Pakistani Buddhist Temple Makes it to Top 10 Discoveries of 2022

A historic Buddhist temple unearthed last year in Pakistan’s Barikot town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has been recognized in the Top 10 Discoveries of 2022 by the famous Archaeology Magazine.

In December of last year, archaeologist Luca Maria Olivieri of Ca’ Foscari University in Italy and his colleagues discovered the ancient temple in partnership with the provincial department of archaeology and museums.

As per Olivieri’s statement to the magazine, the structure dates back to at least the conclusion of the second century BC.

This renders it the region’s earliest known Buddhist temple, and it was built at the time when Barikot was recognized to be a hub of Buddhist learning and a revered pilgrimage site.

Olivieri noted that he did not consider there to be Buddhist structures in the city at such an early period since, until its discovery, the archaeologists had not unearthed any trace of Buddhist influence in Barikot going to before the end of the first century A.D.

The site’s antiquities also include 10-foot-high arched structure on which a round shrine was later built. The structure also houses a distinctive cone-shaped Buddhist stupa.

The magazine also claims that Olivieri’s crew was taken aback by the building’s design, which is common in Buddhist temples of the period but unusual in Gandhara. In addition, the crew discovered Buddhist artworks and inscriptions at the site as well.