PESHAWAR, April 9: The Peshawar Readers Club (PRC) organised a unique reading session at the over 150-year-old grand Buddhist monastery the other day.

The PRC is an organisation founded by a small group of concerned people striving to promote and develop culture of reading in the province.

A large number of people from Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda and Swabi attended the session with great discipline and quietude reminiscent of the ancient times.

Feryal Ali Gauhar and Nasser Yousaf highlighted different aspects of the age of Buddhism in Gandhara, now called Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They revoked the spirit of the primitive times when Gandhara was the citadel of peace and tranquility, and focused on how essential it was for the present generations to remain in touch with their past and to keep holding on to the cherished values. The monastery at Takht Bhai is located at an altitude of 1,800ft in the midst of verdant fields and idyllic hills. It is spread over an area of nearly one hundred acres and has in the recent days seen some commendable restoration work. There are still latent deposits of archaeology lying in the area that awaits exploration.