94 THE GANDHARA SCULPTURES. 



A few months later, my regiment being then encamped at 

 Chakdara, on the north or right bank of the River Swat, I was 

 informed by the headman or Khan of Aladand (two miles S.W. of 

 Chakdara) that a quantity of "biats" (idols) lay buried at a spot 

 on the hill-side, half-a-mile from his village, in the direction 

 of, and near, the Shahkot Pass. By leave of my Commanding 

 Officer I took a fatigue party of sepo}s to the spot shown me by 

 the aforesaid Khan and there, after a little excavation, I found the 

 ruins of an ancient Buddhist stiipa. Unfortunately some previous 

 invaders had completely destroyed (probably many centuries ago) 

 what had once been a beautiful shrine, containing excellent 

 specimens of the sculptor's art. Some fragments of them I col- 

 lected, and, by the help of my men, took back to camp ; and 

 at the first opportunity sent off a small percentage of them to 

 India. The Political Officer, in the interests of the Governments 

 of Bengal and the Punjab, retained this collection and also the 

 sculptures subsequently found by myself and other officers of my 

 regiment. 



The sculptures symbolise the philosophy or doctrine taught 

 by Gautama Buddha (the Founder of Buddhism), a princeling 

 who lived, according to tradition, about the fifth century B.C. 



Two or three centuries after the Buddha's death his teaching 

 became a form of religion, and an order of monks sprang up, 

 who erected monasteries and embellished them with idols and 

 figures carved out of rock or wood, or moulded in stucco, repre- 

 senting legendary scenes in the life of the Buddha. 



Buddhism flourished throughout India till the seventh century 

 of the Christian era, when it began to decay, giving way to 

 other forms of religion, viz. : Brahmanism, Vedism, Saivism, 

 Vaishnavism, Jainism, &c., — and finally disappeared altogether. 



The Gandhara sculptures are found in the ruins of stupas,* 

 in that part of the North-Western Frontier of India, known to 



* Sti"ipa (Pilli = Thupo, Anglo-Indian "Tope") applies to any mound, as a 

 funeral pile or tumulus, hence to domical structures over sacred relics of Buddha 

 or other Sthavira or saint, or as memorials on spots consecrated by some remark- 

 able event in Buddha's life. 



