The Manthal Buddha Rock, known locally as "Dray chatfi Fong" (stone of the Buddha), is a large granite boulder carved with a relief image of the seated Buddha, believed to date from the 8th century CE. It sits in the village of Manthal, about 8 kilometres south of Skardu along the Karakoram Highway, in an area where the valley narrows between the Indus and the surrounding mountains.
The carving is significant as a surviving marker of Baltistan's Buddhist past. Before the gradual conversion to Islam between the 14th and 16th centuries, Baltistan was culturally and religiously connected to Ladakh and the Tibetan Buddhist world. The rock was carved during this earlier period, probably by monks or pilgrims travelling the trans-Himalayan trade routes. The image is worn but clearly legible, with the distinctive seated posture and elongated earlobes of classical Buddhist iconography.
The site is accessible by road and requires only a short walk from the roadside. It is easy to combine with a drive along the Karakoram Highway south of Skardu.