Jaulian

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Jaulian at Taxila

Jaulian ( Urdu : جھولیاں) is the ruins of a Buddhist monastery in northern Pakistan . Together with the adjacent site of Taxila it belongs since 1980 to UNESCO - World Heritage Site .

location

Jaulian is located approximately 4 km northeast of Taxila in the Punjab Province . The cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are about 35 and 45 km southeast, respectively.

Ruin site

The ruins of Jaulian date back to the 5th century and can be divided into two main parts (main stupa and the monastery and university). The monastery was on the top of a hill. The shape and structure of the monastery is similar to that of Mohra Muradu , which is about 1 km away. The monastery was destroyed by the Iranian Huns in 455 .

Main stupa

The main stupa in Jaulian is badly damaged; actually only parts of the originally plastered platform ( medhi ) remain. This is surrounded by 21 votive stupas . Some experts believe that some of the consecration stupas are actually the graves of revered monks who once lived here. The statues of the stupas are mostly well preserved. However, some of these statues have been removed from Jaulian in order to display and secure them in museums.

A special feature is the statue of Buddha with a hole in the place of the navel. This statue is called the "healing Buddha". The pilgrims used to put their finger in the hole and pray for the patient to heal. The inscription below the statue shows that this statue was donated by a pilgrim "Budhamitra Dharmanandin". This inscription and some others show that the script it contains was used in Taxila until the fifth century.

Monastery district

The monastery contained 28 rooms for the students. There was also a pond for ritual ablutions . Steps to the second floor, which had another 28 rooms, have been preserved. Statues of Buddha can still be found in front of some rooms.

Each room had a window for air and light and a niche where the student could put his lamp. The windows are narrower on the outside than on the inside so that animals cannot get in from the outside. The rooms were plastered and embellished with pictures. The outer wall of the monastery is smooth and straight and is still well preserved.

The monastery also had a kitchen. There is a stone that was used to grind the spices, as well as two millstones to grind different types of grain. A hole in one of the bricks was used to hygienically place the large ladles.

Illustrations

  • Votive stupa in Jaulian

  • Buddha with the hole in the navel

  • Inscription in Jaulian

  • Details of a building

  • Steps to the second floor

  • Window of a student room

  • Outer wall of the monastery

  • Buddha statue

  • Indoor area for ritual ablutions

  • Rubbing stone

  • Millstones

literature

  • John Marshall : Taxila: An Illustrated Account of Archaeological Excavations Carried Out at Taxila Under the Orders of the Government of India between the years 1913 and 1934. p. 372

Web links

Commons : Jaulian  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Center ( English and French ).
  2. ^ John Marshall: Taxila: An Illustrated Account of Archaeological Excavations Carried Out at Taxila Under the Orders of the Government of India between the years 1913 and 1934 , p. 372.

Coordinates: 33 ° 45 ′ 55.9 ″  N , 72 ° 52 ′ 29.9 ″  E