Hall Of Assembly At Jaulian

Assembly Hall is an integral part of all the Buddhist monasteries.
This spacious hall was used for gathering of the monks and daily
sermons of Chief Monk.
At Jaulian, the original monastery seems to have embraced only the
court of cells and the assembly hall, all the other chambers being
later additions.
The assembly hall is too spacious to be spanned by timbers from side
to side, pillars had to be erected in it to support the roofbeams.
In the assembly hall the existing bases show that there were four such
pillars disposed in a square in the middle of the hall, the
architraves above them being laid probably in a corresponding
square with diagonals from each pillar to the nearest corner of
the room.Walls of the assembly hall subjected to the extensive
repairs in the later period.

Kitchen And Refectory In Jaulian

In the earlier days, therefore, it may be inferred that, in accordance

with established rule, the monks depended for their food entirely
upon charity, eating it forthwith from their begging bowls, and that
it was only in the early medieval period that they developed the idea
of possessing store-rooms and kitchens of their own, and of embarking
generally on a more luxurious mode of life.kitchen and refectory,
were too spacious to be spanned by timebers from side to side, pillars
had to be erected in each of them to support the roof beams.in the
refectory the existing bases show that there were four such pillars
disposed in a square in the middle of the hall, in the kitchen a
raised stone pilnth, near its middle and running from east to west,
suggests that there were two pillars here carrying the rool numbers.
This room possesses a drain of rough limestone,besides several
millstones and grinding slabs to small storeroom belonging
to the kitchen is round bench of stone,about 1 ft. 5 in. high,
running round three sides of the chamber.In the floor of the latrine
nare the eastern entrance, is a square depression about 6 in. deep,
paved with limestone flags.

Stairway In jaulian

The Stairway leading to the upper story is situated next to the
chapel.There must have been some special reason for placing it where
it is and it's explanation maybe that on entring the monastery the
monks made a practice of paying their devotions, in passing, at the
chapel before going to their cells, and perhaps repeated the
devotions when leaving the monastery.
The stairs are divided into two flights,with six steps in the lower
and nine in the upper, and the passage-way which connected the
stairs with the upper veranda returns again at right angles to the
upper flight.Possibly there was a second chapel above the ground-
floor one, but more probably the latter occupied the full height of
both stories.It would have been contrary to Buddhist practice to
construct a cell for habitation over the holy images.

Subsidary Stupas in jaulian

Of the small subsidiary stupas there are twenty-one set in close
array in the upper court, five in the lower and one in the western
court.In their essential features they are, as might be expected,
diminutive copies of the larger edifice, but they doffer from it in
the decoration and shape of their plinths, which were square in plan
insteas of oblong and usually enriched with more elaborate ornament.
In every case the core of these builddings is of rough rubble, faced
as a rule with soft kanjur stone in which the main features of the
decoration are blocked out and then finished off in lime syucco, the
details of the architectural members and the erliefs being modelled
throughout in stucco.Plinth of the stupa A 15 is faced with large
diaper masonry similar to the emploved in the older parts of the
main stupa and monastery, and it is likely that this is one of the
earliest among the small stupas, although it was redecorated at a
later age.The domes had in very case perished, but some remains of
the harmika and umbrellas with which they were crowned were found in
the debris of the courtyard.
The schems of decoration on the plinths of these stupas, although
as a rule richer and more intricate than that on the main structure.

The Chapel In Chamber 8 In Jaulian

The chapel in chamber 8 is smaller then the adjoining cells, and must
have been designed in the first instance for the reception of images.
Originally, there appear to have been thirteen figures in it, of
which remnants of eight have been preserved.All are composed of clay
and all the figure were too numerous and too bulky for the heat to
penetrate through them, and as a consequence they are not so well
preserved as in the alcoves of the open verandia.At the time of
excavtion some figure were in some what recognizable condition, such-as
one of the figures aganist the east wall was Maitreya holding a
flask in his left hand but due to future dacay after exposure, their
faint features have been disappeared leaving only inner core of the
sculptures.The clay casing of the door-frame was decorated with foliate
designs consisting, apparently, of a meander pattern relieved by
half-lotuese.

Chapel With Buddha Image

This small chapel containing a singularly fine group of stucco figures,
one of the best preserved of their kind in the centre is seated the
Buddha in the attitude of meditation (dhyana-mudra), with a standing
Buddha to his right and left and two attendant figures behind.Of the
latter, the one to the left carries the fly-whisk (chauri), the other
is the vajrapani holding the thunderbolt in his left hand.On the central
image are still traces of the red and black paint and of the gold leaf
with which it.and doubtless the other figures also, were once bedecked.
The original figures have been removed to the museum and replaced, in
the chapel, by plaster cests.

Water Pond Of Jaulian

Layout of all the monasteries of gandhara was almost same and water 
pond in the middle of the monastery court was an integral part of it.
Apparently, purpose of this depression was to drain-out the rain
water from the court of the monastery, but in the living Buddhism,
the Buddhist monks have a practice to grow lotus flowers in it and
the pond remains full of water all the time.So the practice must have
been same in the ancient times.The deression in the middle of the
court is a little over one ft. deep and provided with four sets of
steps, one in the middle of each side.On its southern side a drain,
passing beneath cell 21, carries off the excessive rain water discharged
into it from the roofs.
One a platform at the south-east corner of the pond is a small
bathroom provided with entrance on its northern and southern side
and furnished with a drain on its west side.Which dischacges into
the pond.The walls of the bathroom are of late semi-ashlar masonry
and are now standing to a height of about 5 ft. and it has two
doorways.

Monastery Of Jaulian

The Monastery has a court of cells with intermal measurement of about 97 ft.
from north by 106 ft. from east to west, and courtyard, with an open
depression in it's centre and a line of cells fronted by a broad
veranda on every site.The main entrance into the courtyard is on the
west, where it communicates with the lower stupa court.On the opposite
side is another doorway leading through chamber 15 to the assembly
hall and the other common rooms.On the north side of the court the small
chamber numbered 8 on the plan served as a chapel, and next to it is
a stairway giving access to the upper story.The rest of the chambers
on the ground-floor, to the number of twenty-six, served as calls
for monks, and the monastery had two stories with, on doubt, a
corresponding number of cells on the upper floor, it followers that
there was accommodation in it for some fifty-two monks. the cells
vary in their dimensions and are somewhatirregular. With the exception
of no.20. each cell is provided with one or two wall niches closed with
a pointed arch. Windows are provided at a height of from 6 to 10 ft. above
the floor-level and from the outside appear merely as narrow slits in
the walls,but towards the interior are splayed out, asin the loopholes
of a fortress.
The doorways of the cells were furnished with slightly sloping jambs
and out, were plastered with mud.Inside of the cells were found a
number of water-vessels.In front of some of the cells and facing on
the veranda are small alcoves containing groups of figures.

Healing Buddha In Jaulian

Seated Buddha figure with a circular hold at the navel and an ex-voto
inscrition in kharoshthi beneath,recording that it was the gift of
one Budhamitra, who delighted in the law (dharma).The hole at the
navel was intended for a suppliant to place his finger in when offering
prayers against certain bodily ailments.
The healing Buddha is widely worshiped in Myanmar Tibet,china and japan.
According to popular belife in those countries, some illnesses are
effectively cured by merely touching his image or calling out his name.
Discovery of the image of healing Buddha at jaulian indicates that the
cult was originated from Gandhara around 3th-4th century or may be
eather and afterward it spread over the whole Buddhist World.

Jaulian (part 5)

Jaulian stupa and monastery for their historic and architectural
importance have been declared "protected antiquity" under the
Antiquities Act-1975. And who so ever will destroy, break,damage,alter
,injure, deface or mutilate or scribble, write or engage any inscription
or sign on any antiquity shall be punishable under section 19 of the
said Act with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to
three years or with fine of Rupees 200,000/- or with both.

Jaulian (part 4)

Some of the finest stucco sclptures have been shifted to Taxila Museum
for preservation. Other finds included fragments of a Buddhist
manuscript, written in sanskrit language and Brahmi characters of 5th
century and copper coins of late kushana and lndo-sassanian rulers.
Although, jaulian had its own charm but perhaps due to economic strain
which followed the ruthless invasion of white Huns towards the end of
5th century, it was deserted and was left to share the decay and end
with other Buddhist establishments in Taxila valley.

Jaulian (part 3)

Five other votive stupas occupy the lower court.
The monastery on the east is located on a slightly higher level,
measures 97 feet by 106 feet with an open low quadrengular court in
the middle and a line of calls all around with a covered verandah
in front. On the Buddha and another one accommodated the staircases
for the upper part. Assembly hall is with four pillar bases. Other
structural remains south of the assembly hall are of kitchen,
storeroom, dinning hall and a guard's room close to the eastern
entrance.

Jaulian (part 2)

Jaulian, perching 300 feet above surrounding field, represent a
Buddhist Stupa and Vihara of late kushana era. Mr. Natesa Aiyar
excavated site in 1916-17 under the direction of Sir John marshall.
The main Stupa, provided with a tell square plinth and offset
projection for the stupa plinth, divided in bays with pilasters,
adorned with colossal seated figures of the Buddha in meditarion.
On the eastern side a Buddha image, inscribed in kharoshth with the
name of monk donor, Budhamitra Dharmanadin. Around the main Stupa in
the upper court, twenty-one square votove stupas are constructed.

Jaulian

Jaulian has been inscribed in 1980 the world heritege List of the
convention concering the protection of the world ciltural and natural
heritage.Inscription on the list confirms the exceptional universal
value of a cultral site, which deserves protection for the benefit of
all humanity.