The Swat valley—a northern district of Pakistan, located approximately 235 kilometres northeast of its capital, Islamabad—is often referred to as the ‘Switzerland of Pakistan’ and is known for its breathtaking landscapes, rich Buddhist heritage and ancient trade routes.
At the same time, a lesser-known yet fascinating aspect of Swat’s history is its connection to viticulture and the ancient Gandhāra wine economy.
Recent research—jointly conducted by Omar Coloru, Elisa Iori and Luca M. Olivieri—sheds light on the ancient region’s role in what scholars call the ‘wine belt’ of ancient Gandhara.
They describe it as an area renowned in early historical times for its local wine production and symposium culture, which attracted the curiosity of Greek and Buddhist writers.
Gandhāran wine economy
According to heritage scholars, the historical importance of the Swat valley goes beyond its well-documented Buddhist sites and artistic contributions to Gandhāran civilisation.
According to the study—Wine in Gandhāra: Notes on a Mythical and Economical Geography by Omar Coloru, Elisa Iori and Luca M. Olivieri—Swat, along with Chitral, Kapisa, and Kunar valleys (the last two presently a part of Afghanistan), played a central role in the region’s ancient wine production.
Archaeological finds, including grape seeds, ancient wine-distilling devices and the remains of wine presses, suggest that viticulture was an established practice. The study is available online as part of a larger study on the role of wine in ancient cultures in Gandhara and beyond.
Prof. Luca Maria Olivieri—a renowned Italian archaeologist and head of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Swat—tells WE News English that the valley’s climate, with its moderate temperatures and fertile soil, made it an ideal place for growing wild grapes.
The grapes were harvested from wild vines, which were grown on holm oak trees, according to the oldest system, still in use today in Chitral.”
These vines have stood the test of time, still growing wild on the hills of northern Gandhara, creating pleasant shady canopies under which shepherds rest during summer grazing,” he says.
Moreover, historical records indicate that wine production in this area began long before the Hellenistic period but may have expanded under Greek rulers following the invasion of Alexander the Great, continuing into the Buddhist era when monks and traders travelled the Silk Road, transporting knowledge and goods across Central and South Asia.
Swat in Greek mythology
Prof. Olivieri says that, in light of the historical records, the Swat valley is also believed to be linked to the Greek myths of Dionysus—the god of wine—and Heracles (Hercules).
“The Greek memorialists who accompanied Alexander the Great reported the existence of a city called Nysa, located in the region between Kunar [now in Afghanistan] and Swat [presently in Pakistan], where wild grapevines were abundant.”
He goes on to add that according to these accounts, it was a local god who planted vineyards in the area, identified by the Greeks as Dionysus, thus establishing a deep-rooted mythological link between Gandhara and Greek traditions.
He says that these myths may have been part of Greek narratives to connect foreign lands with their own deities, yet they reflect real cultural exchanges.
The presence of Greek rulers and maybe artisans in Swat valley influenced local art, economy, and perhaps even exploiting local agricultural practices, including viticulture.
Swat valley: the heart of Gandhara’s ‘wine belt’
The study highlights a distinct ‘wine belt’ in ancient Gandhara, encompassing Kapisa and Kunar (in Afghanistan) and Swat and Chitral (in Pakistan), where vineyards were not only an agro-productive activity but part of a culture deeply linked to social and religious practices.
The Swat valley, at the centre of this belt, might have served as a commercial hub for wine distribution, linking markets from Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. The existence of wines named after their production area (Kapisa, for instance) is recorded in Buddhist texts,” state authors of the study.
They further explore that the Buddhist monasteries in the region may have played a role in maintaining the vineyards, as evidence from other parts of the Buddhist world suggests that fermented drinks were used in medicinal and ritual contexts.
In this regard, important data was put on by the renowned scholar Harry Falk in his research paper ‘Making wine in Gandhara under Buddhist monastic supervision’ published in the Bulletin of the Asia Institute, 23 in 2009. Prof. Falk writes, “The monks participated in the popular wine-making festivities. Buddhist tenets are one thing, alienating the order from the age-old and cherished festivals is something else. This is not to say that the monks concerned tasted a single drop, but they functioned as organisers of a festival which was older and, on the whole, more popular than Buddhist ones.”
Wine consumption was so widespread in Gandhara that Buddhists had to curb this habit by suggesting boiling grape juice to avoid fermentation. These prescriptions were included in some Vinaya or Buddhist monastic codes in use in Gandhara.
The monks participated in the popular wine-making festivities. Buddhist tenets are one thing, alienating the order from the age-old and cherished festivals is something else.
This point is also clearly stated by another scholar Pia Brancaccio who has extensively researched this subject.
She states in a research paper ‘Dionysus and drama in the Buddhist art of Gandhara’ published in the Journal of Global History, 4 in 2009, “The archaeological evidence [of wine production and consumption] is corroborated by a passage of the Mulasarvastivada Vinaya, a Buddhist monastic code, possibly redacted in Gandhara during the Kushan period, which discusses grapes, wine, and distillation. When the Buddha was travelling in the north-west along with a retinue of monks, a yaksha offered them grapes. The monks did not know such fruits, and thus the Buddha explained them: ‘These are fruits from the northern region. They are called grapes. One can eat them after having purified them with fire.’ Apparently, after Buddha and his monks ate some of the grapes, and there were some left, he added: ‘The grapes should be pressed to extract the juice, and then the fluid should be heated and removed from the fire before it is completely cooked. To store the syrup and serve it to the samgha out of the proper time, one should heat the juice until it is completely cooked.”
Some local communities, particularly in what was historically known as Greater Kafiristan (or rather Peristan), continued to produce fermented drinks long after the decline of Buddhism and Hellenistic influence, according to the recent study conducted by the aforementioned three scholars.
Trade, cultural, and commerce
Elisa Iori—one of the authors of the study who is presently busy in excavation activity at Butkara-I Buddhist monastery near Mingora in Swat district—says, “Wine production in these regions was not only a local agricultural practice, but a cog in the wheel of a larger economic system linking several regions. Merchants and traders might have transported wine to surrounding territories, including Central Asia, Persia and India”.
We can speculate that the presence of Buddhist monasteries in Swat, often built along the trade routes, played a role in the dissemination of agricultural techniques, such as rice-growing, saffron, and irrigation techniques in Gandhara as elsewhere in India, says Prof. Olivieri.
Wine production in these regions was not only a local agricultural practice but a cog in the wheel of a larger economic system linking several regions.
The Tibetan texts, he adds, clearly record that among the skills of Padmasambhava, the great master who brought Vajrayana Buddhism to Tibet from Swat, were some relating to agriculture and irrigation, which were considered extremely important in the difficult Tibetan terrain.
The study reveals that wine was a precious commodity in ancient societies, often used in religious rituals, medicinal practices and elite social gatherings.
The ability to cultivate and trade wine probably contributed to Swat’s prosperity during its heyday as the cultural and economic centre of Gandhara.
The region’s wealth of natural resources, combined with its strategic location on trade routes, made it an essential hub for economic and cultural exchanges between the Greek, Persian, Indian and Central Asian civilisations, the study suggests.
Historical insights
Recent excavations in the Swat valley have also revealed artefacts that support the claim that wine production was an important industry in the region.
According to Dr Elisa Iori, “Wine goblets and vessels have been found at many excavation sites, some local and in use since protohistoric times, others of clear Greek origin, as well as distillers. Many ancient wine-presses are still visible in the valley of Swat like Kandak and Karakar.
Moreover, local folklore and oral traditions indicate that fermented beverages remained part of Swat cultural practices for centuries, although they declined and disappeared after the region’s conversion to Islam,” says Prof. Olivieri.
He maintains that historical texts by Chinese travellers such as Xuanzang for example, also mention the production of wine and consumption of grape-based drinks amongst monks and religious people of Gandhara and Northern India.
Their accounts may provide further evidence of the integration of wine into local traditions. Texts from Medieval periods also describe the existence of vineyards in these regions, but they gradually declined as Islamic influence increased and cultural norms changed.
Wine in Gandhāran art and religion
Prof. Olivieri further states that the impact of Swat viticulture is also visible in Gandharan art and iconography. “Several stupas and Buddhist sculptures display scenes of social and religious gatherings in which offerings are presented, including what appear to be containers of wine,” he explains.
He adds that some scholars argue that the presence of Dionysian motifs in Gandharan sculptures is evidence of the so-called “Greek influence” in the artistic traditions of the region, reinforcing the idea that wine-growing was not only an economic activity but also a cultural phenomenon.
More probably instead, the presence of these motifs lends a form of Hellenistic ancestry to a well-established and ancestral local culture.”
The study reveals that the role of wine in religious rituals is well-documented in multiple traditions. In Buddhist monastic practices, fermented drinks were sometimes used in medicinal recipes, while in Hellenistic traditions, wine played a role in sacrificial offerings and Dionysian festivals.
The fusion of these cultural elements in Swat suggests that wine had both sacred and secular importance in the region.
The Decline of Winemaking
However, the authors of the study conclude that despite its historical importance, the wine culture of these regions eventually declined due to several factors.
The rise of Islamic rule in the region, combined with changing socio-cultural norms, led to the gradual disappearance of vineyards and the suppression of wine-making traditions,” they state.
They further add that traces of this ancient wine culture, however, still exist in the region’s folklore, historical sites and archaeological remains. The rediscovery of its wine-growing past has opened a new chapter for historians and researchers seeking to understand the broader economy and culture of ancient Gandhara.
Italian archaeologists in Swat tell WE News English that the research adds a fascinating dimension to the already rich cultural heritage of this region.
The valley was not only a centre for Buddhism and artistic excellence but also part of ancient wine culture linking Greece, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent.
As modern scholars continue to discover new findings, the history of the Swat’s multifaceted cultures serves as a testament to the valleys’ golden days in ancient trade and cross-cultural interactions.
Although most facets of these cultures no longer exist, the echoes of the past refuse to fade away, waiting to be further explored and appreciated as part of the region’s historical and economic narrative.
