Manthal Buddha Rock

8th-century carved Buddha image, last sculpture of Skardu's Buddhist past

The Manthal Buddha Rock sits at the south edge of Skardu valley, near the village of Manthal on the road to Satpara. The carving — about three metres high, in low relief on a single enormous block of granite — depicts a seated Buddha flanked by bodhisattvas, and is the most important visible survival of pre-Islamic Baltistan.

The site is small, easy to find, and worth a fifteen-minute stop. There is no entry fee. Local guides will often be on hand to explain the style and the iconography. Visit alongside the fort and Satpara Lake on a half-day exploration of the valley.

things to do sight history
A story
The Manthal Buddha is the only major Buddhist rock-carving surviving in Skardu valley — a reminder that Baltistan was part of the Buddhist world for centuries before the conversion to Islam in the fifteenth century. The image, carved in low relief on a face of grey granite, depicts a seated Buddha surrounded by smaller bodhisattvas in a style probably linked to Kashmir.