Takht Bhai

"Is it not a guidance for them, how many generations We have destroyed before them in whose dwellings they do walk about? Verily, therein indeed are signs. Would they not then listen?"
Al-Quran [Sajdah 32:26]

Takht Bhai or Takht Bahi (Urdu: تخت بھائی) is a Buddhist monastic complex dating to the 1st century BCE. The site is located about 15 kilometers from Mardan city, KPK. The complex is regarded by archaeologists as being particularly representative of the architecture of Buddhist monastic centers from its era. Due to its religious significance and remarkable architectural feature, the site has been placed on the " World Heritage Site" by UNESCO in 1980.

Takht Bhai

Takht Bhai, literally meaning "spring or well on a high surface". The spring of that period still exist on western hill and is used by the local people. Therefore the Buddhist sanctuary and the nearby village were named after these wells. The remains are most astounding, exciting and imposing relics of Buddhist in Pakistan. Datted back from 2nd BC to 5th century AD and scattered over 32.9 hectares. The site was excavated by Dr D.B Spooner and Mr.Hargreaves in 1907-09 and 1910-11 respectively. The remains consist of main stupa, votive stupas, court, lofty chapels, monastic quadrangle, meditation cells, covered passages and many other secular buildings. All are stone built laid in lime and mud mortar in diaper style masonry. A large number of stone and stucco sculptures have been unearthed during excavation, which now on display in Peshawar museum. The sculpture depicts the life of Buddha before his birth and different events of his life and reveal evolutionary and developmental stages of Gandhara art.

Takht Bhai

Fishing Spiders

The Fishing Spider is a common name used for the spiders species in the genus Dolomedes, family Pisauridae. They are known by a number of common names including fishing spiders, raft spiders, dock spiders or wharf spiders. They are generally dark-colored, usually brownish or grayish, with white markings. Almost all species of Fishing Spiders are semi-aquatic.  Fishing spiders can run across water and can dive underneath to capture prey. In addition to insects, fishing spiders can also catch small fish and tadpoles.

Fishing Spiders

Southern Cassowary

Here you see a 45 year old Southern Cassowary from Lahore zoo. The Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)  is a large flightless black bird in the family Casuariidae. It's also known as Double-wattled Cassowary, Australian Cassowary or Two-wattled Cassowary. It's the second heaviest bird on earth. The females average 58 kilograms and males averaging 29 to 34 kilograms. Their average length range from 127 to 170 centimeters and the height is ranging from 1.5 to 1.8 meters. They feed on fruit, plant shoots, grass seeds, fungi,  invertebrates and small vertebrates.

Southern Cassowary

Woodlouse

A woodlouse is a crustacean with a rigid, segmented, long exoskeleton and fourteen jointed limbs. Woodlice form the suborder Oniscidea within the order Isopoda, with over 3,000 known species worldwide. The woodlouse is found in dark, damp places and feed on decaying leaf and plant matter. Woodlice are eaten by a wide range of predators including toads, centipedes and spiders.
Species in the genus Armadillidium can roll its body into a ball to protect itself from predators and hence got the common names such as pill bug or roly-poly.

Woodlouse Pictures

Bagh Azad Kashmir

Bagh District (كشمير باغ) is one of the eight districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The district is bounded by Muzaffarabad District to the north, Poonch district to the south, and Poonch District of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to the east; it is bounded by the Punjab, Rawalpindi District and Abbottabad District of Pakistan's KPK Province to the west. The total area of the district is 1,368 square kilometers. The total population of the district according to the 1998 census was 395,000, which is estimated to have increased to 510,974 in 2011. Bagh District is linked to Muzaffarabad by two roads, one via Sudhan Gali (80 km) and the other through Kohala (97 km). It is situated 46 km from Rawalakot. Bagh Districthas three sub-divisions, namely Dhirkot, Bagh and Haveli, with its headquarters at Bagh.

Bagh Azad Kashmir

Bagh Bazar

Bagh Bus Stand

Spotted-winged Orange Braconid Wasp

Spoted-winged Orange Braconid Wasp (Disophrys sp.) is a parasitic wasp in the family Braconidae. It has a body length of about 15mm. This wasp is orange in color with black antenna and eyes. Its wings are in orange and black with an orange spot in the black area. The female has a black colored ovipositor, which is used to deposit its eggs inside the insects larvae.

Spoted-winged Orange Braconid Wasp - Disophrys sp.

Clytra atraphaxidis

Clytra atraphaxidis is a species of  beetles in the family Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles), subfamily Cryptocephalinae. They have a body length of about 7-10 mm. The adult beetles feed on leaves. The larvae are myrmecophile i.e. associated with ants.

Clytra atraphaxidis (Case-bearing Leaf Beetle)

Horsehair Worms

Horsehair Worms or Gordian worms is a common name used for parasitic animals of phylum Nematomorpha. They are found  in damp areas such as watering troughs, streams, puddles, and cisterns. Most species have a body length ranging from 50 to 100 centimeters and body diameter from 1 to 3 millimeters. In extreme cases they can even reach up to 2 meters long.  The adult worms are free living, but the larvae are parasitic on beetles, cockroaches, orthopterans, and crustaceans.

Horsehair Worms

Wasp Sting Swelling

The home remedies can work a wonder for wasp sting swelling. Traditionally people use a number of things to reduce pain and swelling from wasp sting including toothpaste, baking soda, kerosene oil, onion or garlic juice, vinegar, lemon juice, mud and ice. In the lip sting picture below I asked the victim to apply toothpaste to the sting area and after some time he confirm that it helped in reducing the swelling. 

Wasp Sting Swelling Pictures