Last Updated on: 2nd April 2026, 11:10 am
Located in western Pakistan – not far from the Afghan border – Takht Bhai is one of the most important Buddhist archaeological sites in the ancient Gandhara region. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, it’s one of the best-preserved monasteries of its era. But for a variety of reasons, only several hundred international visitors make it here each year.
In Persian, ‘Takht’ means throne and ‘Bhai’ means water. You’ll often see the monastery complex also spelled as Takht-i-Bahi. But as Takht Bhai is just easier to say and write, that’s the version of the name we’ll be sticking with for this guide.
The monastery complex dates back to at least the 1st century AD and it was eventually abandoned around the 7th century. It was then largely forgotten about until a French officer in the service of Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh mentioned it in 1836.
Takht Bhai can be reached as a day trip from Peshawar. But fair warning – the experience of getting there can be rather confusing and stressful. Learn all about it at the end of the article.
Visiting Takht Bhai Monastery
The archaeological site is located just outside of the town of Takht-i-Bahi, which is around 15 km away from the city of Mardan. At the time of writing, entrance to the site costs PKR 500, plus an additional 500 rupees if you want to take photos.
Upon paying the entrance fee, an armed officer that I’d briefly chatted with upon my arrival proceeded to follow me, and he’d remain by my side throughout my entire visit. Apparently, this is standard procedure at this site.
The ancient monastery complex is situated atop a large hill, roughly 150 m above street level. And it’s probably its isolated location that largely spared Takht Bhai from the same level of destruction by the White Huns as seen at Taxila.
Takht Bhai was founded during the Indo-Parthian era, at a time when the king Gondophares (r. c. 19 – c. 46) ruled over Gandhara. We know this from an inscription – written in the Pali language in the Kharoshthi script – now on display in the Lahore Museum.
Interestingly, the Kharoshthi script is derived from Aramaic and was likely introduced to the region by the Persian Achaemenid Empire several centuries prior. To make matters even more interesting, Gondophares was actually a Zoroastrian himself!
But as evidenced by Jandial Temple in Taxila, Gondophares was also a big fan of Hellenic art and architecture.
Takht Bhai then continued to flourish under the Kushan Empire, a major Buddhist kingdom whose capital was at Peshawar. And they continued to expand it.
And the monastery complex would continue to be occupied and expanded until the 7th century AD. Despite largely being spared by the White Huns, economic reasons likely prevented new donations from flowing in to keep the monastery afloat.
Oddly, Takht Bhai was not mentioned by either Faxian (337– c. 422 CE) or Xuanzang (602—664) – two prominent Chinese monks who visited Peshawar and kept extensive journals of their travels. (Some speculate, however, that Xuanzang did visit but just didn’t name it directly.)
What visitors can see today is only a small fraction of the total archaeological complex, which stretches out to 98.35 acres (39.28 hectares).
And as we made our way up the hill, I could see extensive ruins along neighboring hilltops, though none of them were accessible to visitors. This is likely due to a combination of unfinished excavations and security concerns (the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, is said to be active in this general area).
Making our way to the main complex, we arrived at the Court of Many Stupas, a section which dates back to Takht Bhai’s origins during the Indo-Parthian era.
It contains as many as 35 small stupas packed inside a dense area. In the Buddhist world, funding the construction of a stupa has long been seen as a way to accumulate merit for a more favorable future rebirth.
A neighboring court, meanwhile, is home to a single large stupa. And though only the platform remains, this would’ve been Takht Bhai’s Main Stupa.
The platform measures out to around 6×8 meters, while the stupa that once stood atop it could’ve been as tall as 10 meters.
And it’s surrounded by multiple niches that originally contained statues of the Buddha and various other divinities.
A lot of Takht Bhai’s beautiful sculptures and decorative art – among the finest examples of Gandhara Art – are now on display at the Peshawar Museum. Several examples are pictured below.
One of the highlights of Takht Bhai is getting to walk up to the Upper Terrace area which overlooks the Main Stupa and Court of Many Stupas. From here, one can enjoy sprawling views of the entire complex.
Even with a bird’s eye view of the complex, Takht Bhai’s layout doesn’t get any less confusing!
That’s partly because it was expanded in multiple stages over the centuries. The first major expansion took place in the 3rd or 4th century AD during the Kushan period, while another, later Kushan expansion occurred in the 4th-5th century.
And then a final construction period occurred in the 6th-7th century AD.
Looking behind me, I could see an even higher structure situated atop a rocky outcrop, though it was inaccessible at the time of my visit. It’s unclear which era it dates to.
As mentioned, an armed guard was tagging along with me during my visit. And though he mentioned a couple of times that I had the option to hire an additional guide, I told him that I wasn’t interested.
But fairly early on in the visit, a local archaeologist approached me and made small talk. As we chatted, he started leading me around the complex, and the next thing I knew, I’d inadvertently joined a guided private tour.
He did, at least, provide some interesting details about Takht Bhai. And after the Upper Terrace, he led me to the monks’ living quarters which likely dates to Takht Bhai’s earliest period.
The area has 15 cells arranged on three sides which is likely where monks lived. Like other monasteries in Gandhara – such as those of Taxila – it featured a water pond in the middle in which monks would grow lotus flowers. Accordingly, the courtyard was never roofed over.
Next, we headed to one of the more interesting – and more ‘recent’ – sections of Takht Bhai. Within a dark tunnel are ten monks’ cells constructed for the purpose of meditation.
Constructed sometime in the 6th or 7th century AD, the cells are believed to have been created by followers of Vajrayana Buddhism, also known as esoteric or Tantric Buddhism.
The underground cell area also has its own adjacent open-air courtyard, but its original purpose isn’t entirely clear.
Returning back up the steps to the main level, we then headed to the Three Stupa Court. The ruined stupas are now guarded by fences and under a protective roof.
The small stupas were originally adorned with sculptures created of stucco and schist, similar to some that you’ll find at Taxila. The stucco figures here no longer remain, however – at least from what I could see.
Now, a random assortment of stone and pottery fragments lies atop the broken stupa, and it’s unclear what fate awaits them.
After touring the main accessible structures, I pointed out some nearby areas that were being worked on by archaeologists. But it wasn’t possible to get a closer look at the time of my visit.
One wonders what future lies in store for the archaeological site of Takht Bhai. While undoubtedly a visually impressive and historically significant site, numerous geographical and political concerns are keeping tourists away.
But if you get the chance during your time in Peshawar, you probably won’t regret it. But how does one get there? Check below to find out.
Additional Info
As mentioned, Takht Bhai can be reached as a day trip from Peshawar, as it’s located about 65 km outside the city. But getting there (and back) turned out to be far more stressful and confusing than I’d anticipated.
Considering how the situation could always change, rather than a step-by-step guide of what to do, I’ll just be recalling my experience so you have an idea of what to expect. You can then make up your own mind on how to approach this excursion.
The archaeological site is about 16 km outside the city of Mardan. So my plan was pretty straightforward – take a bus to Mardan and then find a local minivan (which I had read exist) headed to the village of Takht-i-Bahi – an easy walk to the archaeological site.
Based on my online research, I could get to Mardan via a rather luxurious bus run by the Daewoo company. I also ran my plan by a couple of locals who said that it sounded like a good idea.
And so I got up early the next morning, getting to the Daewoo bus station just in time to buy a ticket and board the 8:00 bus.
I clearly told the ticket seller that I was going to Mardan and he seemed to understand. But when looking at my ticket, it didn’t say ‘Mardan’ but ‘Rashakai.’ But since the bus was about to depart at any moment, I hurried to reach my seat.
Once on board, I double-checked with the bus conductor that the bus was indeed headed for Mardan. I even showed him Google Maps, pointing at Mardan’s bus terminal. He assured me that yes, we’d be headed there.
Shortly before Mardan, we stopped in Rashakai (the town mentioned on my ticket), but I stayed on the bus because the conductor assured me we’d be going to Mardan. But a woman got on with the same assigned seat number as me, and once the staff came over, they informed me that this was my stop. The bus would not be going to Mardan!
I complained to them that they’d told me multiple times that the bus was stopping in Mardan. Their excuse was that Rashakai was part of the city of Mardan, so they were technically correct.
I do find Pakistan to be one of the most friendly and hospitable countries in the world, but communication issues with people in the transport industry were a regular source of frustration.
Since my plan to was to rely entirely on public transportation, I asked around if there was a public bus headed to Mardan, but nobody could give me a straight answer.
Local tuk tuk drivers started approaching me with offers, but I initially ignored them, hoping a bus would appear soon. But eventually, after standing around for a bit, a driver made me a decent offer to take me to Takht Bhai, wait for me, and then take me back to Rashakai station.
We agreed on PKR 2000 – a very good price given the distance. It was a long 45-minute drive from Rashakai to the archaeological site (it would’ve been 20 minutes from central Mardan).
My driver was friendly (as most people are in Pakistan), and we chatted about various topics throughout the journey. He even stopped to buy a watermelon which we’d end up eating upon arrival.
But once we finally got to Takht Bhai, we encountered a heavy security presence. And the police immediately told my driver that he wouldn’t be able to take me back, as foreigners aren’t supposed to be traveling independently in this area.
The police would, at least, be providing me with a free ride back themselves when I was finished with my visit. But first, the police, my driver and I all sat around eating watermelon. And then it was time for him to leave without me. Feeling bad, I paid him the entire amount.
When finished with touring the ruins, I did indeed get a police escort to the nearest station. They were all friendly, but I was still felt baffled by the whole situation. There was no way to know that foreigners weren’t supposed to visit Takht Bhai independently, and I still don’t understand how they expect people to get there.
The police dropped me off at a small bus stand in the town of Takht-i-Bahi, and I rode in a cramped and dilapidated minivan back to Peshawar. And then to my surprise, the final destination was a random bus terminal in the middle of nowhere in the far north of the city.
So what would I have done differently? Honestly, I really don’t know. Maybe you could take a local minivan from Peshawar to get closer to the site. And then negotiate with a driver to only take you to Takht Bhai one-way. But it doesn’t seem like there’s any proper way to get there independently according to the rules.
Most travelers will probably be coming to Peshawar via bus from Islamabad. The ride lasts about 2.5 hours, and the main company running the route is Daewoo. You can book tickets online on sites like Bookme.pk.
In terms of getting around town, the InDriver app works fine in Peshawar, but I also sometimes hailed taxis on the street. I found most local drivers to be fair and honest.
Peshawar, of course, is located near the Torkham Border with Afghanistan. So for people entering Pakistan from that direction, Peshawar will be their first stop.
I did experience that notorious border crossing, albeit in the other direction. There’s so much to write about that I can’t possibly include all of the important details here. But stay tuned for an upcoming article detailing the full experience of entering Afghanistan from Pakistan.
As a side note, the Afghan consulate in Peshawar is widely regarded as the easiest place in the world to obtain an Afghan tourist visa, and I got mine there with ease.
One could also theoretically do a loop involving traveling from Islamabad to Gilgit-Baltistan before heading west to Chitral. And then there are supposed to be direct buses from Chitral to Peshawar.
But there are MANY variables involved in such a journey (weather, road conditions, security issues), so you’ll have to do lots of research to keep yourself up-to-date on the situation.
Before going further, note that all of this info could change at any time, so be sure keep yourself up to date on the situation by following relevant online forums or Pakistan travel-related Facebook groups.
Due to various security concerns and local rules, tourists aren’t always able to explore central Peshawar independently. Furthermore, a lot of local hotels – especially the budget ones – will outright deny foreign guests, probably because they don’t want to deal with the hassle of informing local authorities.
The common hotels in Peshawar are the ones you’ll find on Booking, such as Shelton House Peshawar, VIP House Peshawar, Peshawar Barracks Hotel Estb-1867.
While I can’t say for sure, these hotels are likely to inform the local police who will chaperone you around town (see this recent Yes Theory video for an example.)
But what if you just want to explore Peshawar on your own?
There is a hotel in town that hosts foreigners and (allegedly) doesn’t immediately inform the authorities. It’s called Al Ibadat Hotel and it’s a simple budget hotel located in the center. But though I contacted them well in advance through WhatsApp, they claimed to not have any availability at all for my dates. I found that a bit odd, and wondered if they were perhaps just softly rejecting me due to the situation at the time.
Supposedly, foreign travelers can come to Peshawar as a day trip, and since they’re not staying at a local hotel, the authorities won’t immediately be informed. As mentioned above, you could technically visit from Islamabad as a day trip if you time things right.
But what if you want to stay multiple days?
They key is to stay a little bit outside of town, but still within easy taxi distance from the city center. That’s what I did, and I made sure to contact my Airbnb host in advance with various questions so that I was clear on the police situation before my arrival.
(I won’t post the link for privacy reasons, but contact different hosts and you should be able to figure it out.)
And so, as mentioned, I was able to enter the city and walk around freely. Despite sticking out like a sore thumb, the police never stopped and questioned me. But I was told that if they did, it’s best to just say you’re visiting Peshawar as a day trip from another city.
It’s also possible that I was just lucky, as I have heard some reports of the police still wanting to chaperone day trippers. So the situation seems to be changing constantly.