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Amluk Dara


Amluk Dara means "wild persimmon hill" in Pashto. It is situated in Swat, an area that corresponds to the ancient state of Uḍḍiyāna, as described by Xuanzang.

The site is located 13 km from Barikot on the Barikot-Buner Road. The main stupa is square in plan, with each side measuring 34.6 m, making it the largest stupa in Swat. The complex features four major monuments: the main stupa, subsidiary stupas, shrines, and a pent-roofed shrine. There are at least eight stone parasols (chattras) that were once part of the stupa. The largest intact chattra measures 4 m in diameter and weighs approximately 9.5 tons. Due to its considerable weight, archaeologists conjecture that the construction of the stupa may have begun with the installation of the central pole (yaṣṭi) followed by the placement of the chattras.

The site dates from the end of the 1st or the beginning of the 2nd century CE until the 9th century CE. The first excavations commenced in 2012, following an incident of illegal looting in which police confiscated a bodhisattva statue that originated from the site in 2011.