Rokhri (site), Mianwali

The ancient Buddhist site of Rokhri, located near the Indus River in Mianwali District, Punjab, revealed important Gandhāran-era remains including stucco heads, coins, pottery, and architectural fragments.

GPGreenPak Field GuidesSourced from GreenPak · 2 min read

Discovered in the 19th century due to river erosion, the site showed strong Greek, Parthian, and Kushan influences. Notable finds, including Buddha and Bodhisattva heads, were sent to the Lahore Museum in 1869, with others later reaching museums in Karachi and Chandigarh. Archaeologists like Cunningham and Vats documented two stupas at Rokhri, now mostly vanished. Scholars link Rokhri’s art to the Indo-Afghan School, similar to that of Taxila and Hadda, underscoring its importance in the Buddhist heritage of Pakistan.

Why go

✦A Gandharan site by the Indus that yielded Buddha and Bodhisattva heads
✦Finds went to the Lahore Museum in 1869, and later to Karachi and Chandigarh
✦Two stupas recorded by Cunningham and Vats, now mostly gone

Current Condition

The Rokhri site in Mianwali, Punjab, is unprotected and rapidly deteriorating due to human vandalism and encroachment. It remains an important but neglected Buddhist archaeological mound requiring urgent conservation.

Planning tip

Best Time to Visit, Only for specialists: the survey records the two stupas at Rokhri, near Mianwali, as mostly vanished, with the finds in the Lahore and Karachi museums.

Getting there, Near the Indus at Rokhri, Mianwali district; the stupas have mostly vanished.

What to Do

◆Visit the riverbank where erosion first exposed the site

◆See its sculpture in the Lahore Museum

◆Leave any fragments in place; the site is unprotected

Nearby

Straight-line distance from Rokhri (site), Mianwali, within 5 km.

Nothing else genuinely close by (within 5 km of Rokhri (site), Mianwali) is published yet.