Day Two
Second day of the Gandhara Festival began with school trips to the Dharmarajika archaeological site where storytelling sessions were held. Japanese Counselor and head of Culture and Public Information Section, Mr. Ryuji Iwasaki also visited the site and was briefed by C2D team. A Korean delegation also visited the site and was briefed by a digital archaeology student from Swat University who was invited by C2D to conduct story telling sessions on the site.
Students from two schools visited the Dharmarajika site and they attended the storytelling sessions as well as received information about the site. The students also visited the Taxila Museum and attended the Gandhara Festival. They were shown around the photographic exhibition and briefed about the Jain and Buddhist histories in Gandhara, Punjab, and rest of ancient Pakistan. Students and teachers expressed a great deal of excitement and joy on attending the event, saying that they had never understood the history of an old civilization in such an easy and interesting way before, adding that they would like such events to happen again in Taxila.
The Pakistani Buddhist community representatives, who have come all the way from Sindh at the invitation of C2D to attend the festival, spent the day visiting the photographic exhibition and paid visit at Dharmarajika Stupa, a sacred land for them. Moreover, visitors from all walks of life thoroughly enjoyed their visit while appreciating the efforts of all organizers including Government of Punjab, PTEGP, UNESCO, World Bank and Center for Culture and Development (C2D).
Media Coverage
- https://tribune.com.pk/story/2323318/gandhara-festival-kicks-off-today
- https://www.dawn.com/news/1650388
- https://www.urdupoint.com/en/amp/pakistan/roots-or-routs-exploring-pakistans-buddhis-1368509.html
- https://www.urdupoint.com/en/amp/pakistan/five-day-gandhara-festival-in-full-swing-at-t-1368849.html
- https://tribune.com.pk/story/2323457/religious-tourism-to-boost-local-industry
Glimpses from Day Two
Day Three
Media Coverage
- https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/898292-gandhara-festival-underway
- https://pni.net.pk/en/entertainment-news/five-day-gandhara-festival-in-full-swing-at-taxila-museum/
- https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/gandhara-festival-attracting-diverse-audience-1371060.html
- https://pakobserver.net/diplomats-students-bhuddist-community-visit-gandhara-festival/
- https://nation.com.pk/08-Oct-2021/diplomats-students-bhuddist-community-visit-gandhara
Glimpses from Day Three
From Newspapers