Saidu Sharif - Butkara (Butkada) Stupa

Butkara (Butkada) Stupa

One of the most important Buddhist shrines in Swat, is near the museum. The stupa, which dates from the 2nd century BC, was possibly built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka to house some of the ashes of the Buddha. In subsequent centuries, it was enlarged five times by encasing the existing structure in a new shell. Italian excavators working in 1955 exposed the successive layers of the stupa, each layer illustrating a stage in the evolution of building techniques.

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