Kambojaric
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Sammas are possibly the greatest rulers of Sindh. Many historians believe they were local Rajput Muslims, while some believe them to be from Baloch tribes. They toppled Soomro dynasty, who were Ismaeli Shia Muslims, in Sindh & became the ruling dynasty. Ostensibly they were not happy with Soomro dynasty's treatment of non-Muslims in Sindh. Sammas established Thatta as their capital, embarked on developmental projects, with Sindh reaching its golden age under them. Thatta became an educational, commercial, & cultural centre in the region. Sindh at that time included what is now South Punjab & Eastern Balochistan. Thus, you can see some historical buildings built by them in these areas. Tombs in Uch Sharif, are also credited to them. They founded the Makli necropolis, which is their resting place also. The greatest of Samma rulers is Jam Nizamuddin II, also known as Jam Nindo. He is buried in Makli & his tomb is built on Gujarati architecture. Bellow is the picture of his tomb (credit: Dawn News).
Sammas left an impressive architectural legacy no doubt. Unfortunately the Kalan Kot Fort (built in the reign of the 5th Jam Tughlak) is now in ruins but what remains and what has been written about it again shows a great piece of architecture.
It is seated on a limestone hill, which abounds in marine shells and is everywhere honeycombed with natural cavities. The fort is about a mile and a quarter in circumference, and the outer wall of it is still perfect. In 1840 it was described as having numerous massy round towers, connected by curtains, and that it appeared to have been constructed with much care and skill. In a large building was found a great quantity of grain burned to charcoal, and this together with the vitrified state of the brickword in many places, seemed to show that he place must have been destroyed by fire.
A gazetteer of the province of Sindh, 1874
https://books.google.se/books?id=Ap8IAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA310&dq=Samma+sindh&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwig467_443hAhVEmYsKHaavA7AQ6AEINDAC#v=onepage&q=It is seated on a limestone hill, which abounds in marine shells&f=false
A hint of the blue tiles at the bottom shows how impressive the structure must have been in its prime day!
Its the same kind of blue tiles found in the Makli tombs nearby, and that can also be found in southern Punjab (Multan for example)
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KP eyes tourism boom this year
While expecting tourism boom in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year in light of the better law and order situation, experts push the provincial government for taking measures to attract more and more people both from within the country and abroad to its tourist destinations, including the structures left behind by ancient civilisations.
Insisting the province has a lot to offer to foreign religious tourists, especially Buddhists, they call for the establishment of a desk for foreign travellers at the Peshawar Bacha Khan International Airport, provision of safe police escort to them, creation of traditional food and entertainment outlets on heritage sites, and opening of Qila Balahisar and Khyber Pass to them.
The expert say people from Buddhist countries will flood KP if they’re provided with access to Khyber Pass through Safari train as well as the required facilities, especially security.
According to them, Chinese people are interested in research, while Koreans are eager to visit holy sites related to Buddha’s reincarnation narratives.
International tour consultant Mohammad Usman Mardanvi told Dawn that several of KP’s heritage sites were directly or indirectly related to Buddha, which needed excavation, restoration and preservation for overseas pilgrims.
He said heritage sites in Ranigat, Aziz Dheri, Tharele, Takhtbhai, Tokar Darra, Ranigat and Abashib areas of Mardan, Swabi and Buner districts could interest archaeology researchers and Buddhist worshipers from Korea, Sri Lanka, Japan, Thailand, Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia, Laos, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and some European countries.
“I strongly believe that if the KP government takes some key measures, religious tourism can help improve our world image and attract thousands of visitors from the regions, where Buddhism is practiced and respected,” he said.
Mr Mardanvi said noted among the sites directly related to Buddha’s life was Tharele, which was 20km in the north west of Mardan district between Jamal Garhi and Shankar villages.
He said Tharele site excavated by Japanese archaeologists in 1960 and spread over a vast area in separate chambers had four rectangular stupas, a big hall, living rooms for monks, and Buddhist monasteries, where scholars used to teach students.
The consultant said Japanese experts had found statues, coins and precious items reflective of Gandhara art from the site in 1964 that dated back to the second to fifth century.
(above) Ashoka rock edicts in Shahbaz Garhi, Mardan.
He regretted that no signboard had been fixed for visitors at the site leaving even local residents unaware about it.
“This beautiful Buddhist complex needs to be restored. A signboard should be fixed there for visitors,” he said.
According to Mr Mardanvi, another major tourist spot for Buddhists stands in Budhi Dheri area of Swabi district, where Buddhist monk Mara Nanda was born in 384AD, who travelled through China and preached Buddhism in Korea.
The site located around six kilometers from the main Chota Lahor city doesn’t have any signboard and therefore, only few locals know about it.
Another important heritage site is Mekha Sanda (male buffalo, female buffalo) in Karamar range near Shahbaz Gahri to which the myth of Vishvanthra Jatkaka about the pre-birth Buddha stories was associated.
The expert said the site was unexplored and therefore, expertise was needed to explore and do research on its significance as mentioned in the scripture of Buddhism.
He said another heritage site, Ranigat, was located on the top of a ridge with the remains of the region’s largest Buddhist monastic complex, including stupas, monasteries, shrines, drainage networks, and other buildings.
“Ranigat is a 2500-year-old Buddhist archaeological site, which belongs to the Gandhara civilisation. It is a good evidence of the Buddhist past of the area,” he said.
According to Mardanvi, the word Ranigat is the combination of ‘rani’, an Urdu word meaning queen, and ‘gat’, a Pashto word meaning a huge rock, and thus, meaning queen’s rock.
“The referenced rock is on top of a mountain, which is visible from distant places,” he said.
Mr Mardanvi said Ranigat was a collection of second century Buddhist ruins spread over an area of four square kilometers and dating back to the Gandhara civilisation.
“Ranigat is located in Buner valley. The archeologists say it remained the centre of Buddhist art and culture for centuries. Ranigat has been a celebrated part of folklore with songs and stories having been written about it,” he said.
Former Peshawar museum curator and Peshawar University archaeology department assistant professor Nidaullah Sehrai said every kind of tourism, including religious one, was closely linked to favourable law and order situation, safe access to the sites, and provision of facilities to tourists to enjoy sights and sounds.
He said KP was a treasure trove of Buddhist relics and the historical Khyber Pass, too, would fascinate visitors.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1467238
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Top Thai Buddhist leader to visit Pakistan
Islamabad seeks to promote historical Buddhist sites to attract tourists
ISLAMABAD: Thailand’s leader of the Buddhists community, Arayawangso is visiting Pakistan in April to participate in an inter-faith harmony event.
During the visit, the most respected leader of the Buddhists across the world will also visit the ancient Buddhist sites particularly in Swat and Taxila and interact with the local community there.
According to an activist working for promotion of Buddhist tourism in Pakistan, Imran Shaukat the Buddhist leader’s visit is taking place to bridge the distance among followers of various faiths.
“He is one of the few monks who have worked with the Muslims of Southern Thailand and has quite a good understanding of Islam,” said Shaukat adding, it [the visit] will inspire other monks and the Buddhist people of the region to visit Pakistan and see Buddhist attractions here.
With recent tourism-friendly steps announced by the Pakistani government, tourism promoters hope a large number of Buddhists will travel to Pakistan as the country is home to several historical Buddhist sites.
Days before Pulwama incident, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Quraishi held a meeting with ambassadors and high commissioners of the Buddhist countries in order to explore the country’s untapped potential in this particular sector.
Buddhist sites
In that meeting Quraishi briefed the diplomats about the sprawling signs of Buddhism in various parts of the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan and the Punjab.
According to Imran Shaukat, Pakistan is home to Buddhism sites and there were 1200 to 1400 big and small sites that have some historical link to Lord Buddha and his times.
“Unfortunately, we have not capitalised on it and this area by and large lies untapped and unexplored,” said Shaukat.
“Our region, Swat, is one of the eight places where Buddha’s ashes were brought and there is a site indicating that place in the valley,” said he adding a 30-metre reclining Buddha statue has also been discovered in Haripur.
According to Imran Shaukat Buddhism flourished in what is now Pakistan some 2,300 years ago, when the region was the centre of a Buddhist civilisation that took root under the rule of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, leaving an abundant archaeological legacy of art and architecture.
The Gandharan civilisation, which lasted from the 6th century BC to 5th century AD is credited with creating the first carved images of Shakyamuni Buddha in stone, stucco, terra-cotta, and bronze, most of which were enshrined in monasteries and stupas in the region.
Terming the Foreign Office’s initiative as a wonderful step, he said he had been working on this project for almost a decade.
Secretary of Pakistan Youth Hostels Association (PYHA) while talking to Gulf News also said that Pakistan is a land of diverse climates and its rich cultural, heritage sites, green lands, pastures, snow-capped mountains, lakes, valleys, rivers and sea, and have the potential to attract tourists from every corner of the world.
“In Sindh we have archaeological sites of Mohenjodaro reflecting ancient civilisation as old as 2500BC in Punjab, Harrapa that traces its marks back to 2600BC.”
https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/top-thai-buddhist-leader-to-visit-pakistan-1.62415830