ISLAMABAD, March 7 The Italian archaeological mission in Pakistan has discovered a large number of Buddhist sites and rock shelters in Kandak and Kota valleys of Barikot in Swat which depicted the carvings and paintings from the Bronze and Iron ages.

“These are some of the finest and most fascinating ancient discoveries preserved in good condition,” said Director of the archaeological mission, Dr Luca Maria Olivieri.

These rock carvings depict agricultural cult scenes in red colours, cup marks meant for rituals, for example, for holding liquids or preparing the ochre pigment, dancing scenes, battle scenes and a large number of animals,” said Dr Olivieri whose team was in the process of interpreting some of the art.

Similar rock carvings were also discovered by Dr Ashraf Khan, the director of Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations at the Quaid-i-Azam University, in Bajaur Agency in 1996 and by the German and Pakistani archaeological missions in the northern areas of Pakistan along the Silk Route.

The Italian mission has been conducting archaeological research for the last six decades. Professor Giuseppe Tucci, a pioneering scholar and specialist in Tibetan history, was its first director.

Prof Tucci landed in Swat with members of his dedicated team in 1955 to embark upon the task of tracing the origin of Vajrayana Buddhism of Swat valley and its subsequent transmission to Tibet and onward. It was Prof Tucci to identify Swat valley as the birthplace of the founder of Vajrayana Buddhism that is Padmasambhava who to this day is venerated in Tibet as a god. “The efforts of Professor Tucci did not come to an end with his demise as his mission is vigorously and uninterruptedly going on for more than six decades by the dedicated scholars who have contributed tremendously in the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage of Swat valley,” said Dr Olivieri while delivering a lecture at the Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations on the rock shelters which were discovered in 2005 by the Italian archaeological mission to Swat.

The mission has excavated a good number of sites such as Butkara I and II, Saidu Stupa, Udigram, Ghaligai, Panr Stupa, Barikot Ghuandai and Aligrama which yielded a rich cultural materials belonging to the 4th millennium BCE to Hindu Shahi period. The group also documented rock carvings and inscriptions and wooden mosques in the valley.