Takht-i-Bhai, Mardan

The monastic complex of Takht-i-Bhai is one of the most well-known, well-preserved,

sites and the only Gandhara site in the Frontier Province that is on the World Heritage
List. Most of the Gandhara pieces in the Peshawar Museum were recovered from Takht-iBhai and Sahri Bahlol. The site of the Takht-i-Bhai is in the Mardan District, about 54 km
northeast of Peshawar. It is about 1771 feet above the sea level and about 570 feet above
the surrounding plains.
General Court, a French Officer in the court of Ranjit Singh, first reported the site in
1836. The site is mainly dated to the Ktishan period, but some earliest structures are dated
to the time of the Parthian king, Gondophares. The complex consists of the main stupa,
votive stupas, monastery complex and the lower cells. The main stupa is in typical
Gandharan style having an elongated dome with square plinth and surrounded on three
sides by chapels. The monastery is located to the north of the complex and has a central
water tank, surrounded by small rooms on all sides. The monks for meditation purposes
used low-level cells in the complex. It is worthy to note that the Chinese travellers, who
visited Gandhara (6th -7th centUry AD), have not mentioned the site of Takht-i-Bahi in
their accounts; probably the site was already abandoned at the time or was off their route.