1,300-Year-Old Hindu Temple Uncovered in Pakistan

BARIKOT, PAKISTAN—According to a Press Trust of India report, traces of a 1,300-year-old temple have been found in northwest Pakistan’s Swat district by a team of Pakistani and Italian researchers. Fazle Khaliq of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Department of Archaeology said the structure, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, was built during the medieval Hindu Shahi period and is the first temple built by the Ghandhara civilization to be found in the Swat district. The excavation also revealed evidence of a military encampment, watchtowers, and a water tank that may have held water for bathing before worship. For more on archaeology in the Swat Valley, go to "Burials and Reburials in Ancient Pakistan."