Manikyala Stupa: A Testament to Buddhist Compassion

1. Case description: a stupa of sacrifice

Manikyala (Mankiala) Stupa is a large Gandhāran Buddhist stupa near Tope Mankiala in Pakistan’s Punjab province, about 36 km southeast of Islamabad.(Wikipedia) According to the Jātaka tales, the Golden Light Sūtra and local belief, the stupa marks the place where the Bodhisatta—here called Prince Sattva—sacrificed his body (or body parts) to feed seven starving tiger cubs.(Wikipedia)

Architecturally, the stupa is usually dated to the Kushan period (reign of King Kaniṣka, c. 128–151 CE). Some traditions, however, also link it to Aśokan relic distribution, suggesting it may be one of 84 stupas built to house portions of the Buddha’s ashes.(Wikipedia)

In 1830 the Italian officer Jean-Baptiste Ventura excavated the mound and discovered relic deposits deep in the dome. These relics—including a gold reliquary—were removed during British rule and are now held in the British Museum, labelled as the last Buddhist relic deposit from the Manikyala Great Stupa.(Wikipedia)

Manikyala today is a partly ruined, partly restored structure. The dome shows a huge cut where earlier plunderers dug into the core to reach relic deposits.(Wikipedia) Modern descriptions speak of a “long-neglected” Gandhāran site suffering from encroachment and damage, though recent projects by Pakistani and foreign partners have begun stabilisation and conservation work.(greenpaktourism.com)

Thus the stupa is both an ancient monument of compassion and a contemporary heritage site in need of care.

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2. Buddhist lens: karuṇā and dāna in stone

In Buddhist interpretation, Manikyala is an architectural retelling of one of the most radical Bodhisatta stories:

• Prince Sattva finds a tigress who is too weak to feed her cubs.

• Out of karuṇā (compassion) and dāna (giving), he offers his own body so the cubs can live.(Wikipedia)

This Jātaka-type story highlights several doctrinal themes:

1. Bodhisatta ideal – The future Buddha is willing to sacrifice even his life for animals, not only for humans. This stretches mettā and karuṇā beyond boundaries of species and status.

2. Perfection of giving (dāna-pāramī) – Prince Sattva’s act is the extreme form of generosity, where the body itself becomes the gift. This is remembered as inspiring, not as a literal demand on ordinary practitioners.

3. Kamma and moral memory – The stupa stands where the sacrifice is believed to have taken place; it “marks” the spot in karmic geography. Pilgrims who circumambulate the stupa recall the story, reflect on their own willingness to help the weak, and generate merit (puñña) by honouring the Bodhisatta’s virtue.

4. Relics and narrative – Whether or not Buddha relics were physically enshrined here, the primary “relic” is the story itself. Stone and bricks encode a moral teaching: this is a place where compassion became action.

So Manikyala is a kind of frozen sermon on compassion and selfless giving. For thesis, it shows that very early Buddhist heritage sites often communicate ethical lessons, not only political power.

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3. Peace Studies lens: compassion, vulnerability and cultural peace

From a Peace Studies viewpoint, the Prince Sattva story and its stupa have clear peace implications.

• The central act is non-violent and protective: the strong one gives up his life so the weak may live. In modern terms, it models protection of vulnerable beings, a theme that connects easily with animal welfare and environmental ethics.

• The story challenges everyday structural violence against animals—the normalisation of their suffering—by making their survival the focus of heroic virtue.

• As a pilgrimage site, Manikyala offers a shared moral narrative for visitors from different backgrounds. Even non-Buddhists can recognise the value of compassion and self-sacrifice. This supports what Galtung calls cultural peace: symbols and stories that make non-violence and care seem natural and admirable.

At the same time, the present condition of the site—looted, damaged, and long neglected(Wikipedia)—shows structural and cultural violence against heritage. A monument built to honour compassion has itself suffered from greed and indifference. For Peace Studies this is an important tension: physical neglect of such a symbol weakens its peace potential, while proper care can reactivate it as a resource for education and reconciliation.

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4. Governance and SDG 11: heritage protection and museum custody

For governance, Manikyala illustrates several key issues:

1. Archaeological protection and SDG 11.4
   Manikyala is a legally protected archaeological site in Pakistan. Conservation and stabilisation require cooperation between national archaeology departments and, in some projects, foreign partners.(greenpaktourism.com) This aligns with SDG 11.4, which calls on states to protect cultural heritage as part of sustainable communities.

2. Relics in foreign museums
   The relics and gold reliquary excavated in 1830 were exported and now belong to the British Museum.(Wikipedia) This raises sensitive questions about colonial extraction, ownership, and possible future loans or repatriation. Whatever legal position one takes, these objects are now cared for in a professional museum environment—with cataloguing, conservation, and controlled display—which partially fulfils the duty to safeguard them. At the same time, the disconnect between stupa and relics invites debate about more equitable, dialogical custodianship.

3. Heritage tourism and local development
   Manikyala has potential for heritage tourism linked to Gandhāran Buddhist routes. If managed with community participation, revenue-sharing, and careful site management, such tourism can support local livelihoods while educating visitors about Buddhist compassion. That would connect SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) with SDG 8 (decent work) and SDG 16 (respectful, inclusive institutions).

4. Narrative preservation
   Governance of the site is not only about stones; it is also about preserving and communicating the moral narrative of Prince Sattva’s sacrifice. Good signage, guided tours, and educational materials can help visitors understand the karuṇā and dāna message of the stupa, not just its age and dimensions. In your thesis, this fits your argument that relic and stupa custodianship should always include ethical education, not only technical conservation.