The many private houses, stupas, and temples were laid out on the Hellenistic grid system and show the strong Western classical influence on local architecture.
The city was destroyed in the 1st century by the Kushans, a Central Asian tribe. To the north, excavations of the ruins of the Kushan city of Sirsukh have brought to light an irregular rectangle of walls in ashlar masonry, with rounded bastions. These walls attest to the early influence of Central Asian architectural forms on those of the subcontinent.
The Taxila serial site also includes Khanpur cave, which has produced stratified microlithic tools of the Mesolithic period, and a number of Buddhist monasteries and stupas of various periods. Buddhist monuments erected throughout the Taxila valley transformed it into a religious heartland and a destination for pilgrims from as far afield as Central Asia and China.
The Buddhist archaeological sites at Taxila include the Dharmarajika complex and stupa, the Khader Mohra grouping, the Kalawan grouping, the Giri monasteries, the Kunala stupa and monastery, the Jandial complex, the Lalchack and the Badalpur stupa remains and monasteries, the Mohra Moradu monastic remains, the Pipplian and the Jaulian remains, and the Bahalar stupa and remains.
The Giri complex also includes the remains of a three-domed Muslim mosque, ziarat tomb , and madrassa school of the medieval period. Criterion iii : The ruins of four universally meaningful settlement sites at Taxila Saraidala, Bhir, Sirkap, and Sirsukh reveal the pattern of urban evolution on the Indian subcontinent through more than five centuries.
Taxilia is the only site of this unique importance on the subcontinent. Criterion vi : The Bihr mound is associated with the historic event of the triumphant entry of Alexander the Great into Taxila. Within the boundaries of the property are located all the elements necessary to express the Outstanding Universal Value of Taxila. Exposure of the archaeological remains to the extremes of a tropical climate, uncontrolled growth of vegetation, and earthquakes represents a risk to the overall integrity of the property, as do expansions of the industrial estates located within the Taxila valley despite their location outside the buffer zone , limestone blasting and quarrying activities in the valley, and illegal excavations by looters in the Buddhist monastery sites.
The archaeological complex of Taxila is authentic in terms of its forms and design, materials and substance, and locations and settings. The property is being maintained to protect and preserve it from any changes to its authenticity. Specific attention to authenticity is being paid in conservation plans in order to maintain original designs, traditions, techniques, locations, and settings, according to international principles. Taxila is a protected antiquity in terms of the Antiquities Act, , passed by the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
X of , bestowed the Government of the Punjab and the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with full administrative and financial authority over all heritage sites located in these respective provinces. The Directorate General of Archaeology and Museums of the Provincial Government of Punjab and the Directorate of Archaeology of the Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are responsible for the management and protection of Taxila, which is comprised of 18 archaeological sites, ten of which are geographically located in Punjab province and eight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Persians, Greeks, Central Asians and Hindus have all left their marks on the area. Taxila is on several trade routes which have been important since ancient times. It was one of the main centres from which Buddhism spread along the Silk Road , most notably to China and Mongolia.
The main trade routes were:. All these routes remained in use into modern times though the separation of India and Pakistan reduced trade on some routes, the pass north of Ladakh is not much used today, and recent troubles in Afghanistan have greatly reduced trade there.
Today the region around Taxila remains well-connected to anywhere in Pakistan by road and rail, and the Karakoram Highway is an important trade route. British army engineer Alexander Cunningham excavated the area and discovered the ruins of an ancient city in the midth century, and the renowned archaeologist John Marshall — who was at time the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India and was also behind the discovery of once-thriving ancient city of Mohenjo-daro — carried out excavations at Taxila over a period of twenty years between and There is archeological evidence of early settlement in the area first by prehistoric neolithic people and later by the Indus Valley Civilization around BCE, but not of a city in those time periods.
Taxila is mentioned as a city in the Hindu epic poem the Mahabarata , which describes events around BCE. Around the archeological sites, self-deputized tour guides may offer to show you around. Frequently their English is not very good and they don't really tell you anything you can't read from the signs, then strongly imply that they want a tip.
If you want some local color, go ahead, but otherwise tell them "no thanks" immediately. You may be approached by numerous "guides" at each site. In addition, people selling trinkets like small statues and allegedly old coins may come up to you. The main excavated ruins are all from Taxila's glory days, after BCE. They are divided into three major cities, each of which belongs to a distinct time period:. Later Taxila gradually waned in importance, and the town was eventually destroyed by nomadic Hun tribesmen in the 5th century CE.
For a more detailed history, see the Guide to Historic Taxila online at the Pakistani government's national heritage site. The story given there is considerably more complex than just the three main excavated areas mentioned above. Pakistan's longest highway N-5, which runs between the southern city of Karachi and the northwestern city of Peshawar , also passes by Taxila, making the town easily accessible from anywhere in Pakistan.
The nearest major cities are Rawalpindi and Islamabad , both of which are less than 50 km away, and it is quite feasible to base yourself in either and visit Taxila on one or more day trips. See those city articles for more information. If you hire a taxi from Rawalpindi or Islamabad, make sure the taxi driver is familiar with the locations of sites in Taxila; otherwise, be prepared to hire a local taxi driver from Taxila who knows the sites well.
Air-conditioned buses mostly bound for major cities such as Peshawar and Abbottabad can drop you at Taxila but charge full fare, whereas non-aircondioned buses and vans leave at intervals of no more than an hour from Rawalpindi.
May not be very comfortable but cheap. Taxila railway junction near the museum building serves the town. Two daily trains, both non-airconditioned, make brief stops at the railway station. Both are economy-only trains without air conditioning which make a lot of stops at stations along the route, so the can be journey uncomfortably long.
Both trains leave from Karachi early in the morning around 6 and reach Taxila around noon the next day. An economy class seat on either train can cost less than Rs 1, It is a city with a population of people according to the census. Taxila is among the seven tehsils of Rawalpindi district. It is a city spread in the periphery of the Potohar plateau of Punjab. Taxila was historically known as Takshashila and is a city that dates back to 5 century BCE.
An overall Punjabi culture prevails in the city with people understanding both English and Urdu languages but speak Punjabi language with a different dialect native to the region.
The culture of Taxila as a city is heavily influenced by the cities strong historical background. Taxila is one of the most important archeological sites in the world. It is a city that is very well known for having strong ties and being the centre of Buddhism in the country. Many statues of Buddha depicting the various stages of his life have been excavated and are currently present both at the Taxila museum as well as various stupas in the city however the best of these statues have been taken abroad and are displayed in museums there.
There are 5 small stupas in the city. The first one being the Dharmarajika stupa, which is locate two miles from Taxila museum.
Then is the Glen of Giri, which is about three-and-half miles from Dharmarajika stupa, this is atop the highest peak of the range of hills are two stupas and a fortress built in a cleft near a spring of pure, sweet water. Jaulian is another marvelous complex of chapels, stupas and a monastery with assembly hall, store rooms, refectory, kitchen and bathrooms still very well preserved. Two miles west of Jaulian is another well-preserved monastery at Mohra Moradu. At Jandial, a mile-and-a-half from Sirsukh, is an image-less temple in the classic Greek style, with sandstone columns and cornices.
Statues of other famous people in history such as Alexander the Great and the eminent ruler Asoka are also be found in the city of Taxila.
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