Sirkap

Sirkap ( Urdu : سر کپ) is the name of an archaeological site near the city of Taxila in the Pakistani province of Punjab . It is probably the re-establishment of the former Taxila, capital of Gandhara, at the Bhir Mound site . A later new foundation, among the Kushana, can be found in Sirsukh .

The city was re-founded by the Greco-Bactrian King Demetrius . Demetrius conquered northwest India around 180 BC. BC and founded a kingdom there that lasted until 10 BC. Chr. Took. According to another opinion Sirkap is against the king Menander I. founded. The predecessor city Taxila was of great importance for the Maurya Empire and its King Ashoka .

excavation

The town of Sirkap was excavated by Hergrew from 1912 to 1930 under the direction of Sir John Marshall . In 1944 and 1945, Mortimer Wheeler and his team undertook further excavations.

Cultic buildings

Buddhist stupples with Hellenistic elements can be found everywhere in the ruins of Sirkap. There is also a Hindu temple in the city. A Greek temple was located in the vicinity (about 650 meters) of the city, in Jandial and according to one view this was a Zoroastrian temple.

The round stupa

There is a round stupa in Sirkap which is one of the oldest stupas on the Indian subcontinent. The location of the stupa gives rise to the assumption that this stupa was hurled from its original location in the first century to the present one by a strong earthquake. When the city was rebuilt after the earthquake, the stupa was protected by a new wall.

The round stupa in Sirkap

The round temple

The round temple, called Apsidal Temple in English, is the largest cult building in Sirkap. It is around 70 × 40 meters (for comparison: the Parthenon is 70 × 31 meters). The round temple contains a square room with several rooms for the Buddhist monks and a round room from which the name is derived.

The round temple

The stupa with the double-headed eagle

A special stupa in Sirkap is the so-called 'Stupa with the double-headed eagle'. The pillars of this stupa show Greek influence. The middle arch on the front shows a Greek temple, in the outer a Hindu temple. Over these temples sit eagles with double heads. This motif is also extraordinary because it is a Babylonian symbol. It seems to have passed from Babylonia to Scythia and then to Punjab .

The stupa with the double-headed eagle

Visit of Apollonius of Tyana

The Greek philosopher Apollonius von Tyana was born in the first century BC. Traveled to India and also visited Taxila . He describes the Greek buildings in Sirkap and says:

"Taxila, they tell us, is about the size of Nineveh and, according to the custom of the Greeks, has been well walled up."

and further:

"I have already described how the city is walled, but they also say that, like Athens, it has narrow and irregular streets. And that the houses are built in such a way that if you look at them from the outside you can only see one floor. If But if you go inside, you will find underground rooms that extend as far down as the rooms above. "