Karachi, Aug.18 : The Buddhist religion is virtually extinct in Pakistan, as there is not even a single monastery in the country which once remained a hub of Buddhism.
Pakistan, where the Gandhara
civilization is believed to have flourished, holds an eminent place in
the Buddhist theology. However, due to continuous suppression and
disregard over the years the religion slowly died out from the region.
The
Goethe-Institute of Pakistan organized a visual presentation of
Buddhist relics on Monday in order to arouse interest and create
awareness regarding Buddhism.
The presentation which was
delivered by Department of Archaeology and Museums, Assistant Director,
Mehmood-ul-Hassan, focused on the life of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha and
the development of the Buddhism in the region, The Daily Times reports.
Hassan
said Buddhism was heavily destroyed in the region after the invasion of
White Huns. Following the invasion Buddhists started migrating to
Far-East Asia.
He said second Buddha was born in Swat and that is the reason why the Valley region was rich with Buddhist relics.
He
urged the government to introduce courses of arts and heritage in the
schools and colleges so that students could know about their culture
and heritage.
'We have no other option but to save these relics, these are our cultural identities,' said Hassan.
