Many places in the world are dedicated to a particular religion, but are shaped by another faith. Afghanistan is one such country that sincerely follows Islam, but before its appearance, it was one of the centers of Buddhist teachings. There are a large number of artifacts that confirm the early Buddhism in the country.
Sadly, most of the remains were destroyed during the war, as well as as a result of neglect of historical monuments: museum collections were looted or irreparably damaged. Therefore, serious research is required to find remnants of the rich Buddhist past. The Bamiyan Buddha statues, which were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, are one of the compelling pieces of evidence associated with Buddhist history in Afghanistan.
Bamiyan Buddha statues, which the world has lost forever.
One of the most impressive pre-Islamic sites in Afghanistan, Samangan province has remarkable remnants of a Buddhist past - a highly unusual underground stupa known as Takht-e-Rustam (Throne of Rustam). The stupa was named after Rustam III, the Persian ruler of the Bavand dynasty. Unlike others, this stupa was not built above the ground, but was "carved" into the ground, in a style reminiscent of Ethiopia's monolithic churches.
Stupa Takht-e-Rustam.
Stupa Takht-e-Rustam
At the top of the stupa there is a stone structure called Charmik, which once housed the relics of the Buddha. The channel surrounding the stupa is about eight meters deep. In the inner walls of the stupa, there are several caves and cells where Buddhist monks performed their rituals.
Promotional video:
The cave system inside Takht-e-Rustam.
There are small holes in the roofs that allowed small rays of light to penetrate the caves to create the perfect twilight peaceful atmosphere. The cave monastery has no decorative elements, but it impresses with its engineering feat.
The inner caves of the Takht-e-Rustam stupa.
Why was this stupa carved in such an unusual way?
Historians offer two possible reasons: the first explanation is that this could have been done in disguise - to protect the monastery from invaders; another, much more down-to-earth explanation is that this was done to avoid the extreme climatic conditions of Afghanistan.
Stupa Takht-e-Rustam.
The Afghan name Takht-e-Rustam (Throne of Rustam) refers to a legendary figure in Persian culture. After the Islamization of Afghanistan, when knowledge about the original purpose of the stupa was lost, this structure became known as the place where the marriage of Rustam and his bride Takhmina allegedly took place.
Stupas are symbolic religious “shrines” of the Buddhist world-space. Some ancient astronaut theorists speculate that they may have a connection with mysterious flying ships or "vimanas" that visited Earth 6,000 years ago, according to ancient Vedic texts. In India, the word for stupa is (ikhara (Hikara), which means “mountain peak”. Śikhara very much resembles the Egyptian word Saqqara (Sakkara) - the place of the stepped pyramid or Stairway to Heaven.
What if the ancient Egyptians and ancient Indians told us the same thing about stupas, that they are actually wombs of transformation, stairs or cosmic ladders to heaven?