Bhir Mound
Bhir Mound ( Urdu: بھڑ ماونڈ ) is the oldest of the ruins of Taxila in Pakistan's Punjab province.
Excavations
The ruins of Bhir Mound were excavated from 1913 to 1925 by Sir John Marshall. His work was continued by Sir Mortimer Wheeler 1944-1945 and Dr. Mohammad Sharif 1966-1967. Further excavations were carried out in 1998-2000 by Bahadur Khan and in 2002 by Dr. Ashraf and Mahmud al- Hassan.
The ruins
The ruins form an irregular shape extending about 1 km in north-south direction and about 600 meters in east-west direction. The oldest layer of these ruins is from the sixth and fifth centuries BC The second layer is from the fourth century and was inhabited the Great during the invasion of Alexander. The third layer is from the time of the Maurya kings of India (third century BC). The fourth and top layer contains structures from the period after the Maurya dynasty.
The streets of the state system are narrow and the houses are irregular. There is otherwise little evidence of urban planning. The houses have no windows towards the outside. The room opened to a courtyard inside. The courts were open and large with 15 to 20 adjoining rooms.
The ruins belong to the UNESCO World Heritage List of the UN since 1980 as part of Taxila.
History
It is generally assumed that Darius I conquered in 518 BC Bhir Mound. But this assertion is based only on textual mentions. 326 Alexander the Great came to India and conquered the area. It has been reported that Raja Ambhi the Greeks king received here. He surrendered to the armies of Alexander and supported him with a troop of soldiers with elephants. 316 BC conquered Chandragupta of Magadha, the founder of the Maurya dynasty, the Punjab. Taxila lost its independence and became a provincial capital. However, the city remained important as a center of administration, education and trade. During the time of the grandson of Chandragupta, Ashoka, Buddhism became more important and the first Buddhist monks settled here. Also on Ashoka himself is said that he as his father's viceroy resided here. In 184 BC, the Greeks of Bactria conquered again the Gandhara and the Punjabregion. After this lived a Greek king Demetrius, in Taxila.