Common heritage: South Korean monks step through Peshawar’s window to Gandhara

Eight-member delegation visits Peshawar Museum, part of their visit to see Buddhist sites.

PESHAWAR:

An eight-member delegation of Buddhist monks from South Korea visited Peshawar Museum on Wednesday. Earlier, the monks performed religious rituals for the peace and stability of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) at the Gandharan Jaulian monastery in Haripur.

“Though our culture and religion are different, our grand ancestors were the same. It’s a link that keeps us close to each other,” said Haan Sang Beom, one of the monks, to The Express Tribune at Peshawar Museum. The South Korean delegation is currently in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) for a visit.

They said they had received a very warm welcome by the people of the province, contrary to the impression the world has of the region. “People think Pukhtuns hate statues and Buddhism but we found nothing of the sort here,” said Beom.



However, the monks were dismayed to see parts of ancient Gandhara sites in ruins; a condition they attributed to a lack of financial resources for preservation.

“Nonetheless, it was heart-warming when I first laid eyes on the stupas and statues, they still seem honoured by the people,” said Lee Sung Hee. She shared the monks offered special prayers at the ancient sites, also praying for stability and religious harmony in Pakistan. They usually offer such supplications on the first and 15th of the month or around the time of the full moon.

According to Bakht Mohammad, the curator of Peshawar Museum, there are 50,000 Gandharan artefacts from 1CE to 7CE. “When we refer to the Gandhara era, we mean the Buddhist era,” said Mohammad. He briefed the monks about the museum and the historical importance of the Peshawar valley.

Mohammad added the Directorate of Archaeology will arrange for the monks to see all Buddhist sites of the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2014.