The ruins of an ancient Buddhist monastery are situated on the top of a 152-meter (500 feet) high hill. It is located about 80 kms from Peshawar and 16 kms North West of the city of Mardan. The monastery of Takht-i-Bahi was first mentioned by General Court, the French officer of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1836. Takht-i-Bahi is the most impressive and complete Buddhist monastery in Pakistan. The most remarkable feature is the design and arrangement of the range of small shrines, which surrounds the main stupa-court. This site, dating back to 2nd-3rd century A.D., consists of a large rectangular court, on the north of which is the main monastery and to the south is a well-planned monastic shrine of high terrace.
The Vinaya text throws light on the architecture of the monastery. The village is built on the ruins of the ancient town, the foundation walls of which are still in a tolerably good formation. As a proof, that it was in the past occupied by the Buddhists and Hindu races, coins of those periods are still found at the site. the monks constructed it for their convenience. Spring water was supplied to them on hill tops; living quarters for ventilators for light and alcoves for oil lamps were made in the walls. From the description of Song Yun, a Chinese pilgrim, it appears that it was on one of the four great cities lying along the important commercial route to India. It was a well-fortified town with four gates outside the northern one, on the mound known as Chajaka Dehri which was a magnificent temple containing beautiful stone images covered in gold leaves. Not far from the rocky defile of Khaperdra did Ashoka build the eastern gate of the town outside of which existed a stupa and a sangharama. 
The group of buildings unearthed after archeological excavations at Takht-i-Bahi may include; the court of many Stupas, the monastery, the main stupa, the assembly hall, the low-level chambers, the courtyard, the court of three stupas, the wall of colossi and the secular building. In 1871, Sergeant Wilcher found innumerable sculptures at Takht-i-Bahi. Some depicted stories from the life of Buddha, while others more devotional in nature included the Buddha and Bodhisattava. The Court of Stupas is sorrounded on three sides by open alcoves or chapels. The excavators were of the view that originally they contained single plaster statues of Buddha either sitting or standing, dedicated in memory of holy men or donated by rich pilgrims. The monastery on the north, was probably a double storied structure consisting of an open court, ringged with cells, kitchens and a refactory.
A visit to Takht-i-Bahi is an informative experience particularly to those interested in archaeological excavations. Walking further, you will come accross the monestary court which was a residential area and as such a small number of sculptures were recovered. However, a beautiful emaciated Siddhartha in three parts was discovered. Likewise the other courts with Buddha's images in stucco are equally interesting and they were used either for meditation, meetings or storage. A truly majestic place!
TAKHT-I-BAHI
Of all the Buddhist monasteries built through the length and breadth of Gandhara, Takht-i-Bahi is renowned as the most beautiful. Its reputation is based partly on its extraordinarily good state of preservation (due in part to conscientious restoration) and partly on its glorious location. It is situated about 80 kilometers from Peshawar and 16 kilometers northeast of Mardan district.
"Of many Buddhist sites in Gandhara, none is better known than that of Takht-i-Bahi, and no spot has been the object of so many excavations both irregular and systematic than this isolated ruin," writes Mr. Hargreaves. Sergeant Wilcher in 1871 excavated and cleared many parts of the monastery and found sculptures in large numbers lying as they had fallen in the passage. This was confirmed by scientific excavations in 1907-08 conducted by D. B. Spooner on behalf of the Archaeological Survey of India. He found stone fragments numbering 472 specimens and some dozen large sculptures. Later, between 1910 and 1913, the site was excavated again by H. Hargreaves. Unfortunately, the results were never properly coordinated, and so no stratigraphical sequence has never been established for the site. 
Takht-i-Bahi has yielded a large number of sculptures in which the birth, childhood, youth, old age and death of Gandhara art is indicated. They reveal Persian, Greek, Scythian, Parthian, Roman, Indian and Indigenous styles.
Buildings
Most of the houses were two-storeyed, access to the upper story being invariably on the outside. Private dwellings were ornamented inside and covered with a plain coat of plaster outside. Walls were built of uneven blocks of stone. A thin mud mortar was used in some buildings to fill up the interstices inside the walls. Doors were generally low, and the houses had small windows.
Court of Many Stupas
This court is so named because it contains at least 35 votive stupas. In all likelihood they were dedicated by visiting pilgrims, and therefore they were constructed at quite different times. The court itself measures 36 meters by 15 meters and is enclosed to the north, south, and east by walls eight to nine meters high, against which are built a series of 30 chapels facing inward. Within these once stood huge statues of the Buddha, perhaps four times life size.
Monastery
Entered by ascending five steps, the monastery takes the form of a quadrangle, around three sides of which are fitted fifteen cells for the monks. The greatest evident luxury today is the water tank lying in the southeast corner of the quadrangle, though this may have been filled by hand from the spring below the monastery.
Main Stupa
This stands in a rectangular courtyard measuring about 17 meters by 13.5 meters. Today, only the bottom of the square base of the stupa remain intact; through the centuries it has suffered at the hands of treasure seekers. According to Sir Alexander Cunningham, who visited the site over a hundred years ago, the base of the stupa then comprised three stages, each one smaller than the last.
