Bhalar Stupa, Taxila

                  

Bhalar Stupa is one of the famous stupas of Taxila. This stupa is located at a distance of about six kilometers from Taxila towards Haripur. The stupa is clearly visible from the main road on the right hand side on the top of Sarada Hill with Haru River ahead as you pass Usman Khatar village and Wah Mechanical Complex.

                           

It is the highest stupa of Taxila. It was also visited by the Chinese travellers Faheen and Hiuen Tsang. The stupa was built between the 2nd century AD when the area used to be a center of Buddhism. According to historians, the construction of the complex is credited to King Ashoka of the Maurya Empire.

                       

It is believed that Buddha offered to sacrifice his life at this place. It consists of a tall stupa, surrounded by a votive stupa, other shrines and a monastery. Here the Buddhist monk Kumaralbha wrote his treatise. The central stupa, which is broken on the northern face, stood on a tall plinth, approached by a flight of steps on the east side. It consists of a plinth base, a drum, a dome, and originally canopies.

                                                                        

The drum is divided into six or seven levels and is divided into six or seven levels and is decorated with Corinthian pilasters, friezes and dentil cornices. It can be seen in the pictures that the second part of the stupa has completely collapsed.

                         

Graffiti chalking was done by visitors and some companies also pasted advertisements on the walls of the stupa, which have since been removed by the Department of Archaeology. There is no sign or sign board to indicate this stupa and no information board has been installed here. This site is currently in poor condition and is awaiting the attention of the concerned department.