Heritage Trail

A historic first for Taxila!

For the first time ever, community representatives and local residents—in collaboration with the Directorate General of Archaeology, Government of Punjab, and SRO Taxila—organized the Taxila Heritage Trail Walk, hosted by the Gandhara Resource Center Pakistan (GRCP), Gandhara Taxila Centre for Development (GTCD), and Taxila Baithak under the Gandhara Odyssey initiative.

A large and diverse group, including students, children, media personnel, and community members, joined the 9.5 km Taxila Heritage Trail, covering key archaeological landmarks. The occasion was especially graced by Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat, Managing Director of Green Tourism. The delegation was led by representatives of Gandhara Odyssey, GRCP, GTCD, and Taxila Baithak, while Mr. Maalik Ali Ushtar and Mr. Tahir Salman briefed participants on the objectives, significance, and historical value of the trail.

The walk began at Dharmarajika and continued through Kunala Stupa, Bohar Ban, Gandhara Art Village, concluding at the Mohra Muradoo Monastery, with historical insights shared at every stop. The enthusiasm and engagement of all participants were truly inspiring.

In his concluding remarks, Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat (MD Green Tourism) praised the collaborative efforts of all partners—including the Government of Punjab, Directorate General of Archaeology, GRCP, Gandhara Odyssey, and Taxila Baithak—for organizing the first-ever heritage walk in Taxila. He highlighted the enormous potential of Buddhist tourism, noting that with 525 million Buddhists worldwide, 224 million in China belonging to Taxila Heritage Trail and attracting even 1% of this tourist flow could significantly uplift the regional economy.

He emphasized the need for:

Plantation along the trail and surrounding mountains

Preservation of Taxila’s historic characte

r

Discouraging unplanned urban expansi

on

Protecting the once-thriving citrus orchards introduced by Wakefi

eld

Exploring the many yet-unexcavated archaeological sites across Taxila

This landmark walk marks the beginning of many future initiatives to promote heritage preservation, sustainable tourism, and community engagement in Taxila.

A heartfelt thank you to all participants and collaborators for making history toget