Harwan Buddhist site, Kashmir

 

I visited the little-known Harwan Buddhist settlement near Srinagar, Kashmir, with my friends Will (William Collinson) and Kiara (Kiara Windrider). The three of us had met in Srinagar to film for Will's documentary called "End of the World".

The Harwan Buddhist site used to be the epicenter of Buddhism in Kashmir from where it spread westwards. It was here that the Fourth Buddhist Council was held during the reign of Kanishka (c.78 AD). The Buddhist monk Nagarjuna is believed to have lived here.

The sparse remains of the site are scattered over two terraces on the mountainside. On the lower terrace there are a couple of monasteries. On the upper terrace there is an apsidal chaitya (prayer hall / shrine). The view from the terraces is wonderful, and one can imagine that this would have been a great place for learning and meditation. 

In order to reach the site, you need to climb up the mountainside followed by a flight of stairs. We couldn't see any directions or signboards, and an old man speaking in the Kashmiri language waved us in the right direction. I wondered how visitors will reach the place when it's time for him to have his lunch or his afternoon nap.

But don't let that deter you. Harwan is a beautiful place, and any history and archaeology enthusiast should keep it in his or her list of places to visit in Kashmir. 

The remnants of a monastery, which probably had a stupa on the stepped platform

The structure on the right was another monastery

Kiara, myself and Will

This is a chaitya (i.e. prayer hall/shrine) located on the upper terrace. You need to climb up a few steps on the mountainside to reach the upper terrace.

The chaitya has a circular structure used to be the base of a stupa

This rock should be named after me as the first one to have climbed it.

Well, everyone got there in the end.

 

Not many people have heard of Harwan, but it's definitely worth a visit. The ASI caretaker at the site was very helpful, and showed us around and told us many stories. Apparently, bears come out of the mountains after sunset, to feed on the berries that grow near the site. Even panthers have been spotted after sunset. This is why they do not allow visitors to linger around the site after closing hours.

Hope you enjoyed the photo-journey!