Discovery of ancient inscription links region with Korea; experts call for deeper exploration of Kashmir’s East Asian ties.
MUZAFFARABAD (PaJK): A significant discovery by a Kashmiri archaeologist in Kotli district ( which falls in close vicinity of Rajouri-Mendhar Belt) of Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has unveiled a possible historical link between the region and Korea.
The discovery is sparking excitement among researchers and historians and raising hopes for cultural heritage tourism in the area.
Dr Rukhsana Khan, associate professor at the University of AJK and head of its Sharda Centre of Learning, reported that a stone inscription recently unearthed in the rugged highlands of southern Kotli contains a mix of Korean alphabets and Proto-Sharda script.
“The initial study suggests a connection between this area and the Korean region,” Dr Khan said, adding that such inscriptions were typically used for religious, administrative, or land-related purposes.
She traced the region’s historical significance to the spread of Buddhism from Kashmir across China, Korea, and neighbouring areas along the Great ancient Silk Road.
Kashmir Valley-Jammu region Axis
The Kotli site, strategically positioned at the crossroads of the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region, likely served as an important cultural and religious corridor in ancient times.
Among other finds at the site were prehistoric shelters, rock-cut caves, massive limestone boulders with defaced human faces, ancient water pools, buried mounds, and pottery fragments.
These discoveries point to continuous human activity in the area from the 4th millennium BCE to the 18th century CE.
Dr Khan, who earned her PhD from the Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisations and is renowned for her research on the Sharda civilisation, termed the discovery of the stone inscription as the “most exciting” of the excavation.
She stressed the need for international collaboration, particularly with Korean scholars, to study the artefacts in depth and reconstruct the region’s ancient connections.
The Sharda Centre of Learning is now working with experts from other universities in Pakistan to conduct further analysis. Dr Khan said the discoveries not only add a new dimension to Kashmir’s history but could also enhance the region’s profile as a destination for cultural heritage tourism and archaeological research.