Shingardar Stupa, Swat
Shingardar Stupa is a remarkable site in the Swat Valley. It is circular in plan and one of the tallest stupas in the region. The stupa might be connected to the legend of King Uttarasena from the time of the Buddha. In the record of Xuanzang, the Chinese pilgrim:
“Southwest of Mengjieli City, about sixty to seventy li, there is a stupa on the east bank of a great river. It is over sixty feet high and was built by King Shangjun. In ancient times, when the Buddha was about to pass into nirvana, he told the great assembly, ‘After my nirvana, King Shangjun of the country of Uddiyana should receive a share of my relics.’ When the kings were about to distribute the relics, King Shangjun arrived late, leading to discussions of contempt and neglect. At that time, the assembly of heavenly beings and crowd reiterated the Buddha's command, ensuring that King Shangjun received an equal share of the relics. He then brought them back to his country and built a stupa to honor and venerate them.
“Next to the stupa, on the riverbank, there is a large rock shaped like an elephant. In the past, when King Shangjun was carrying the relics on a great white elephant to this place, the elephant suddenly fell and died. The elephant transformed into a rock, and a stupa was erected beside it.”
However, architectural evidence suggests that the stupa may have been constructed in a later period.
