TAXILA: An international baptism ceremony will be organised at St Thomas Chapel at Sirkap remains near Taxila to attract Christian religious tourists from across the globe, promote interfaith harmony and soft image of Pakistan.

This was announced by Gandhara Stone Art Village Association Senior Vice President Syed Zaheer Shah Zaildar during a media briefing here on Saturday.

“Every year, hundreds of people, including women and children from different parishes of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa gather at the ancient Buddhist city of Sirkap to perform baptism ceremony at the remains of chapel attributed to St Thomas at the ancient site of the Sirkap.

But people generally do not know the significance and importance of the place and know Taxila as only attraction for the followers of the Buddhism”, said Mr Zailadar.

He added that Sirkap, the famed Buddhist ancient metropolis, is not only sacred to Buddhists, but also to Christians, as according to the Christian religious belief it is the site of St Thomas the Apostle´s visit. He said that Sirkap is also a major pilgrimage site for Pakistani Christians as thousands celebrate the feast of St. Thomas, where they pray and light candles at the three-feet-high throne.

“Baptisms are also held for infants and adults at two separate places around the throne”, he added. He said archeologists have uncovered the site of several Buddhist monasteries at Sirkap, which also contains temples belonging to Jainism, Hinduism and Zoroastrians.

Mr Zailadar said despite its legendary reputation and preserved status, Sirkap fails to draw large crowds of devotees, therefore, Gandhara Stone Art Village Association planned to hold an international event in which Christian leaders across the globe would be invited to offer their religious rituals.

He urged the Punjab department of archaeology, ministry of religious affairs and the Punjab government to raise a suitable monument to St Thomas at the site of Sirkap under Taxila heritage city project, which would not only promote interfaith harmony, but also the soft image of Pakistan abroad. It will also attract the Christian religious tourists from around the world. He also urged the Taxila town administration to name the road to Sirkap as Saint Thomas Path.

Humera Khan, the urator of Taxila Museum, told Dawn that the testimony of the presence of St Thomas in Taxila valley civilization in the first century was provided by the discovery of a manuscript “The Acts of St Thomas” in Syria during 1822. She said that according to a tradition, St. Thomas passed through Taxila on his way to India and preached at the court of King Gondophares. An early third-century Syriac work known as the Acts of Thomas, discovered in 1822 in Syria, says the king gave some money to the saint and ordered him to build a royal palace. St. Thomas, however, gave out all of the money in alms and when the king discovered his disobedience, he ordered that the saint be burnt alive.

Meanwhile, the king’s brother, Gad, died and then miraculously came back to life, whereupon he recounted that in heaven he had seen a palace built for Gondophares by St. Thomas. The king pardoned the saint and converted to Christianity, along with the people of the capital.

According to Dr AG Lone, senior official of the federal department of archaeology and museums, the history of Christianity in the region started around 52 AD on the arrival of St Thomas.

He said that in 1935, a farmer tilling a field outside the ruins found a cross, which was later presented to the Anglican Bishop of Lahore. The famous “Taxila Cross” is now kept framed at the Cathedral Church of the Resurrection in Lahore.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2025