Takht-i-Bahi
Pakistan · Khyber Pakhtunkhwa · 500 m
Description
Takht-i-Bahi is a Buddhist monastery complex on a ridge a hundred and fifty metres above the Mardan plain, and it is the most complete one left in Gandhara because it was never buried and never quarried. UNESCO listed it in 1980 together with the walled town remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol below. Building went on from the first century before Christ to the seventh century after, and what stands is a court of votive stupas, a monastery of cells and an assembly hall reached by stairs cut into the hill. The climb takes twenty minutes. The name is usually read as the throne of origins.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 day
Travel season
Best time to visit: November – March
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Court of votive stupas
- Monastery cells and the assembly hall
- Climb up the ridge stairs
- View over the Mardan plain
- Main stupa court at the top
- Sahr-i-Bahlol walled town remains
- Meditation cells cut into the rock
- Mardan bazaar below the site(Day trip)
Getting there
- Nearest airports:
- ISB, PEW