Not far from Shatial rock art site, here is the entrance to the large valley of Darel. Chinese pilgrims tell of a sanctuary in this region called Ta-li-lo, and that could correspond with the modern name. Certainly it had been surrounded by important buildings. Ta-li-lo was famous for a huge statue of Maitreya. Therefore our Italian colleagues were extremely eager to start exploration there and their report tells about ruins supposed to be from Buddhist period. There are some settlements sites are found in Darel i.e. Raji Kot, Lal Kot, Remains of old Polo-ground and other structures were closely surveyed and took photographs and measured the same. Illegal diggings were also noticed. The old Kots (fortified towns) have been noted at Gayal, Phuguch, Gomari and Manikyal.The Italian Archaeological Mission, now working in Swat, discovered some big storage jars when they visited this valley. At several places grave sites were reported. Only at the site of Manikyal Payin, just by the old city, on a hillock a probing was done. It was a cemetery area, where local people had earlier dug and removed some big jars for their daily use. One such grave, on examination, showed the burial of a big globular urn containing bones and ashes and covered by a flat stone lid. Such grave pots have also been reported from the neighborhood of Jayachin Hill in Chilas proper.
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