Frontline Issue 2
Kashmir Smast- Buddhism or Hinduism site?
Kashmir Smast- Buddhism or Hinduism site?
In Asia, the cave temples have always been an important cultural landscape on the Silk Road, representing the pursuit of ancient religion, technology, and material culture. India, Afghanistan, and China all have a large number of cave temple sites. Most of them are Buddhist. Nevertheless, they also include caves of Hinduism, Manichaeism, Taoism, and other religious beliefs. What is puzzling is that, as a vital Buddhism propaganda route, few significant religious caves are found in Pakistan.
The only exception in the Gandhara region is the cave in Kashmir Smast, which further made used of natural caves. The site locates in the Katlang Valley, 50 km northeast of Mardan in northwestern Pakistan. Many sites in the Katlang Valley have an average elevation of 1150 meters and a relatively dry climate. The ecological environment in this area is pleasant, with dense vegetation and minerals such as marble, chlorite, and limestone. The site of Kashmir Smast has long been dilapidated. There are many archaeological remains in the valley and surrounding hillsides, the remains of the top buildings, and the natural caves. At the end of the 19th century, scholars came and conducted preliminary investigations. In 1959, the archaeological team of Kyoto University in Japan conducted excavations here. It confirmed the remains of the site of the surrounding temples. It was speculated that they might be Buddhist cave temples. Later, it gradually became the consensus of the academics.
However, this speculative view has been overturned in recent years. From 1999 to 2016, the University of Peshawar in Pakistan conducted long-term excavations under the leadership of Professor M. Nasim Khan. Following the unearthed carvings of Linga, Shiva, and Vishnu, etc., prove that the place is a Hindu site. According to Professor Nasim Khan's latest archaeological report, "Kashmir Smast-The Earliest Seat of Hindu Learning," 2018. In the book introduction, archaeological excavations also unearthed coins of Wang Mang of the Han Dynasty and Kaiyuan Tongbao of the Tang Dynasty in China. Xuan Zang's record of "at the foot of the mountain, there is a Maheśvara temple where the heretics cover themselves with ashes" might refer to the site.
According to the research of Professor Nasim Khan, the active period of the Kashmir Smast site was from the 2nd century B.C. to the 10th century A.D. The primary use of Brahmi scripts was prevalent, which was different from the Kharosthi scripts used in the Gandhara region. The natural environment and overall planning here show worship of Lord Shiva. It may be one of the birthplaces of Hinduism, or it may be the education center of Hinduism. There are now about 20 well-preserved Hindu temples in Pakistan. The discovery of this Hindu cave temple also provides new evidence for the prosperity of Gandhara's multi-religious era.
Recommended reading: M.Nasim Khan" Kashmir Smast-The Earliest Seat of Hindu Learning," 2018, Peshawar.
The cave temples in Asia have always been an important cultural landscape on the Silk Road, representing the pursuit of ancient religion, technology, and material culture. India, Afghanistan, and China all have a large number of cave temple sites. Most of them are Buddhist. But they also include caves of Hinduism, Manichaeism, Taoism and other religious beliefs. What is puzzling is that there is not few significant religious caves in Pakistan ,which buddhism from Inidan to central Asian .
