Udyana is the modern day Swat Valley, which is in Pakistan. The word Udyana in Sanskrit means garden or orchard. Udayana was a Buddhist region and the area is said to havesupported 500 Theravada Buddhist monasteries. Buddha`s footprints are found here. It is said that when Buddha came to North India, he came to this country, and that here he left a print of his foot. Udyana is of vital importance in the Vajrayana schools of Buddhism.
History of Udyana( Swat Valley)
The first inahbitants of the place settled in well-planned towns. The monarchs of this region were under the Achaemenid influence. In 327 BC, Alexander the Great besieged Barikot, which is a city locate din the Swat Valley region. By 305 BC, the region was occupied by the Mauyans.
In the 2nd century BC, the area was occupied by Buddhists, the Indo-Greeks, and the Kushans. Swat is the birth place of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Places of Interest in Udayana(Swat)
The places of interest are:
Malam Jabba, which is a renowned ski resort in Pakistan
The Swat Museum where there are the footprints of Buddha(which was found in the Swat valley)
The Butkarha (Swat) stupa.
(Last Updated on : 7/12/2009)
