1991). "Preliminary report on field research along the Ancient Routes in the Northern Areas of Pakistan and related historical and art historical information". Journal of the Japanese Association of South Asian Studies. 5: 1–38. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019.
  6. ↑ Radloff, Carla F.; Shakil, Shakil Ahmad (1998). Folktales in the Shina of Gilgit. Islamabad: Summer Institute of Linguistics and National Institute of Pakistan Studies. p. 2. ISBN 969-8023-04-6.
  7. ↑ Dad, Aziz Ali (14 February 2017). "The making of a witch". The News International. Retrieved 1 January 2019.


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