Khirthar Buddhist Rock Carvings

The ancient rock carvings of Sindh, located in the Khirthar Mountain Range, span across several districts including Jacobabad, Qambar Shahdadkot, Dadu, and Jamshoro.

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These carvings are found at multiple sites such as Hur Dhoro, Zainy Dhoro, and various others near hill torrents like those in the Nai Gaj Valley and surrounding areas. The rock art includes depictions of bullock-carts, unicorns, humped bulls, leopards, and scenes of hunting and dance, with notable symbols like swastikas, fire altars, and Zoroastrian motifs. Buddhism is the dominant theme in these carvings, with many stupas and inscriptions in Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts present. Scholars believe the carvings date from the Neolithic to the medieval periods, with some attributing them to the Bronze Age. Dadu District is particularly rich in these ancient rock art sites.

Why go

✦Rock carvings across the Khirthar at Hur Dhoro and Zainy Dhoro
✦Stupas and Brahmi and Kharoshthi inscriptions
✦Bullock-carts, humped bulls, leopards, hunting and dancing

Current Condition

The Buddhist rock carvings in the Khirthar Range, Sindh, feature ancient motifs like stupas, Dharma Chakra, and swastikas, mostly dating from the 1st to 5th centuries CE. These carvings are unprotected, undocumented officially, and remain highly vulnerable to natural erosion and vandalism. No formal conservation or management is in place, despite their significant archaeological and religious value.

Planning tip

Best Time to Visit, December to February. The Khirthar carvings at Hur Dhoro, Zainy Dhoro and along the Nai Gaj torrents are remote, unprotected and hot for most of the year; hill torrents make the monsoon months risky.

Getting there, At Hur Dhoro, Zainy Dhoro and along the Nai Gaj torrents in the Khirthar range, Dadu district; remote.

What to Do

◆Go with a local guide; the sites are remote

◆Never touch or chalk the carvings

◆Travel in the cooler months

Nearby

Straight-line distance from Khirthar Buddhist Rock Carvings, within 5 km.

Nothing else genuinely close by (within 5 km of Khirthar Buddhist Rock Carvings) is published yet.