It is believed that the Dharmarajika Stupa was built over the remains of an even older stupa that had been built by the
Mauryan emperor King
Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE
Indo-Greek coins found at the site date from the 2nd century BCE, suggesting earliest possible establishment of a religious monument at the site. Small stupas that predate the main stupa are found throughout the Dharmarajika site, and surrounded an earlier core stupa in an irregular layout. It is known that the earlier core stupa contained a pathway for
circumambulation that was made of plaster, and decorated with shell bangles in geometric patterns. The earlier stupa likely had four gates in axial directions. The site came under control of Persian
Sassanid rule, and suffered a period of stagnation. Large-scale developments took place during the late Kushan and
Kidarite era which added numerous monasteries and stupas to the site.
Destruction The site was devastated by the
White Huns in the 5th century CE, and then abandoned. Subsequent rulers, such as the Hun king
Mihirakula, persecuted the region's Buddhists. Under his reign, over a thousand Buddhist monasteries throughout Gandhara are said to have been destroyed. The White Huns destroyed not only Taxilan sites, but also devastated nearby
Peshawar.
Excavation The stupa was excavated by
Sir John Marshall in 1913. The stupa had been looted several times prior to Marshall's discovery, and was badly damaged. Marshall noted that a large trench, requiring tremendous effort, was built at some point in the past in order to loot the stupa's precious relics. By 1934, enough of the site had been uncovered that the site's scale could be appreciated. Human skeletons were discovered in the open area immediately south of the stupa, and may be the remains of monks who were killed during the invasion of the
White Huns. ==Layout==