Archeology
| Location | Artifacts found | Other information |
|---|---|---|
| Hindu Temple at Khair Khana in Kabul. | Marble statues of Surya, a Hindu solar deity. | |
| Gardez | Statues of Durga Mahishasuramardini. | They show, as the Sanskrit name says, the Indian goddess Durga, the consort of Shiva slaying the buffalo demon. |
| Hindu Temple at Chaghan Saray in the Kunar Valley in eastern Afghanistan. | Temple complex | |
| Tapa Skandar 31 km north of Kabul. | Remains of settlement dating to the second half of the first millennium AD. Marble statue of Shiva and his wife Parvati. | |
| Tapa Sadr near Ghazni. | Statue of the Parinivana Buddha (Buddha lying down at the end of his cycle of rebirths). | 8th century AD |
| Gardez | Śāradā script engraved on a marble statue of Indian elephant deity Ganesh. | 8th century AD |
| Nava Vihara Balkh | ||
| Airtam Near Termez | A stone slab with a Bactrian inscription and a carved image of Shiva. | |
| Tepe Sardar, Ghazni | Large Buddhist monastery complex | The main Stupa is surrounded by many miniature stupas and shrines, ornamented with clay bas reliefs. There were several colossal statues of the Buddha, included one seated and of the Buddha in Nirvana. In one shrine which is in the Hindu style a clay sculpture of Durga slaying a buffalo-demon was found. |
| Homay Qala in Ghazni | Buddhist Cave Complex at Homay Qalay. | |
| Tepe Sardar Ghazni | Durga clay - 10th Century. | 10th Century AD. The cult of Durga was popularised during the Sahi period as several images of this deity are found in Afghanistan. |
| Various | Coins of the Shahi rulers of Panjab and Afghanistan have been found. | 650-1000 AD These coins were issued from at least eight mint towns, which suggests a wider range for their circulation |
| Buddhas of Bamyan Bamyan Province Hazarajat region |
Believed to be built in 507 AD, the larger in 554 AD | |
| Khair Khana Kabul | Hindu Temple, two marble statues of Shiva | |
| Basawal | Basawal is the site of a Buddhist cave temple complex in eastern Afghanistan. The caves, 150 in all, are partly hewn out in two rows and arranged in seven groups, which presumably correspond to the seven monastic institutions of Buddhist times. | |
| Buddhist cave complex at Homay Qala |
Read more about this topic: Pre-Islamic Hindu And Buddhist Heritage Of Afghanistan
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“As the archeology of our thought easily shows, man is an invention of recent date. And one perhaps nearing its end.”
—Michel Foucault (1926–1984)