Shaji-ki-Dheri

Shaji-ki-Dheri is the site of the Kanishka Stupa, a monumental Buddhist structure built by Kushan Emperor Kanishka in the 2nd century CE, located about 6 km from Peshawar, Pakistan. Excavated in 1908-09 by archaeologist David Brainard Spooner, the dig uncovered the Kanishka casket, a rock crystal reliquary containing bone fragments believed to be relics of the Buddha, inscribed in Kharoshthi script. The stupa featured a cruciform foundation with four staircases and corner bastions. Chinese pilgrim Faxian in the 5th century described it as the highest tower in the terrestrial world, with ancient estimates reaching 560 feet. The site is now unpreserved and has been built over.