An ancient temple dating from the early centuries of Buddhism has been unearthed near the center of the modern town of Barikot in the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan.
- Barikot is mentioned as “Bazira” or “Beira” in classical sources from the time of Alexander the Great.
- The excavated remains of the temple found so far are over 10 feet tall and consist of a ceremonial platform topped by a cylindrical structure that housed a conical or dome-shaped Buddhist monument called a stupa.
- The area where the temple was unearthed, was part of the ancient Gandhara region that was conquered by Alexander the Great and gave rise to a mixing of Buddhist belief and Greek art.
- Archaeologists think that the temple dates from about the middle of the 2nd century B.C., and that it was built above an earlier Buddhist temple that may have dated from as early as the third century B.C.
- At a time Gandhara was ruled by the Indo-Greek kingdom of northern India.
(Source: Live Science)
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