Photo: Fazal.Khaliq · CC BY-SA 4.0Field guides / Khyber Pakhtunkhwa / Swat Valley / Jahanabad Buddha, Swat
Field guide · Heritage
Swat
Swat District · Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Jahanabad Buddha, Swat
A great seated Buddha, some six metres tall, carved high on a cliff above Jahanabad in Swat's Manglawar valley, and restored by the Italian Archaeological Mission.
The Jahanabad Buddha, also called the Shakhorai Buddha, is the best known of the Buddhist rock carvings of the Manglawar valley, about 9 km northeast of Mingora. Carved in the 6th or 7th century on a reddish cliff face, the seated Buddha is about six metres tall; the explorer Aurel Stein thought it the most striking of all the reliefs in the valley. Some scholars place the ancient kingdom of Oddiyana, homeland of the sage Padmasambhava, in Swat. The carving was damaged in 2007, and between 2012 and 2016 the Italian Archaeological Mission, led by Luca Maria Olivieri, restored it, rebuilding the face from laser surveys and old photographs and leaving the repair deliberately just visible.
Why go
- ✦A six-metre seated Buddha carved high on a cliff
- ✦Carved in the 6th–7th century, the best known relief of the Manglawar valley
- ✦Restored in 2012–2016 by the Italian Archaeological Mission
Visiting today
The Buddha is protected by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Archaeology and Museums and open to visitors. The walk up through the orchards is part of the pleasure, and the view back over the Manglawar valley is a fine reward.
Planning tip
Best Time to Visit, April–June or September–November. The great seated Buddha above Jahanabad (Shakhorai) village is reached by a 40–45 minute uphill walk through orchards, lovely in spring blossom and autumn but hot in July and August.
Getting there, Above Jahanabad (Shakhorai) village on the Malam Jabba road near Manglawar: a 40–45 minute walk uphill through orchards.
What to Do
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Straight-line distance from Jahanabad Buddha, Swat, within 5 km.
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