Field guides / Khyber Pakhtunkhwa / Mardan / Thareli Buddhist Site, Mardan
Field guide · Heritage
Mardan
Mardan District · Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Thareli Buddhist Site, Mardan
A large Buddhist monastery and stupa complex in a quiet gorge near Jamal Garhi, Mardan, excavated by a Japanese mission in the 1960s.
Thareli, about 5 km northwest of Jamal Garhi in Mardan district, is one of the most impressive Buddhist sites of Gandhara, set in a narrow gorge away from the towns. It takes its name from a perennial spring beside the main stupa. A Japanese archaeological mission led by Professor S. Mizuno, working with Pakistan's Department of Archaeology, excavated it between 1963 and 1967 and uncovered more than a hundred buildings on the spurs of the hillside, with thousands of stone and stucco sculptures, coins, pottery and iron tools. The main stupa is ringed by many small votive stupas, and its body has niches that once held Buddhist sculpture; the buildings are of the diaper masonry typical of Gandhara, and the site was in use from about the 1st to the 5th century CE.
Why go
- ✦One of the largest Buddhist monastery complexes of Gandhara
- ✦More than 100 buildings excavated by a Japanese mission, 1963–67
- ✦A main stupa beside a perennial spring, ringed by votive stupas
Visiting today
Thareli is protected under the Antiquities Act, 1975. Its seclusion is its charm: few visitors make it here, and you may have the gorge, the spring and the stupas to yourself.
Planning tip
Best Time to Visit, October to March, avoiding the heat of the Mardan plains in summer. Pair it with the Jamal Garhi monastery nearby.
Getting there, About 5 km northwest of Jamal Garhi, Mardan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; the last stretch is on narrow roads, and there are no visitor facilities.
What to Do
Nearby
Straight-line distance from Thareli Buddhist Site, Mardan, within 5 km.
