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314:"A desire thus arose in ….at that time the four world-regents learnt the mind of the king. So for his sake they took the form of young boys…. began a stupa of mud....the boys said to ‘We are making the Kanishka-stupa.’….At that time the boys changed their form.... said to him, ‘Great king, by you according to the Buddha’s prophecy is a Sangharama to be built wholly (?) with a large stupa and hither relics must be invited which the meritorious good beings...will bring."
324:
91:
139:
38:
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658:
632:"The king proceeded to widen the foundation of the Great Tower 300 paces and more. To crown all, he placed a roof-pole upright and even. Throughout the building he used ornamental wood, he constructed stairs to lead to the top....there was an iron-pillar, 3-feet high with thirteen gilded circlets. Altogether the height from the ground was 700 feet.”
926:"Three days' travel from this city to the west, there is a great monastery which was the residential monastery of Bodhisattvas Vasubandhu and Asanga. The monastery is called Kaniska. There is a great stupa which constantly glows. The monastery and the stupa were built by the former king Kaniska, so the monastery was named after him."
997:
Fenet, Annick (2020): « "In other words, authentic relics of the Buddha himself !" La fouille du stūpa de
Kanishka à Shāh-jī-kī-Dherī (février-mars 1909) », in S. Alaura (ed.), Digging in the archives. From the history of oriental studies to the history of ideas, Roma (Documenta Asiana
367:
measured 175 feet (53 m), though the plinth had large staircases at each of the stupa's sides. In total, the base of the stupa may have spanned 272 feet (83 m) on each side. The plinth was likely decorated with sculpted reliefs, while niches built into the dome's four cardinal points was
1277:
384:
400:
268:
The stupa was built during the Kushan era to house
Buddhist relics, and was among the tallest buildings in the ancient world. The stupa is also famous for its Buddhist relics, which were transferred to the U Khanti Hall at
416:
682:
960:
453:
noted in the early 6th century that the tower had been struck by lightning at least three times, having been rebuilt after each strike. The tall stupa with a copper top acted as a
1370:
673:
The site has not been preserved. The location was re-identified in 2011. It is located outside the Gunj Gate of the old Walled City of
Peshawar and is called Akhunabad.
1365:
363:
stupa with a tower-like structure, with four staircases and four corner bastions, and possibly pillars at each corner. The stupa's symmetrically cross-shaped
310:, which first described how Kanishka would arrive 400 years after the death of the Buddha. The account also describes how Kanishka came to raise his stupa:
516:
478:): "The monastery is called Kanishka. There is a great stupa which constantly glows. The monastery and the stupa were built by the former king Kanishka".
1065:
1267:
1599:
759:
394:, of a cruxiform shape. The central square plinth is 175 feet (53 m) wide, the full width, including the stairs is 272 feet (83 m).
57:
556:
152:
1360:
621:, which ancient travelers claimed was up to 560 feet (170 m) tall, though modern estimates suggest a height of 400 feet (120 m).
731:
Marshall, John H. (1909): "Archaeological
Exploration in India, 1908–9." (Section on: "The stūpa of Kanishka and relics of the Buddha").
1624:
1146:
1414:
1156:
1151:
1037:
368:
inlayed with precious stone. The tall wooden superstructure was built atop a decorated stone base, and crowned with a 13-layer copper-
911:
876:
816:
713:
442:
In the 5th century CE, stucco imagery was probably added to the site, in keeping with contemporary popularity for
Buddhist imagery.
298:"The Buddha, pointing to a small boy making a mud tope…. that on that spot Kanishka would erect a tope by his name." Vinaya sutra
90:
1521:
532:
1568:
544:
1227:
1609:
1486:
866:
457:. This propensity to attract lightning strikes may explain the dearth of any surviving examples of wooden-tower stupas.
406:
A Stupa-shaped reliquary, the design of which might be used to explain the reported great height of the
Kanishka stupa.
1247:
1604:
1252:
1242:
1070:
1257:
1573:
1409:
466:
1516:
1080:
1030:
487:
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made such buildings act as lightning rods, which could explain why such towers have all but disappeared.
1441:
432:
The stupa's wooden superstructure was rebuilt atop the stone base, and crowned with a 13-layer copper-
1222:
1541:
1506:
1496:
1421:
1399:
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1136:
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641:
The stupa is believed to have influence later constructions of "tower stupas" throughout ancient
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201:
130:
323:
1619:
1614:
1536:
1023:
907:
872:
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806:
755:
709:
703:
486:
The stupa was discovered and excavated in 1908–1909 by a
British archaeological mission under
437:
373:
343:, between 150 and 300 CE, but probably circa 151 CE, with a shape similar to the contemporary
749:
1120:
1060:
471:
1557:
1551:
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containing three small fragments of bone, relics of the Buddha (which were transferred to
491:
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1141:
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270:
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1182:
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visited
Gandhara and saw the Kanishka monastery and stupa, of which he said in his
37:
422:
Stupa with a square base, and pillars at the four corners, Gandhara 2nd
Century.
378:
Modern estimations suggest that the stupa had a height of 400 feet (120 m).
1546:
1526:
1461:
1456:
1404:
1391:
1307:
1217:
1115:
1110:
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976:
D’Ancona, Mirella Levi. (1949): "Is the Kaniṣka
Reliquary a work from Mathurā?"
1380:
1302:
1197:
1192:
618:
507:
225:
617:
visited the structure and described it as "the highest of all the towers" in
294:
According to Buddhists the building of the stupa was foretold by the Buddha:
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961:
Gandhara civilisation: Revered Buddhist site rediscovered near Peshawar
609:
433:
407:
369:
1325:
1317:
987:
The Asiatic Society of Bengal Monograph Series, Vol. XVIII. Calcutta.
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567:
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The stupa was rebuilt under Kushan rule in the 4th century CE into a
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929:
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336:
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187:
1019:
1001:
Hargreaves, H. (1910–11): "Excavations at Shāh-jī-kī Ḍhērī."
42:
1899 engraving showing the remnants of the Kanishka Stupa in
1015:
1008:
Spooner, D. B. (1908-9): "Excavations at Shāh-ji-Dherī."
947:
Spooner, D. B. (1908–9): "Excavations at Shāh-ji-Dherī."
990:
Dobbins, K. Walton (1968): "Two Gandhāran Reliquaries."
683:
List of tallest structures built before the 20th century
661:
Buddha relics from Kanishka's stupa were transferred to
588:
found at the site of the Kanishka Stupa and containing
932:
Memoir of the pilgrimage to the five kingdoms of India
645:. The construction of wooden towers topped with metal
467:
Memoir of the pilgrimage to the five kingdoms of India
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1316:
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1165:
1129:
1053:
220:
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980:, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Dec., 1949), pp. 321–323.
327:Probable initial appearance of the first stupa.
490:, and led to the discovery in its base of the
211:400 feet (120 m) to 560 feet (170 m)
1031:
743:
741:
8:
628:describes the stupa in the following terms:
21:
16:Stupa on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan
897:
895:
1169:
1038:
1024:
1016:
36:
28:
20:
1066:Achaemenid invasion of the Indus Valley
694:
512:
380:
754:. Abhinav Publications. pp. 82–.
727:
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339:was probably built after the death of
97:
64:
860:
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852:
850:
848:
748:Rai Govind Chandra (1 January 1979).
253:during the 2nd century CE in today's
7:
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838:
836:
834:
832:
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733:Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
596:, Pakistan, while the relics are in
1147:Hellenistic influence on Indian art
985:The Stūpa and Vihāra of Kanishka I.
1152:Silk Road transmission of Buddhism
14:
241::कनिष्क स्तूप ) was a monumental
1522:Post-Mauryan coinage of Gandhara
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543:
531:
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415:
399:
383:
302:The same story is repeated in a
137:
96:
89:
63:
56:
1569:Silver Reliquary of Indravarman
522:Statue of the Buddha, probably
1010:Archaeological Survey of India
1003:Archaeological Survey of India
949:Archaeological Survey of India
906:. Asian Educational Services.
811:. Grafikol. pp. 179–180.
460:In 726 CE, the Korean pilgrim
1:
1600:History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
1487:Aramaic Inscription of Taxila
994:, 18, 1968, pp. 151–165.
963:, Manzoor Ali, 27 August 2011
355:Second stupa (4th century CE)
983:Dobbins, K. Walton. (1971):
928:Hyecho (14 February 2023).
494:, a six-sided rock crystal
347:stupas and the addition of
1641:
1625:Buddhist sites in Pakistan
390:Ground plan of the second
335:The original Kushan stone
1157:Art of Gandhara by museum
902:Longhurst, A. H. (1995).
708:. Grafikol. p. 180.
475:
110:Kanishka stupa (Gandhara)
50:
35:
26:
1071:Greek conquests in India
1574:Hephthalite silver bowl
619:the "terrestrial world"
281:after their discovery.
1517:Saptarishi Tila statue
1081:Greco-Bactrian kingdom
904:The Story of the Stupa
865:Le, Huu Phuoc (2010).
805:Le, Huu Phuoc (2010).
735:, 1909, pp. 1056–1061.
702:Le, Huu Phuoc (2010).
670:
601:
592:of the Buddha, now in
506:) and a dedication in
488:David Brainard Spooner
332:
868:Buddhist Architecture
808:Buddhist Architecture
705:Buddhist Architecture
660:
583:
576:Contemporary accounts
550:Remains of the stupa.
326:
77:Shown within Pakistan
1610:Buddhism in Pakistan
751:Indo-Greek Jewellery
604:In the 400s CE, the
538:Excavations in 1910.
510:involving Kanishka.
319:First stupa (150 CE)
257:on the outskirts of
113:Show map of Gandhara
80:Show map of Pakistan
998:XI), 2020, p. 63-90
245:established by the
168:33.9994°N 71.5918°E
164: /
23:
1605:Stupas in Pakistan
1542:Treasure of Begram
1507:Buddhas of Bamiyan
1497:Kanishka reliquary
1137:Greco-Buddhist art
1086:Indo-Greek kingdom
790:Quoted in Kumar 89
781:Quoted in Kumar 91
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602:
341:Kanishka the Great
333:
131:Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
1587:
1586:
1537:Rukhuna reliquary
1475:
1474:
1410:Chakhil-i-Ghoundi
1361:Lalchak monastery
1012:, pp. 38–59.
1005:, pp. 25–32.
761:978-81-7017-088-4
526:(Kanishka stupa).
331:, 2nd century CE.
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1061:Gandhara kingdom
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1558:Brussels Buddha
1552:Standing Buddha
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1415:Tapa-i Kafariha
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971:Further reading
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586:Kanishka casket
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1532:Shinkot casket
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1502:Stone palettes
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1228:Sikri Yusufzai
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1213:Loriyan Tangai
1210:
1208:Kanishka stupa
1205:
1203:Shaji-ki-Dheri
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1179:
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1096:Indo-Parthians
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1091:Indo-Scythians
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1076:Mauryan Empire
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653:Current status
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584:The inscribed
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329:Loriyan Tangai
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235:Kanishka Stupa
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1564:Bajaur casket
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1188:Sahr-i-Bahlol
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59:
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34:
25:
19:
1556:
1452:Sphola Stupa
1447:Khair Khaneh
1356:Kunala Stupa
1346:Mohra Muradu
1331:Dharmarajika
1293:Pushkalavati
1273:Saidu Sharif
1183:Takht-i-Bahi
1116:Hindu Shahis
1009:
1002:
991:
984:
978:Art Bulletin
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882:. Retrieved
871:. Grafikol.
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234:
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194:Part of
18:
1547:Wardak Vase
1527:Kabul hoard
1462:Tepe Narenj
1457:Tapa Sardar
1442:Fondukistan
1405:Tapa Shotor
1392:Afghanistan
1308:Sikri stupa
1248:Shingardara
1218:Jamal Garhi
1166:Archaeology
1111:Turk Shahis
1106:Alchon Huns
767:13 December
624:In 520 CE,
482:Excavations
446:Destruction
410:monastery.
171: /
147:Coordinates
1594:Categories
1381:Bhir Mound
1303:Hashtnagar
1253:Ali Masjid
1243:Aziz Dheri
1198:Aziz Dheri
1193:Baho Dheri
689:References
562:Statue of
508:Kharoshthi
351:reliefs.
290:Background
202:White Huns
159:71°35′30″E
156:33°59′58″N
29:کنشک اسٹوپ
1480:Artifacts
1437:Mes Aynak
1288:Charsadda
1263:Ahin Posh
1223:Yusufzai
643:Turkistan
608:Buddhist
496:reliquary
361:cruciform
304:Khotanese
1620:Peshawar
1615:Kanishka
1422:Shotorak
1390:Eastern
1376:Mankiala
1366:Badalpur
1174:Peshawar
1047:Gandhara
951:, p. 49.
934:(往五天竺國傳)
884:24 March
677:See also
663:Mandalay
626:Sung Yun
600:, Burma.
598:Mandalay
500:Mandalay
451:Sung Yun
308:Dunhuang
275:Mandalay
263:Pakistan
259:Peshawar
251:Kanishka
239:Sanskrit
134:Pakistan
127:Peshawar
123:Location
1432:Bimaran
1427:Paitava
1371:Bhallar
1351:Jandial
1341:Kalawan
1336:Jaulian
1298:Ranigat
1283:Barikot
1278:Chakpat
1238:Bhamala
1130:Culture
1054:History
647:chatras
610:pilgrim
606:Chinese
472:Chinese
408:Jaulian
285:History
221:Periods
216:History
1326:Sirkap
1318:Taxila
1258:Sphola
910:
875:
815:
758:
712:
637:Legacy
614:Faxian
590:relics
568:Hariti
564:Kubera
476:往五天竺國傳
474::
462:Hyecho
438:chatra
434:gilded
374:chatra
370:gilded
365:plinth
349:schist
247:Kushan
208:Height
1400:Hadda
1176:basin
667:Burma
504:Burma
392:stupa
337:stupa
279:Burma
273:, in
249:king
243:stupa
188:Stupa
1268:Swat
908:ISBN
886:2017
873:ISBN
813:ISBN
769:2012
756:ISBN
710:ISBN
566:and
233:The
226:C.E.
224:2nd
200:and
184:Type
265:.
1596::
894:^
827:^
795:^
740:^
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665:,
502:,
277:,
261:,
237:(
129:,
1039:e
1032:t
1025:v
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888:.
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470:(
440:.
376:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
