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Field guides / Khyber Pakhtunkhwa / Shahbazgarhi Rock Edicts
Field guide · Heritage
Two boulders near Mardan inscribed with fourteen edicts of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in Kharosthi script, among the earliest confirmed writing found anywhere in South Asia.
Two large boulders near Mardan carry fourteen edicts of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, carved in the third century BCE in Kharosthi script, among the earliest confirmed evidence of writing anywhere in South Asia. The edicts set out Ashoka's Buddhist-influenced governance, prohibiting needless killing of animals and calling for tolerance between religious communities.
Why go
Ashoka's edicts appear at several sites across the subcontinent, but Shahbazgarhi's Kharosthi-script inscriptions are among the best preserved, sheltered under a protective structure that keeps the carved boulder legible more than two thousand years on.
Pairs naturally with the Mansehra Rock Edicts and other KP heritage sites, use Plan a trip to build a Gandhara-and-Ashoka focused route.
Planning tip
Best Time to Visit, October to March.
Getting there, About 12 km from Mardan city.
Allow, 30-45 minutes.
Straight-line distance from Shahbazgarhi Rock Edicts, within 30 km.
