Museum of Pakistan – Re:Discover Pakistan

07.02.2023 update

The Creatures Depicted on the Indus Seal, Mohenjodaro

I’m sure there are many people who like this design of the Indus Seal. In fact, this is one of the sources of inspiration we used to make the Indus Caravan logo.

Often, a representative motif is this Zebu. It is often called the “Indus cow” and it is drawn with reverence as a god.

There are traces of ink on the seal, evidence that the seal was used as a stamp like a Japanese Hanko would be used. Seals have been found excavated in Mesopotamia and the Arabian Peninsula, with the motifs and lettering of Indus Seals. This proves that trade between Mesopotamia, the cities of the Gulf Coast, and the Indus Civilization which is of great interest to archeologists around the world.

Well, I love animals. So, I collected “creatures depicted on Indus Seals” that I found from the exhibits of the Mohenjodaro Museum.

There are animals depicted that do not really exist. The unicorn seems to have been a popular motif. Perhaps that is an incense burner in front of the unicorn?

The seals often have 2 to 5 characters, which are still mysterious characters that have still not been deciphered yet.

This creature has multiple heads, of either a unicorn, cow, gazelle or ibex. It is exciting, isn’t it?

This creature with the armored body is a rhinoceros. Even though there are no rhinos in Pakistan today (extinct), it seems they used to live there long ago.
Today, in the entire Indian subcontinent, Rhinoceros (Indian Rhinoceros) live only in Kaziranga National Park, in northeast India and Chitwan National Park, in Nepal’s Tarai Lowlands. It has gone extinct in the neighboring countries of Bhutan and Bangladesh as well.

Indian Rhinoceros seal.

This seal depicts an engraving of an Elephant. The Asian elephant has become extinct in Pakistan, but it is said that they used to be distributed all the way to Western Asia.

This image is probably a tiger. The Bengal Tiger also is no longer found in modern Pakistan, but once lived along the Indus Valley.

This too, must be a tiger image.

Besides the seals, I also found an ibex drawn on the pottery. It seems to depict a Sindh Ibex adorned with beautiful horns.
At the Mohenjodaro Muesum, I was fascinated by their exhibit on the Indus Seals.

Photos & text: Mariko SAWADA

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Category : - Indus Civilization > - Mohenjodaro > - Monument / Heritage of Sindh > ◆ Sindh > ◇ Heritage of Pakistan > ◇ Museum of Pakistan
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14.07.2020 update

Lahore Museum

Dating back since 1865, the Lahore Museum has a very long history. Opened in its current position in 1894, it is arguably the best museum in Pakistan, with its architecture and exhibition methods.

Built during the British Indian Empire, this is an “Indo-Saracenic architecture” building with elements of the Victorian’s Gothic Revival architecture and mixed with the traditional Indian architecture, was created by Lahore architect Sir Ganga Ram.

When you hear the term “Indo-Saracenic architecture” it might bring to mind the famous Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Station (formerly Victoria Station) in Mumbai, India, but you can also see similar buildings in old towns across Pakistan.

In 1875-1893, during the period of the British Indian Empire, the father of the writer Rudyard Kipling, most famous for his “The Jungle Book”, served as the director of the Lahore Museum. Later Lahore was featured in Kipling’s work, “Kim” which describes life during that time.

This is the entrance to the Lahore Museum. It starts with an exhibition of wooden carved doors from the Swart Valley.
This museum has galleries for each significant period of history of Pakistan, and features a wide variety of exhibits such as the Indus Valley Civilization (which may have ended now), Gandhara art, Mughal dynasty, the British Indian Empire era and more.

This museum is home to a world-renowned treasure of Pakistan: “The Fasting Siddhartha” It is a work from the 2nd to 3rd centuries, excavated from the ruins of a monastery in Sikri (Khaībar Pakhtūnkhwā).

“Siddhartha traveled around the country after he left home, seeking the way, by the end he had spent six years of ascetic fasting in the forest. He lost weight, but he couldn’t get enlightened through this practice. ”

From the depressed eyes to an emaciated body where the blood vessels and supporting bones are visible. The statue expresses the divine spiritual power that has gone through rigorous training, this image is said to be the essence of Gandhara art.

“The Fasting Buddha” is also exhibited at the Peshawar Museum in addition to being shown at the Lahore Museum.

A stone stupa excavated from the same site at the Sikri ruins is on display near the Fasting Buddha statue.

This is a statue of Hārītī (Hariti), protector of childeren. This was also excavated from Sikri.

Hārītī was known as a cannibal demon that kidnaps children. After learning from the Buddha, the feeling of loss by the parents who suffered from the death of their children, she became a “guardian deity of children” as she began to love both her own children and others. In addition, Hārītī was said to have about 500 or 1,000 children, so she is also called the “guardian of safe delivery.” She has pomegranate flowers adorning her hair, which is also a symbol of “fertility.”

Doesn’t this Hārītī have the look of a Greek goddess, like the goddess of fate, Tȳchē? It is a work that expresses the fusion of Eastern and Western civilization and art in Gandhara, where Greek gods appeared in Buddhist art.

And this is part of the Indian Gallery.

When you visit on a tour, you will spend almost all the time at the Gandhara Gallery (mainly with “The Fasting Buddha” statue when it’s a busy period), and you won’t have much time to see the other galleries, but this museum has many attractions such as miniature art from the Mughal Empire.

Photo & text: Mariko SAWADA
(Photos are from a trip in Oct 2019 – Feb 2020)
Location: Lahore Museum, Lahore, Punjab

Category : - Monument / Heritage of Punjab > - Gandhara > ◆ Punjab > - Lahore > ◇ Heritage of Pakistan > ◇ Museum of Pakistan
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05.07.2020 update

Taxila Museum

The Taxila Museum is where the artifacts from the archeological sites around the area are displayed. It is a very old museum built in 1928 when Pakistan was under the British Indian Empire.

In the hall, you will find displayed the Gandhara Buddha stucco (carried from the ruins), the pedestal of the Stupa, and the Buddhist legend engraved on the schist that once decorated the base of Stupa.

This is a replica of the votive Stupa at Mohra Moradu. It is a small stupa with seven-layered umbrella cover, and the real artifact is left in the monastery of the ruins.

This stupa is very similar to the one found at the top of Sanchi Stupa in India. There is a flat square and topped with “umbrellas.” Surrounding it is the “summit railing” in which the wooden fence has been replaced with stone.

As part of the stupa display, you can see these decorative stones.

This is the base of the votive Stupa. You can see the Buddha statue, with Greek columns between each panel, as well as the Atlas God supporting the base of the pedestal.

There are many exhibits that symbolize the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. This piece shows a festoon pattern. This displays a young man holding a wavy festoon (garland of flowers), which originated in Greece and Rome, and was very popular in Gandhara.
The cupid seems to carry the raised part of the festoon, and the lower part is decorated with grapes and a ribbon.

This looks like a foreign person standing beside the Buddha statue. A stunning stucco statue that was decorating the Jaulian ruins and according to the description, it is “probably the consecrator and his wife.” It is thought that they are of the Saka race due to the shape of the hat.