Sphola Stupa, A gateway of Gandhara Civilization to Indus Valley
Sphola Stupa located in Khyber Pass, tribal areas of Pakistan. It is 2.5 km away from Jamrud fort and 6 km of away from Hayatabad a town of Peshawar. Now, it is the part of Khyber district. The ruins of Sphola are sited in Zarai village that is located between Ali Masjid and Landi Kotal.
The Sphola Stupa has a great historical value, as it is believed to be Gautama Buddha’s house, who was the founder of Buddhism. According to archeologists, the stupa was made in 2nd century. This stupa is the only complete stupa in Khyber Pass. The stupa was one of those stupas that made in this region in early stages of Buddhism. According to some sources, the stupa was used as a gateway to the Indus valley. The stupa was the memory of Kushan Empire. From third to fifth century, the Sphola stupa was the Buddhist nexus. The stupa was a great religious site for Buddhism and as it was the house of Gautama Buddha, Buddhists has a great affection for this stupa.
The stupa has great ancient Buddhist architectural styles and designs. The stupa was made up of limestone blocks, supported by small stones. The inner side has rough rubble. The external side had a coating of stucco which is one inch thicker. The monument is located on a top of a rock made up by stones mound and it has a tiered base. From right sides, a number of stones were fallen. The architectural style of this stupa is unique. Two men standing in front of each other with some distance, one is standing on the top of mound while the other one is standing on the pile of rubble to the right. The location is mesmerizing as it has a valley with high mountains on its back. The ruins of stupa consists of a dome with three tiered bases made up of stones.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has a great cultural heritage of Gandhara artifacts. Previous governments never considered this rich and hidden gem of tourism but now the KPK government fully concentrated on finding of these ancient sites of Buddhism. Many international archeologists team are working in KPK. In excavation of Sphola, archeologists finds many coins, worthy stones and many other assets that are very beneficial for government. Sphola stupa has a significance value for monks and by preserving it we can attract many tourists from all over the world. It is a great asset to the religious tourism of Pakistan.
