ISLAMABAD: Though heritage has always been in danger, the Buddhist site in front of Punja Saheb Hassanabdal is close to being lost for ever.

Just five minutes walk from the Grand Trunk (G.T.) Road, opposite the Punja Saheb, are the 2,000-year-old Buddhist remains which archaeologists believed were one of the biggest monasteries outside the Taxila valley.

Unfortunately, illegal developments and rapid urbanisation have exerted such an immense pressure on the ancient remains that the damage being done seems almost beyond repair.

Sir John Marshal, who was the director general Archaeological Survey of India (1902-1928), believed the Buddhists had built four Stupas and monasteries together in and around Hassanabdal and the site in front of Punja Saheb was one of the significant tangible repositories of culture.

“Sir John Marshal also believed that the Gurdwara was built much later by Sikh invaders on top of an important Buddhist Stupa. This was done by invading Sikhs and Muslim rulers alike and evidence of which is easily found in and around Hassanabdal,” said a senior official of the department of archaeology and museums (DOAM).

To confirm Sir John Marshal’s findings, in 1986 the DOAM initiated excavation work on three locations around these Buddhist remains.

“We discovered immaculately preserved stone walls, the same that we find at other significant Buddhist remains in Taxila valley such as Jinan Wali Dheri, Juliyan and Sirsukh.”

He said that possibly spread over two to three acres, the four to five metres high and two to three feet wide walls suggested that this was one of the four biggest monasteries in Hassanabdal which Sir John Marshal had mentioned in his journals.

To save the site from encroachments, DOAM deposited Rs1.7 million with the revenue office of Attock to acquire the land and declared it protected under the Antiquities Act 1975.

The remaining amount was, however, never deposited by the then ministry of culture due to shortage of funds.

Since then, little has been done to save the remains.

The site/mound is now hidden behind dozens of illegally-built houses. Two shrines sit directly on the top.

An unwelcoming atmosphere brewed as soon as word spread of media persons taking photographs of some of the visible walls of the ancient monastery.

“There is no culture or heritage here,” said Mohammad Hanif, leaning against one such portion of the old remains that has been incorporated into the boundary wall of his house he has built on the historical site.

Mr Hanif claimed that his father had won a 12-year-long legal battle against the department and the construction was legal.

He gestured to the labourers working on a room to take a break until the staff of the department of archaeology left.

A few other local residents, who built their houses around the site, warned the staff not to come close to their gates.

Although DOAM could not acquire the land, it did register cases in the police stations and filed cases with courts against individuals encroaching the site but to no avail.

Director General DOAM Dr Fazaldad Kakar explained how the site was protected and declared to be of national importance.

But the land on which the remains are situated is owned by private entities.

“The department does not have police powers. It can only point out encroachments. If police and courts cannot do anything, we cannot do anything,” said Dr Kakar.

A site attendant of the department of archaeology said the archaeological preserve was still safe and could be saved from being swallowed by illegal surroundings.

“Most of the monastery is still buried under the mound and well preserved. If they excavate and preserve it, the monastery will be a significant discovery,” said the site attendant, Mohammad Sajid.