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Bhamala

Bhamala was built around the 4th to 5th century CE and located in a strategic seclusion with a natural barrier from the river and the hill. The site was excavated by Sir John Marshall between 1913-34 and later between 2012 and 2016 by the Department of Archaeology, Hazara University Mānsehra and Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPDoAM).

The main stupa features a cruciform plan with a flight of steps on each side, and is surrounded by subsidiary stupas and niches. The eastern projecting plinth still preserves a Mahāparinirvāṇa scene. In the latest excavation by KPDoAM, the archaeological team revealed another stupa–Stupa B, on the western side, which also preserves the same scene at the stupa plinth. Around the Stupa B, there are 23 chapels and a chamber that houses the earliest monumental parinirvāṇa statue in Kanjur, which is the earliest colossal size Parinirvana statue, measuring 14 m in length. The sculpture’s carbon dating suggests that this statue was installed in the 3rd century CE, a crucial finding in Gandhāra.