A hilltop Buddhist monastery and stupa complex from the 2nd to 5th century AD, perched above the valley with fine views. Jaulian is particularly worth visiting for its well-preserved stucco sculptures — Buddha figures, attendants, and decorative panels that still retain remarkable detail after fifteen centuries. The monastery's cells, courtyard, and assembly hall give a clear picture of monastic life. It is a short but steep climb from the road, and the effort is rewarded by both the art and the panorama.
Unlike the lower sites, Jaulian was never fully excavated and then partially reburied — the monastery ruins here are open to the sky and directly visible in plan, giving you a clear sense of how the complex was organised. The main stupa courtyard is ringed with smaller votive stupas decorated with Gandhara-style friezes; look closely and you can trace the Greek influence in the drapery of the Buddha figures. The hilltop views across the valley to the Margalla Hills are among the best in the Taxila area.