Tapa Sardar: Echoes of Afghanistan's Buddhist Past

Tapa Sardar, also known as Tepe Sardar or Tepe-e-Sardar, is an ancient Buddhist monastery located near Ghazni, Afghanistan [5]. Rising from a hill and dominating the Dasht-i Manara plain, the site provides a window into Afghanistan's pre-Islamic cultural history [4, 5]. Excavations by the Italian Archaeological Mission, spanning from the late 1960s to 1970s and briefly resumed in 2003, have revealed the site's importance as a religious center from the Kushan period (2nd-3rd century CE) through the 8th-9th centuries CE [4, 5]. An inscribed votive pot found at the site confirms that the sanctuary was known as the Kanika mahārāja vihāra, meaning "the temple of the Great King Kanishka" [1, 4]. This suggests the site was founded during the Kushan period, possibly under Kanishka I or Kanishka II [1, 4, 5]. Some believe it corresponds to the Šāh Bahār (“The temple of the King”) destroyed in 795 CE by a Muslim army [1, 4]. The monastery complex displays two major artistic phases: a Hellenistic phase (3rd to 6th century CE) and a Sinicized-Indian phase (7th to 9th century CE) [5]. After a fire, possibly related to the first Muslim incursion around 671/672 CE, Tapa Sardar underwent extensive reconstruction in the late 7th/early 8th century CE [1, 4]. The site was a prestigious religious center where new artistic forms were established and political ceremonies likely occurred [1, 4]. Discoveries include a colossal clay image of Goddess Durga, highlighting the pre-Islamic, Hindu heritage of Afghanistan [3].