In this busy life one have to take some time for outing to get relax and enjoy. You might visit to many places around the globe, but here i am going to introduce you to an old Buddhist civilization, culture and art.
Ranighat (Urdu: رانی گٹ) is a collection of 2nd century CE Buddhist ruins spread over an area of 4 square kilometers which dates from the Gandhara civilization. Ranigat is located in Buner valley of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
According to the archaeologists, Ranighat remained the center of Buddhist art and culture for centuries. Ranighat, has been a celebrated part of folklore, with songs and stories having been written about it.
‘Rani’ is a Hindi word that means ‘Queen’ while ‘gh
at’ is a Pashto word which means a ‘huge rock’. The remains of the valley, which owes its name to the huge standing rock on the top of the mountain that shoulders the ruins, can be seen from far off areas of the district.
This area used to be a fairy-land for foreigners and many, including Japanese, came here for studies in the ancient times to learn Buddhism. Being a part of origin of Buddhist Gandhara Civilization it has also attracted re-construction funds from Japanese research institutes. Beside the reconstruction of the site they also arranged for way in the mountain to facilitate the visitors.
The site of Ranighat is situated on the top of a ridge, where the remains of the region's largest Buddhist monastic complex reside. Structures on the site include stupas, monasteries, shrines, drainage networks, and other buildings. Ranighat is a 2500-year-old Buddhist archaeological site belonging to the Gandhara civilization and is a good evidence of the Buddhist past of the area.
The site can be reached by climbing the stairs constructed by the Japanese. The main attractions include; Stupas, monasteries, drainage systems and a big rock erected by the ancient people at some distance that they probably used to worship. The city was beautifully designed and stones from the local mountains have been extensively used. Ranighat is easily accessible through M1 or (Motorway) or N35. It is about 20 km away from Swabi and 100 km from Peshawar or Islamabad.
