Pakistan possesses a vast untapped potential for worldwide religious tourism due to its rich heritage and history if adequate security is provided for foreign religious tourists. Six places in Pakistan have been declared World Heritage Sites, while twenty-six sites are on the tentative list. The holiest Buddhist religious sites are Taxila and the Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi, and the Remains at Sahr-i-Ahlool. These landmarks can market the country as the world’s most popular Buddhist destination, put Pakistan on the international tourism map and revitalize the Buddhist cultural path throughout the entire Gandhara region.
Some of the most important sites of Taxila are Dharmarajika Stupa, Bhir Mound, Sirkap, Jandial Temple, and Julian Monastery. Relics relating to Buddhist heritage in Taxila are displayed in chronological order at the Taxila Museum which attracts thousands of foreign as well as domestic tourists to explore the Buddhist heritage every year.
Itinerary | 07 Nights 08 Days
Day 01 – Lahore
Pickup from Lahore Airport and Departure for Badshahi Mosque, or the Emperor’s Mosque, which was built in 1673 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore. It is one of the city’s best-known landmarks, and a major tourist attraction epitomizing the beauty and grandeur of the Mughal era. Capable of accommodating over 55,000 worshipers, it is the second largest mosque in Pakistan, after the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. The architecture and design of the Badshahi Masjid are closely related to the Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, which was built in 1648 by Aurangzeb’s father and predecessor, Emperor Shah Jahan.
Continue the drive for the Lahore Fort, locally referred to as Shahi Qila, located in the northwestern corner of the Walled City of Lahore. The trapezoidal composition is spread over 20 hectares. Origins of the fort go as far back as antiquity; however, the existing base structure was built during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar (1556-1605), and was regularly upgraded by subsequent rulers. Thus the fort manifests the rich traditions of the entire Mughal architecture. Some of the famous sites inside the fort include Sheesh Mahal, Alamgiri Gate, Naulakha Pavilion, and Moti Masjid. In 1981, the fort was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Shalimar Gardens Lahore.
After lunch visit of Wahga (Pak-India) border to watch the flag-lowering ceremony between Pakistan and India Wagah, the only road border crossing between India and Pakistan lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Amritsar, India and Lahore. Wagah itself is a village where the controversial Radcliffe Line was drawn. The village was unified before partition in 1947. Today, the eastern half of the village remains in India whilst the other half is in Pakistan. The Wagah border is a ceremonial border where each evening, there is a ceremony called the ‘lowering of the flags’. At that time there is a very energetic and thrilling parade done by Border Security Force (B.S.F), Indian and Pakistan Rangers soldiers.
After the Wagha border proceed for Dinner and back to the hotel. Overnight Stay at Hotel in Lahore.
Day 02 – Lahore
After breakfast visit Old City, Shahi Hamam, Wazir khan Mosque, or Sunehri Masjid a relative latecomer to Lahore’s traditional cityscape, having been built in 1753 during the waning years of the Mughal empire by Nawab Bhikari Khan, the Deputy of Lahore during the tenure of Governor Mir Mu’in al-Mulk Mir Munoo. It stands on a small plot of land where one street diverges into two. When Nawab Bhikari Khan acquired the property, it was a vacant parcel of land at the chowk (square) of Kashmiri Bazaar. He was required to obtain a special fatwa from Muslim scholars to construct the mosque, as the local authority has been concerned that the construction of a building in the square would interrupt the flow of traffic and visit many old streets.
Continue the drive to visit the Lahore Museum, established in 1894 and one of the major museums of South Asia. Rudyard Kipling’s father, John Lockwood Kipling, was one of the famous curators of the museum and the novel Kim was set in the vicinity of the Lahore Museum. It is located opposite the old University Hall, a Mughal-style building on the Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam. The Museum contains some fine specimens of Mughal and Sikh doorways and woodwork and contains a large collection of paintings dating back to the Mughal, Sikh and British eras. The Museum has also a collection of musical instruments, ancient jewelry, textiles, pottery and an armory. There are relics from the Greco-Bactrian times as well as some Tibetan and Nepalese work. The museum has a number of objects of Greco-Buddhist sculptures, Mughal and Pahari paintings on display.
Later visit to Gandhara Gallery.
Gandhara is the name for an ancient region that is presently situated in the Peshawar Valley. In this region, the Mahayana Buddhist religious sculptures, known as Gandharan art, originated and flourished during the first five centuries of the Christian era. Popularly believed to have been later destroyed by the White Huns in the 5th century A.D. Gandharan art developed during the rule of Kushan emperors and under the impact of the philhellenic dynasties of Greeks preceding Kushans in this region. Gandharan art is thought to have introduced the first figural representations of the Buddha. The gallery showcases a number of friezes, panels and sculptures depicting the life story of the Buddha. These include narratives of reliefs of his previous incarnations, birth, youth, enlightenment, the preaching of the law (Dharma) and death (Mahaparinirvana).
Beyond these, along the other walls of the gallery, are the statues of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, panels and pieces showing foreign influence, architectural fragments, stucco and terracotta sculptures. Highlights of this gallery include the famous Fasting Buddha, the Miracle of Saravasti now usually identified as Sukhavati Heaven; a small Buddha head with traces of original gilding and the standing figure of Athena.
The friezes and other pieces of a reconstructed Stupa in the center of the gallery are from Sikri near Jamal Garhi, District Marda After lunch to visit the Tomb of Jahangir, the mausoleum built for the Mughal Emperor Jahangir who ruled from 1605 to 1627. His son Shah Jahan built the mausoleum 10 years after his father’s death. It is sited in an attractive walled garden and has four 30-meter-high minarets. The interior is embellished with frescoes and pietrdura inlay and colored Marble.
Overnight Stay at Hotel in Lahore.
Day 03 – Lahore – Manikyala Stupa – Islamabad
After breakfast, depart for Islamabad en-route visit of Buddhist sight Manikyala Stupa.
The stupa is said to have been built during the reign of Kanishka between 128 and 151 CE. An alternate theory suggests that the stupa is one of 84 such buildings, built during the reign of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka to house the ashes of the Buddha. It is said that Emperor Kanishka used to visit this stupa often to pay respects to Buddha during his campaigns.
The stupa was discovered by Mount Stuart Elphinstone the first British emissary to Afghanistan in 1808 – a detailed account of which is in his memoir ‘Kingdom of Caubul’ (1815). The stupa contains an engraving that indicates that the stupa was restored in 1891. Continue driving to Islamabad.
Overnight stay at Hotel in Islamabad.
Day 04 – Islamabad – Taxila Museum – Sirkap – Dharmarajika Stupa – Julian
After breakfast departure for a visit to Taxila; a 45 minutes drive. Taxila represents one of the most important archaeological sites in Pakistan and was once the capital of the rich Gandharan Buddhist civilization. Continue to visit the Site and the Museum; which has a rich collection of tools and ornaments, temple friezes and exquisite Buddha figures with Mediterranean faces on display. Continue the drive to Dharmarajika Stupa. It is believed that the Dharmarajika Stupa was built over the remains of an even older stupa that had been built by the Mauryan emperor King Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE The stupa was believed to have been re-established in the 2nd century CE during the Kushan era in order to house Relics of the Buddha.
Later visit Sirkap which was the second city of Taxila. Then drive to visit the famous site of Julian with a good collection of votive stupas and statues in the monastery.
Overnight Stay at Hotel in Islamabad.
Day 05 – Islamabad to Peshawar
After breakfast departure for Peshawar (approx. 02 ½ hrs drive) on arrival visit of Peshawar Museum, The Peshawar Museum is a Museum located in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Peshawar Museum is notable for its collection of Buddhist artwork dating from the ancient Gandhara Empire. Bala Hisar Fort, Qissa Khawani Bazaar, The Qissa Khawani Bazaar is a bazaar in Peshawar, and Mohabat Khan Mosque The Mahabat Khan Mosque; sometimes spelled Mohabbat Khan Mosque, is a 17th-century Mughal-era mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan. The mosque was built in 1630 and named after the Mughal governor of Peshawar, Nawab Mahabat Khan bin Ali Mardan Khan, known alternatively as Mahabat Khan and Ali Mardan Khan.
Overnight stay at Hotel in Peshawar.
Day 06 – Islamabad – Takht-i-Bahi Buddhist Monastery – Swat
After breakfast departure for Takht-i-Bahi (approx. 02 hrs. drive Archaeologists have divided the history of the complex into four periods, beginning in the 1st century BCE. The monastic complex was likely founded in the early 1st century It is proven by an inscription found bearing the name of Gondophares (20–46 CE) After Gondophares, the area fell under the control of Kujula Kadphises, the first Kushan king. This first era continued until the 2nd century CE and is associated with another Kushan king Kanishka, as well as early Parthian and subsequent Kushan kings. The second construction period, which included the creation of the Stupa Court and assembly hall, took place during the 3rd and 4th centuries CE. A third construction period, associated with the later Kushan dynasty and the Kidara Kushana rulers, occurred during the 4th and 5th centuries. The region was subjugated by Huns in the middle of the fifth century CE which ended the Kushan rule. The Hun Toramana and then his son Mihirakula slaughtered the inhabitants of the Gandhara region and destroyed most if not all Buddhist monasteries. Evidence suggests that Takht-i-Bahi was destroyed in the same period of destruction by the Huns, however, the complex appears to have been in use until the 7th century CE. The first modern historical reference to these ruins was made in 1836 by a French officer who referred to the Buddhist remains in a village named Mazdoorabad. Explorations and excavations on the site began in 1864. A significant number of objects can be found in the Museum the site underwent a major restoration in the 1920s.
Later continue driving to Swat. Continue visiting of Hund Museum. Overnight stay at a hotel in Swat.
Day 07 – Swat
After breakfast visit of swat museum Butkara1 AND Butkara3, the Butkara Stupa is an important Buddhist stupa near Mingora, in the area of Swat, Pakistan. It may have been built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, but it is generally dated slightly later to the 2nd century BC.
Shingardar Stupa, The Shingardar stupa in Barikot swat was identified by Colonel Deane and S.A. Stein as a famous stupa built by King Uttarasena at the site where the white elephant holding the Kings section of Buddha relics stood. When he got to the place, the elephant suddenly fell down and died and turned into a stone. Next to the rock the King then erected the stupa.
Ghalegay Buddha Statue and Jahanabad Seated Buddha Jahanabad lie in a side valley off the main River Swat. The road from Saidu Sharif and Mingora tracks along the edge of the main river: when Aurel Stein visited in 1926 there was no road, and he had to ride his horse through the river. Then at Manglor or Manglawar, we turned up to the right, and before long we could see what we were aiming for: a huge 7th-century Buddha carved on a cliff dominating the approach up the valley. At six meters tall the Jahanabad Buddha was claimed to be the largest carved buddha in Central Asia after the Buddhas of Bamiyan. The connection to Bamiyan would prove to be regrettably apt in other ways.
Overnight stay at a hotel in Swat.
Day 08 – Swat – Islamabad
After breakfast Departure for Islamabad (approx. 04½ Hrs Drive) on arrival drop to the designated location in Islamabad.