Shingerdar

Shingerdar: part of the valley of the river Swat in northwestern Pakistan, known for several important Buddhist monuments.

When you travel along the river Swat from Bit-Kot to Ude-Gram, you will see several Buddhist monuments.

Stupa of King Uttarasena

The most remarkable of them is the stupa at Shingerdar (also spelled as Shankardâr), which is connected, in local legend, to a king named Uttarasena. This man is said to have collected, on his master's own command, the relics of Buddha, and have stored them in this huge stupa.

Unfortunately, the stupa of king Uttarasena was not built in the late fifth century BCE after the Buddha's ascent to Nirvana, but in the sixth century CE. Many elements in this building betray Greek influences, which forces us to date this monument rather late.

In the foreground of the second photo, you can clearly see a road that is actually cut through the foundation of the stupa. Maybe, this was a needless act of vandalism, but on the other hand, now we can get a better impression of the monument's size. (The actual monument measures 18 meters, and the foundations are 8 meters deep.)

In the basement of the stupa of king Uttarasena, there's a hole, used by treasure hunters who tried to obtain relics of Buddha.

This third picture offers a close-up of the brickwork of the stupa. Notice the "Greek" pilasters.

Elephant Rock

The legend informs us that the relics were brought to Shingerdar by a white elephant, which petrified and became the Elephant Rock. It is just a kilometer away from the stupa of king Uttarasena. You need a bit of fantasy, but then you will recognize that this rock indeed resembles the head and trunk of an elephant. (Go here if you don't see it.)

Ghalagai

Two kilometers beyond Shingerdar, very close to the Elephant Rock, at Ghalagai, Buddha is sitting close to the road. A zealous and pious Sunna Muslim who took his faith's prohibition to make pictures of human beings very seriously, took care to destroy to the face of the ancient statue. (In September 2007, the Taliban tried it for the second time, but in vain; in early 2008, they had more success.)

Gogdara Rock

Near Ude-Gram, Gogdara rock is just off the main road in a small village. According to several scholars, the petroglyphs were incised in c.1000 BCE. Many travelers, including Alexander the Great, may have seen the animals and chariots you can see over here. On the right-hand side, you will notice that there are several more recent additions.

This is a Buddhist addition from the sixth century CE.

Personally, I liked the contrast between the ancient reliefs and the Pathan children that were playing next to it. Unfortunately, the valley was taken over by the Taliban in 2008, and I would not be surprised if the ancient monuments were now destroyed.