Mankiala Stupa, Gujjar Khan, Rawalpindi

Mankiala Stupa is a Buddhist stupa near village Tope Mankyala in tehsil Kallar Syedan of district Rawalpindi.  The stupa was built to commemorate the spot where, according to Jataka stories, Prince Sattva, an incarnation of the Buddha, sacrificed himself to feed seven hungry lion cubs. The Mankiala stupa may be found in the town of Tope Mankiala, which is in turn situated close to the communities of Sagri and Sahib Dhamyal. Located close to Rawalpindi and 36 kilometres southeast of Islamabad. The neighbouring Rawat Fort provides a great vantage point. Mankiala Road connects to the N-5 National Highway to the west, allowing travellers to quickly reach the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The Mankiala railway station in the neighbouring hamlet of Mankiala provides train service to the site through the Karachi-Peshawar Railway Line. According to the Jataka stories, the Golden Light Sutra, and popular belief, Prince Sattva, an earlier incarnation of the Buddha, sacrificed some of his body parts to feed seven starving tiger cubs at this location. Legend has it that the stupa was constructed during the reign of Kanishka, perhaps between 128 and 151 CE. According to a different narrative, the stupa was constructed by Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great to hold the Buddha's ashes, and it is one of 84 such structures. Throughout his expeditions, it is reported that Emperor Kanishka would stop at this stupa to pay his respects to Buddha. Mountstuart Elphinstone, the first British agent to Afghanistan, found the stupa in 1808; his chronicle, Kingdom of Caubul, provides a comprehensive description of his travels there (1815). There is an inscription on the stupa that dates back to 1891, revealing that this structure underwent restoration at that time. It wasn't until 1830 that Jean-Baptiste Ventura uncovered the relic deposits at Mankiala stupa. The artefacts were taken from the site by British officials during the Raj and are currently displayed in London. Since 1891, when it was last renovated, the stupa has mostly been left in disrepair. Plunderers damaged the stupa significantly, leaving a big hole at the top of the mound.