1. Case outline
The Dharmarajika Stupa, also known as the Great Stupa of Taxila, is one of the earliest and largest Buddhist stupas in the Gandhāra region, located near modern Taxila in Punjab, Pakistan.(Wikipedia)
Sources agree that it originated as an Ashokan relic stupa: either built by Emperor Aśoka in the 3rd century BCE directly over relics of the Buddha, or re-built in the 2nd century CE (Kushan period) on an Ashokan core to enshrine bone fragments of the Buddha.(Wikipedia) Excavations uncovered a silver casket with a Kharoshthi inscription and tiny bone relics, confirming that Dharmarajika functioned as a dhātu-garbha stūpa, a relic depository.(Wikipedia)
Around the main mound, a ring of smaller stupas and later monasteries developed over centuries, funded by different donors: Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian and Kushan patrons. The layout shows a central relic stupa with a circumambulation path and processional avenues lined with subsidiary stupas and devotional images.(Wikipedia)
The site flourished until it was devastated by the White Huns in the 5th century CE, then abandoned.(Wikipedia) It was excavated in the early 20th century by Sir John Marshall, who documented looting trenches cut into the main mound and recovered numerous reliquaries, coins, and sculptures.(Wikipedia) Today Dharmarajika forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Taxila, with many reliquaries and artefacts preserved in the Taxila Museum.(Wikipedia)
In 2016, two bone relics from Dharmarajika were temporarily sent to Sri Lanka, where they were displayed at major shrines and attracted more than 9 million devotees in one month—a modern example of international relic sharing.(Wikipedia)
2. Buddhist meaning: relics and the spread of Dhamma
From a Buddhist perspective, Dharmarajika stands at the point where relics, kingship, and missionary activity meet.
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As an Ashokan relic stupa, it represents the moment when Aśoka, after his conversion, redirected imperial resources from warfare to supporting the Buddha’s teaching—building stupas, sending missions, and distributing relics so that many regions could have a physical focus for buddhānussati (recollection of the Buddha).(Wikipedia)
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The enshrined bone fragments make Dharmarajika a powerful symbol of both presence and impermanence: the Buddha has passed into parinibbāna, yet tiny pieces of his body remain as supports for faith. The later looting and partial destruction of the stupa underline anicca again—showing that even sacred monuments and relic-shrines are vulnerable to time, greed and violence.(Wikipedia)
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The name Dharmarajika (“of the Dharma-king”) links the stupa either to the Buddha as Dharmarāja (“Lord of the Law”) or to Aśoka as a ruler who tried to model dhammic kingship, governing with moral law rather than cruelty.(Wikipedia)
So Dharmarajika is not only an archaeological ruin; it is a material sermon on how rulers and communities can honour the Buddha: not by conquest, but by spreading and protecting the Dhamma.
3. Peace Studies angle: imperial support for non-violent teaching
In Peace Studies terms, Dharmarajika represents an early example of “peaceful imperial policy”:
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After the violent Kalinga war, Aśoka famously embraced non-violence and moral rule, using edicts, missions, and stupas to promote compassion, restraint, and respect for all beings. Dharmarajika is one of the clearest architectural traces of that policy.(Wikipedia)
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The stupa and the monastic complex around it made Taxila a hub of Buddhist learning and pilgrimage, drawing monks and merchants from across trade routes. This created networks of soft power and cultural exchange, where ideas and ethics travelled alongside goods instead of armies.(Wikipedia)
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Its later destruction by the White Huns is a stark contrast: the same site that once symbolised non-violent teaching became a victim of violent imperial expansion. The layers of building and destruction make Dharmarajika a textbook case of how peace and violence alternate around sacred heritage.(Wikipedia)
The 2016 loan of relics to Sri Lanka is almost the opposite story: instead of invasion, we see cooperative sharing. Millions of Sri Lankan devotees could venerate Dharmarajika relics in a peaceful, ritual context, strengthening Buddhist identity and cross-border friendship.(Wikipedia) That is a clear example of positive peace built through heritage.
4. Governance and SDGs: early state–saṅgha partnership and modern heritage care
Finally, Dharmarajika can be read as an early and modern example of state–saṅgha partnership, relevant to SDG 11 (heritage cities and communities), SDG 16 (strong institutions) and SDG 17 (partnerships).
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In the Ashokan period, the stupa shows the state actively funding religious infrastructure: land, masonry, reliquaries, and support for monastic communities. This is an ancient form of public–religious partnership, where the king uses resources not to control doctrine but to provide a stable base for ethical teaching and social welfare.
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In the present, Dharmarajika is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Taxila, managed by Pakistani archaeological authorities, with relics and reliquaries held in the Taxila Museum. Conservation, site management, and visitor education all require clear policies, budgets, and staff—modern tools of governance that echo Aśoka’s old idea that rulers should protect the sāsana and its sites.(Wikipedia)
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Ongoing conservation efforts and the documented vulnerability of the site to looting, weathering and urban encroachment highlight the fragility of relic heritage and the need for sustainable protection strategies, aligning directly with SDG 11.4’s call to safeguard cultural heritage.(Grokipedia)
