Kabul. A 2,300-year-old Buddhist temple has been discovered by a joint team of Pakistani and Italian archaeologists in north-west Pakistan. Along with this, some other valuable artifacts have also been found in the excavation. This temple has been found in the Buddhist period Bajira city of Barikot tehsil in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This temple has been described as the oldest temple of the Buddhist period in Pakistan.
In this regard, a senior official said, “Pakistan and Italian archaeologists during joint excavations at a historical site in north-west Pakistan have discovered a temple dating back to the Buddhist period, 2,300 years old and other valuable artefacts have also been recovered.” have been done. This temple found in Swat is older than the temples found in Taxila, Pakistan.
In addition to the temple, archaeologists have also recovered more than 2,700 other Buddhist artifacts, including coins, rings, utensils and material written in the Kharoshthi language from the time of King Minandar of Greece. Italian experts have expressed confidence that the historical Bajira in Swat district More archaeological sites can be found during excavations in the city. Italian Ambassador to Pakistan Andre Ferraris told reporters that the archaeological sites in Pakistan are very important for different religions of the world.
Although this is not the first time when the remains of such ancient temples have been found in Pakistan, earlier in the year 2020, during excavation in Swat district of Pakistan, archaeologists found the remains of Vishnu temple. The ruins of this temple showed that there was a Hindu temple at least 1,000 years old. This temple was also discovered by a joint team of archaeologists from Pakistan and Italy. The remains of this temple were excavated among the hills of Barikot Ghundai.