Mankiala stupa
The Mankiala-Stupa (also Manikiala-Stupa ) is one of several largely dilapidated Buddhist large stupas in the Punjab province on the territory of today's Pakistan .
location
The Mankiala stupa is located at a height of approx. 600 m above sea level. d. M. near the village of Mankiala about 30 to 35 km (driving distance) southeast of Rawalpindi or the neighboring city of Islamabad .
history
The stupa probably dates from the reign of the Kushana ruler Kanischka , i.e. H. from the middle of the 2nd century AD. The first representations of the Buddha on coins, reliquary containers, etc. come from this period (see Bimaran reliquary ). At the latest after the conquest by Islam (perhaps earlier), the stupa fell into oblivion and was only rediscovered in 1808 by Mountstuart Elphinstone . In 1830 the Italian adventurer and mercenary Jean-Baptiste Ventura found a reliquary inside during excavations; this was acquired by the collector and scholar James Prinsep and has been preserved. In 1891 the building was restored by a British regiment; since then it has declined again.
architecture
The outer skin of the stupa made of stones and earth with its diameter of about 21 m and its current height of about 17 m was covered with precisely hewn stones and possibly also plastered. It seems to have been slightly stepped upwards several times; Remnants of a pilaster or fence decoration can only be found on the lower level.
Reliquary
The reliquary found in 1830 includes several gold and bronze containers and some rings. Today they are on display in the British Museum , along with a copy of the Kanishka reliquary and some coins .
literature
- K. Walton Dobbins: Two Gandhāran Reliquaries. in: East and West , 18, 1968, pp. 151-165.
Web links
Coordinates: 33 ° 27 ′ 18 ″ N , 73 ° 14 ′ 49 ″ E