Chinese pilgrims who came to Peshawar in the 7th century have revealed that there were more than 1,000 Buddhist stupas and monasteries in the region. Among them was Kanishka Vihara, one rare Buddhist site in Peshawar, a unique treasure incomparable to anything anywhere else in the world, but no remains of it exist today.
According to archeologists, the Kanishka Vihara was the first celebrated university of Peshawar imparting Buddhist’s education to people spread over central Asia and beyond.
Noted archeologist Prof Dr Abdur Rahman in his paper titled ‘Peshawar and its monuments’ reveals that Kanishka Vihara was where two scholar priest brothers – Vasubandha and Asanga – put Kanishka Vihara on the map of the world by giving Buddhist religion a different dimension.
Earlier Buddhist priests thought one should seek only one’s self salvation but Vasubandha and Asanga made its scope wider and argued that this is an inherently selfish approach and self fulfillment requires that we work for salvation of others as well.
Based on these virtues, the brothers managed to attract students from all over the world to their university.
Found in the proximity of present day Hazarkhwani graveyard, Kanishka Vihara’s reputation prevailed until the 10th century. Inscriptions retrieved in India reveal that powerful ancient rulers and elders of their elite class used to send out their children to Kanishka Vihara to acquire quality Buddhist education from the two priest brothers.
“Most people don’t know that half of the Buddhist’s world still worships these Peshawari brothers whose images can be found all over Japan and other Buddhist countries,” informed Mr Rahman.
“If scholars could locate the site of Kanishka Vihara, it would be a great achievement and the site would be great attraction to the Buddhist world,” he speculated.
Scholars believe that if the remnants of the Kanishka Vihara could be traced, Buddhists from around the world would jump at the opportunity to once again access and own this part of their faith which continues to play an important role in their lives today.
However, the glorious institution of Kanishka Vihara has vanished, devoured by an ever-increasing population and uncaring authorities.
Interestingly, it was a Kushan king by the same name of Kunishka who became one of the first people in the region to launch conservation projects. When the Kushan king Kanishka converted to Buddhism, he took it upon himself to be a patron to the Gandharan culture.
He convened the famous 4th conference (Council) in Peshawar in 78 AD attended by 500 monks with the aim to preserve the oral traditions of the Buddha and evolve a written volume of the sacred scripture for their posterity. As a result, Peshawar valley, the ancient Gandhara, became the centre of Buddha’s teachings.
Such has been the history of spreading knowledge and conserving the past in Peshawar region and the surrounding areas, and it seems that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) is beginning to rise up to this historically set role.
Devolution — a success?
After 2001, when Taliban in Afghanistan bombed Buddha’s 2,000-year-old statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan, on the other side of the border, the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa released funds for building seven heritage and cultural museums across the province.
Today these museums have been built and launched with two located in Chitral and one each in Dir, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi and Bannu and displayed for public view.
Part of the success can be attributed to devolution. Since the passing of the 18th constitutional amendment, 91 heritage and cultural sites have been devolved to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Swat museum.
The directorate is working on 11 conservation projects including the 150-year-old Sethi House and efforts are underway to purchase Bollywood legends Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor’s houses.
Experts believe that in the absence of proper legislations, many heritage sites in KPK are not on the Protective List (PL) and therefore, are endangered due to vandalism and illegal excavations and needs immediate government’s attention. And attention is also being brought to other heritage sites that need more oversight.
Faryal Gauhar, a noted writer and goodwill ambassador for United Nations, is presently working on restoration project of the Buddhist rock sculpture in Swat, Jahanabad (the largest rock Buddhist sculpture disfigured by militants in February, 2008) with an Italian mission.
In a private chat with this reporter, she said: “Due to absence of proper legislations, many heritage sites are at stake because the antiquity acts of 1975 and 1997 have become irrelevant after the 18th Amendment. If appropriate provincial legislations are passed and these heritage sites, monuments and historic buildings put on the Protective List (PL), then these historic buildings have some protection.”
Ms Gauhar also highlighted some other historic sites that are becoming victims to neglect today. The beautiful mosaic and fresco designs on the walls of the ancient Gor Gathri Complex and the other four Sethi houses (one Sethi House out of the five houses has already been bought by the provincial government and reserved for conservation) in Mohallah Sethian in Peshawar, all need more diligent protection if further deterioration is to be prevented.
But this positive start is marred by deeply entrenched practices of illegal excavation and plundering of historic sites. Currently, illegal excavations of 300 heritage sites in Mansehra district alone have been carried out last year and the different items that have been retrieved and sold in the black market were worth million of rupees.
It is also commonly believed that much of the excavation takes place with the connivance of corrupt officials in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The KPK government has taken positive steps, but this is just the beginning. Action needs to be taken against illegal activities that undermine restoration efforts.
“If immediate action is not taken then lot of national heritage assets will be lost forever,” repeat those working on preserving KPK’s historic heritage.
