Hidden in the barren rocky landscape of the Makran coast in southern Balochistan, Pakistan, it is an architectural gem that has been undiscovered and unexplored for centuries. "Balochistan sphinx"As it is popularly called, it appeared in the public eye only after the opening of the Makran coastal highway in 2004, connecting Karachi with the port city of Gwadar on the Makran coast. A four-hour, 240 km long ride on winding mountain roads and arid valleys brings passengers from Karachi to National Park Hindol. This is where the Balochist Sphinx is located.

Balochistan sphinx

The Balochistan sphinx is commonly neglected by journalists as a natural formation, although no archaeological survey was apparently on the site. If we examine the characteristics of this structure and its surrounding complex, it is difficult to accept the often repeated assumption that it was shaped by natural forces. Instead, the place looks like a gigantic architectural complex carved from the rock. A brief look at an impressive statue shows that the Sphinx has a well-defined chin and clearly recognizable features of the face, such as eyes, nose and mouth, which are located in seemingly perfect proportions.

It seems that the sphinx is adorned with a dress that is very resemble the Nemeses dress worn by the Egyptian pharaoh. Nemes is a striped headgear that covers the crown and part of the head. It has two large, striking flaps that hang behind the ears and shoulders. The Balochistan sphinx can also be found with handles as well as some stripes. The Sphinx has a horizontal groove across the forehead, which corresponds to the pharaoh's face that holds Nemes in place.

We can easily see the contours of the lower limbs of the Sphinx, which end in very well defined paws. It is difficult to understand how nature could carve a statue that resembles a well-known mythical animal with such amazing precision.

The Balochist Sphinx reminds the Egyptian sphinx in many respects

Sphinx Temple

In the immediate vicinity of the Sphinx of Balochistan is another important structure. From a distance, it looks a bit like a Hindu temple (similar to southern India), with Mandapa (entrance hall) and Vimana (temple tower). The top of Vimana seems to be missing. The Sphinx stands in front of the temple and acts as the protector of the sacred place.

The Balochistan Sphinx lies in front of the temple structure

In the old, sacred architecture, the Sphinx performed a protective function and was generally placed in pairs on either side of the temple entrances, tombs, and sacred monuments. In ancient Egypt, the sphinx had the body of a lion, but its head could be human (Androsphix), ram (Criosphinx) or falcon (Hierocosphinx). For example, the Great Sphinx of Giza acts as the guardian of the pyramid complex.

In Greece, the sphinx was the head of the woman, the wings of the eagle, the lioness's body and, according to some, the snake's tail. The Colossal Statue of the Naxos Sphynx stands on the ionic column at the sacred Oracle of Delphi, acting as a protector of the site.

In Indian art and sculpture, the sphinx is known as purusha-mriga (the "beast of man" in Sanskrit) and its primary position was near the temple gate, where it acted as the guardian of the shrine. However, sphinxes were carved throughout the temple, including the entrance gates (gopuram), corridors (mandapa) and near the central shrine (garba-griha).

Raja Deekshithar identified 3 as the basic form of the Indian sphinx:

A) A fragile sphinx with a human face, but with certain characteristics of a lion, such as a mane and elongated ears.

B) Walking or jumping sphinx with a fully human face

C) Half or completely upright sphinx, sometimes with a mustache and long beard, often in the act of worshiping Shiva-linga. 6

The Sphinxes are also part of the Buddhist architecture of Southeast Asia. In Myanmar they are called Manusiha (from Sanskrit manu-simha, which means male-lion). They are depicted in the position of a crouching cat in the corners of the Buddhist stupas. They have a tapering crown on their head and decorative ear flaps on the front limbs have wings attached.

So throughout the ancient world the sphinium was the protector of the sacred places. It is no coincidence that the Sphinx of Balochistan also appears to protect the temple structure with which it is adjacent. This suggests that this structure was built in accordance with the principles of sacred architecture.

A closer look at the temple of the Balochistan sphinx reveals clear evidence of the pillars carved on the border wall. The entrance to the temple is visible behind a large pile of sediments or termitas. An elevated, shaped structure to the left of the entrance could be a side shrine. Overall, it can not be doubted that it is a massive, artificially created monument of antiquity.

The Temple of the Balochistan Sphinx shows clear signs of being carved out of the rock

Monumental sculptures

Interestingly, they appear on the facade of the temple two monumental sculptures on both sides directly above the entrance. Cuttings are heavily eroded, making it difficult to identify them; but it looks like the figure on the left could be Kartikey (Skanda / Murugan) holding his spear; and the figure on the left could be walking Ganesha. By the way, both Kartikey and Ganesha are the sons of Shiva, which means that the temple complex could be dedicated to Shiva.

While identification in this state is speculative, the presence of carved figures on the façade gives more weight to the theory that it is a man-made structure.

The cutouts on the Balochistan sphinx temple could be Kartikey and Ganesha

The structure of the Sphinx temple suggests that it may be Gopuram, the entrance to the temple. Like the temple, Gopurams are generally flat. Gopurams have a number of ornamental kalasams (stone or metal blankets) arranged at the top. From a careful study of the flat top of the temple, a number of "peaks" can be distinguished at the top, which can be a series of kalashams covered with sediments or termite hills. The gopurams are attached to the boundary wall of the temple, and the temple appears to be adjacent to the outer boundary.

Door Rangers

Gopurams also feature giant carved figures of the dvarapalas, ie the Door Rangers; and as we have noticed, it seems that the Sphinx Temple has two monumental characters on the facade, just above the entrance that serves as dvarapalas.

The temple of the Balochistan sphinx could be a gopuram, the entrance to the temple

A higher structure to the left of the Sphinx temple could be another gopuram. It follows that in the cardinal directions there could be four gopurams leading to the central courtyard where the main shrine of the temple complex was built (which is not visible on the photo). This kind of temple architecture is quite common in South Indian temples.

The Arunachaleshwar Temple in Tamil Nadu, India, has four gopurams, ie the Entrance Towers, in the main directions. The temple complex hides many shrines. (© Adam Jones CC BY-SA 3.0)

Sphinx temple platform

The elevated platform, on which the Sphinx and the temple are located, is apparently carved by pillars, niches and a symmetrical pattern that extends over the entire upper part of the platform. Some of the niches may be doors that lead to the chambers and halls below the Sphinx Temple. Many people believe, including mainstream Egtyptologists such as Mark Lehner, that chambers and passages may also be under the Great Sphinx of Giza. It is also interesting to note that the Sphinx of Balochistan and the temple are located on an elevated plateau, just as the Sphinx and the pyramids in Egypt are built on the Giza plateau overlooking the city of Cairo.

Another striking feature of this place is a series of stairs leading to a raised platform. The stairs appear to be evenly distributed and equally high. The whole place creates the impression of a large rock architectural complex that has been eroded by elements and covered with layers of sediment that mask more complicated details of sculptures.

The Balochist sphinx temple platform can be made of carved stairs, pillars, niches, and a symmetrical pattern.

Sedimentation of the site

What could have placed so many deposits at this point? The Makran Balochistan coast is a seismically active zone that often creates enormous tsunamis that destroys entire villages. It was reported that the earthquake from 28. November 1945 with its epicenter on the coast of Makran caused a tsunami with waves reaching some places up to 13 meters.

In addition, there are a number of mud volcanoes on the coast of Makran, some of which are located in the Hingol National Park, near the Hingol Delta. Intense earthquake triggers the eruption of volcanoes, from which a staggering amount of mud erupts and drowns the surrounding landscape. Sometimes muddy volcanic islands appear off the coast of Makran in the Arabian Sea, which are dispersed by waves within a year. The combined effects of tsunamis, mud volcanoes and termites may therefore be responsible for the formation of sediments at this site.

Historical context

A sophisticated Indian temple complex on the Makran coast should not be a surprise, as Makran has always been regarded by Arab chroniclers as the "al-Hind border". A-Biruni wrote that "the al-Hind coast begins with Tiz southeast… ”

Although absolute power alternated between Native American and Precist kings from the beginning, it retained an "Indian entity" throughout. During the decades preceding the Muslim invasions, Makran was ruled by a dynasty of Hindu kings who had the capital Alor in Sindu.

The term "Makran" is sometimes considered a deformation of the Persian Maki-Khor, which means "fish eaters." However, it is also possible that the name comes from the Dravidian "Makara". When the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang Makran visited the 7th century AD, he noticed that the manuscript used in Makran was "very similar to that in India", but the language was "different from Indian."

Historian Andre Wink writes:

The same chief of the Hiuen Tsang army, known as 'O-tien-p'o-chi-lo', is located by the road leading through Makran. He also describes it as predominantly Buddhist, sparsely populated, with less than 80 Buddhist monasteries with about 5 monks. In fact, 000 kilometers northwest of Las Bela in Gandakahar, near the ancient city, are the Gondrani Caves, and their buildings show that these caves were undoubtedly Buddhist. On his way across the Kij Valley further west (then under Persian rule), Hiuen Tsang saw about 18 Buddhist monasteries and 100 priests. He also saw several hundred Deva temples in this part of Makran, and in the city of Su-nu li-chi-shi-fa-lo - which is probably Qasrqand - he saw the temple of Maheshvara Deva, richly decorated and sculpted. Thus, there is a very wide distribution of Indian cultural forms in Makran in the 6000th century, even at a time when it fell under Persian power. For comparison, recently the last place of the Hindu pilgrimage was in Makran Hinglaj, 7 km west of present-day Karachi, in Las Bela.

Buddhist monasteries

According to Hiuen Tsang's lists, the Makran coast, even in the 7th century, was occupied by hundreds of Buddhist monasteries and caves, as well as several hundred Hindu temples, including the richly carved temple of Lord Shiva.

What happened to these caves, temples and monasteries of the Makran coast? Why have they not been restored and shown to the general public? Do they have the same fate as a complex of temples of the sphinx? Probably yes. These ancient monuments, which were covered with sediment, were either completely forgotten or overlooked as natural formations.

In fact, close to the Balchistan sphinx, on top of the elevated platform, there are remains of what looks like another ancient Hindu temple, complemented by Mandap, Sikhara (Vimana), pillars and niches.

How old are these temples?

The Indus Valley Civilization, which stretches along the Makran coast and its westernmost archaeological area is known as Sutkagen Dor, is located near the Iranian border. Some temples and rock sculptures in the region, including the Sphinx temple complex, may therefore have been built thousands of years ago, during the Indian period (around 3000 BCE), or earlier. It is possible that the site was built at different stages and that some structures are very old and others relatively recently built.

However, dating monuments carved in the rock is difficult due to the absence of inscriptions. If the place contains legible inscriptions that can be interpreted (another tricky statement, as the Indus manuscript did not reveal its secrets). Only then may it be possible to state the date of one of the monuments. In the absence of inscriptions, scientists will have to rely on datable artifacts / human remains, architectural styles, geological erosion patterns and other traces.

One of the enduring secrets of Indian civilization is the abundance of magnificent rock temples and monuments that have been built since the 3rd century BC. Where did the skills and techniques of building these sacred places of worship come from without a corresponding period of evolutionary development? Rock formations on the Makran coast can provide the necessary continuity between architectural forms and techniques from the Indian period and later Indian civilization. It could be in the mountains of the Makran coast, where Indian craftsmen perfected their skills, and these were later transported to Indian civilization.

Indus Valley Civilization included sites located along the coast of Makran

These sights are worth paying attention

Undoubtedly, there is a virtual treasure of archaeological wonders waiting to be discovered on the Macran coast of Balochistan. Unfortunately, these magnificent monuments, dating back to unknown antiquity, remain isolated due to the appalling level of apathy towards them. The attempt to recognize and renew them seems to have been very small, and journalists commonly disregard them as "natural formations." The situation can only be saved if international attention is paid to these structures and teams of archaeologists (and independent enthusiasts) from around the world visit these mysterious monuments to explore, restore and promote them.

The meaning of these ancient monuments on the Makran coast can hardly be overestimated. They could be very ancient and could provide us with important traces that would reveal the mysterious past of mankind.