Stupa Remains at Naupura

The famous three Buddhist stupas located at the south-western edge of the small village of Naupura, 10 km west of Gilgit can be approached by a metaled road. Famous Gilgit Manuscript was recorded from the ruins of these stupas. Naupura, formerly called Amsar, where there was a chain of four stupas. In 1931 according to report to Hackin (printed by Levi 1932) and Stein, in the largest building (stupa C), wooden beams became visible due to the erosion, which had in the course of many centuries worn out the previous outer coating of a fairly hard plaster. The stupa is described as an edifice rounded in form and three storey high. The base, however, was quadrangular. Treasure seekers have searches again in the meantime and have carried away the rubble down to the natural soil. The building apparently had some similarity to the stupa at Thol. The Tibetan wave reached Gilgit and Punyal. Apparently, the later rulers of the Darada- Bolor state were Buddhist again, even though the charisma derived from the king identification with the solar deity was preserved. The people maintaining this tradition were considered with Bonpos. To this last Buddhist period we must attribute the famous relief in the rock face near the Kargah Valley and monolith with several reliefs found at Bubur and finally the construction of a hollow stupa for the safeguarding of the Gilgit Manuscripts, which were already an incomprehensible, magic heritage of the past.