As we noted in the previous post, the Taxila area is dotted with almost two dozen monuments of the Gandhara Civilization. One of them, Mohra Moradu, named after a small nearby village, is located at 33°45'39.1"N, 72°51'39.4"E. It is a well-preserved site and one of the most important in the area. It stands on a small hill in a relatively secluded place, appropriate for meditation and prayers. Like other Buddhist monuments, it too has a big stupa and, to the east, a monastery that served as the living quarters for Buddhist monks.
The site was excavated in 1915–16 under the direction of Sir John Marshall. It belongs to the 2nd century AD but was repaired and renovated extensively during the 4th and 5th centuries. The stupa was built over a square plinth, and the base of the plinth was decorated with the finest stucco figures of Buddhas and other holy figures. Some of them are on display in the Taxila Museum. To the south of the main stupa is a smaller votive stupa, also decorated with stucco figures that are still quite visible today. The whole civilization was devastated and uprooted after the attacks of the White Huns in the mid-5th century AD. The monasteries were abandoned, and the Gandhara Civilization never recovered afterward.
Mohra Moradu is one of the main attractions of the Gandhara Civilization in Taxila. One learns and understands a lot about this, now vanished, civilization by visiting this place. The monuments are taken good care of and the surrounding natural beauty adds to their attraction. If you have not seen this place, then you have missed a lot.
Tariq Amir
December 12, 2021.
Islamabad
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