Punyal

Punyal valley with Sher Qila as the old fortified headquarter of the local Raja, lies along the left bank of the Gupis River, famous for fruit cultivation. In Punyal the most interesting monuments are collective graves of pre-Islamic period. The dead bodies were exposed in subterranean chambers. Such graves were maintained and used in the beginning of the 20th century. In Bubur at Bubur Das the collective grave is called Domar; a collapse structure is still existed, which measures about 4x5 m. It is formed at the elevation of 1852 m. The Tibetan inscriptions and stupa carvings observed near Gakuch in Punyal on the way to the Darkut pass may be because of the Tibetan overlords in all areas south of the Karakoram and Hindu-Kush, who had appointed scions of the local nobility as viceroys to control these areas. Only the Darkut inscriptions were published by Stein in 1928 with translation by A.H. Francke. A large boulder with a triangular base decorated with reliefs was unearthed in a field near the village Bubur in Punyal. On two sides there are life-size figures of Sakyamuni in standing position, one with clothing like those on the Gilgit relief. The third facet shows a sitting Padmapani wearing a three-pointed crown under a sort of pointed arch. On the level of the feet of the standing Buddha`s there are two smaller reliefs, each depicting a sitting Manjusri.