Excellent gateway to Archaeology in Peshawer

Gorkhatri Complex & City Museum Peshawar Gorkhatri Complex and City Museum; When the famous Chinese traveler "Hyun Tsang" passed through the Peshawar region, he mentioned a place where the giant blessed bowl of Buddha was kept, which many historians believe to be "Gorkhatri". (Also called Gorghatri). This bowl is considered very auspicious in Buddhism that Gautama Buddha used to beg in it - According to a report by "Sir Alexander Cunningham", this stone bowl weighed around 350 kg during the reign of Kanishka. First Peshawar and then taken to Kandahar. After staying in Kandahar for a long time, this bowl is now in the Kabul Museum. Gorkhatri (meaning warrior's tomb in Sanskrit) is a fortified, square-shaped complex located on the highest point of Peshawar, near Food Street and Sethi Mahallesi. According to traditions, this place has been considered sacred for more than 2000 years. In the 2nd century AD, it was a Buddhist temple and monastery where the Buddha's bowl was placed on a high place. According to Pakistani historian Mr. S. M. Jafar, it used to be a Hindu Tirth Asthan where pilgrims performed the ritual of shaving their heads. During the Mughal era, Jahan Ara Begum, daughter of Shah Jahan, converted Gorkhatri into a caravan inn and renamed it "Inn Jahanabad". Apart from residential rooms, a mosque, baths and wells were also built here for the convenience of travelers. After the Mughals, when the Sikhs came, this place was converted into the residence and official headquarters of the then Governor of Peshawar, "General Avitable". The Sikh rulers are said to have demolished the Mughal-era mosque and built the Gorakhnath temple for Lord Shiva in the southern part of the compound from 1834 to 1849, which still exists today. There is also a dense grove of Bodhi (peepal) trees near the temple which is considered sacred in Hinduism. The Gorkhatri complex has two main entrances on the west and east sides, while 25 brick and limestone arched rooms on the south side, 14 on the west side, 13 on the north side and eight on the east side present a picturesque view. A notable thing here is the barracks which were probably built during the British period. During the British period, "British Municipal Committee Peshawar" built a fire brigade station in the eastern part, on the forehead of which 1912 can still be seen. Later, the city police station and revenue office were also established there. The first excavation at this important archaeological site was started by Dr Farzand Ali Durrani in 1992-93. A second excavation (which continued until 2007) in the north-eastern part of Gorkhatri proved that Peshawar is one of the oldest living cities in this part of Asia, continuously inhabited. A small museum has been established here on the top floor of a building for public interest, which reflects the history and Pakhtun culture of Peshawar city. Here, in the big glass cabinets, silver and various metal ornaments, men's and women's clothes, shoes, especially different types of Peshawar slippers, bronze and copper vessels, sugar vessels brought for trade in the old times, daily life items. Some of the historical artifacts discovered from the furniture, musical instruments, pottery and ruins can be seen. Very few people know about this museum. Like other museums, photography is prohibited here. Writing and research Muhammad Azim Shah Bukhari