Thakt e Bai

Thakt-e-Bai situated at 85 km in the north east of Peshawar is a small town located a few kilometers away from  the main road going to Swat valley. The only tourist attraction in town is the well preserved Buddhist monastery founded in the early 1st century AD. It was successively occupied and expanded from that time until it fell into disuse. Owing to its location on the crest of a hill, it escaped the invasions of the Huns and other antagonistic peoples, leaving it today with much of its original character intact.

Most of the Buddhist monasteries in the neighbouring countries such as Bhutan, China and Nepal were built on the hills and away from the cities and residential areas. This was to allow monks meditate in peace and perfect harmony with the nature. Takht-e-Bai monastery is also in perfect line with this principle as it is situated at the top of a hill, 150 m high from the ground level. During early excavations, many sculptures were found here. Some depicted stories from the life of Lord Buddha while others, more devotional in nature, included Buddha and Bodhisattva.

Upon arrival, we shall walk up the hill to discover the monastery. Thakt-e-Bai was unearthed in the early 20th century and is the only well preserved Buddhist monastery in Pakistan. This monastic complex comprises of a main Court with the main Stupa of almost 10 meters high. It is supposed to enshrine the ashes of Lord Buddha and is surrounded by the chapels. The adjacent court shows us 38 votive Stupas made by the students who lived here and later became Monks. Monks cells can also be seen in the Court. These cells are believed to be originally plastered and painted in different colours.

The town of Takht e Bai is also known for its delicious “Chapple Kabab”, served with hot Naan (local bread). We would recommend you taste this local speciality after this visit.

Takht-e-Bai features a hot semi-arid climate with long and extremely hot summers, dry and relatively mild winters. The weather of the city is extreme during the months of May, June and July, when the temperatures soar to 40-43 °C. From late July till August, the monsoon seasons starts, with heavy rainfall throughout the province. For your information, here below are the average temperatures per month in Takht-e-Bai:

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