| Gandhāra Gandhara | |
|---|---|
| c. 1200 BCE–1001 | |
  Gandhara Location of Gandhara in South Asia (Afghanistan and Pakistan) | |
Approximate geographical region of Gandhara centered on the Peshawar Basin, in present-day northwest Pakistan | |
| Capital | Puṣkalavati Puruṣapura Takshashila Udabhandapura |
| Government | |
| Raja | |
• c. 550 BCE | Pushkarasarin |
• c. 330 BCE | Taxiles |
• c. 321 BCE | Chandragupta Maurya |
• c. 46 CE | Sases |
• c. 127 CE | Kanishka |
• c. 514 CE | Mihirakula |
• 964 – 1001 | Jayapala |
| Historical era | Antiquity |
• Established | c. 1200 BCE |
| 27 November 1001 | |
| Today part of | Pakistan Afghanistan |
Gandhara (IAST: Gandhāra) was an ancient Indo-Aryan[1] civilization centred in present-day north-west Pakistan and north-east Afghanistan.[2][3][4] The core of the region of Gandhara was the Peshawar and Swat valleys extending as far east as the Pothohar Plateau in Punjab, though the cultural influence of Greater Gandhara extended westwards into the Kabul valley in Afghanistan, and northwards up to the Karakoram range.[5][6] The region was a central location for the spread of Buddhism to Central Asia and East Asia with many Chinese Buddhist pilgrims visiting the region.[7]
Gāndhārī, an Indo-Aryan language written in the Kharosthi script, acted as the lingua franca of the region and through Buddhism, the language spread as far as China based on Gandhāran Buddhist texts.[8] Famed for its unique Gandharan style of art, the region attained its height from the 1st century to the 5th century CE under the Kushan Empire which had their capital at Puruṣapura, ushering the period known as Pax Kushana.[9]
The history of Gandhara originates with the Gandhara grave culture, characterized by a distinctive burial practice. During the Vedic period Gandhara gained recognition as one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas, or 'great realms', within South Asia playing a role in the Kurukshetra War. In the 6th century BCE, King Pukkusāti governed the region and was most notable for defeating the Kingdom of Avanti though Gandhara eventually succumbed as a tributary to the Achaemenids.[10] During the Wars of Alexander the Great, the region was split into two factions with Taxiles, the king of Taxila, allying with Alexander the Great,[11] while the Western Gandharan tribes, exemplified by the Aśvaka around the Swat valley, resisted.[12] Following the Macedonian downfall, Gandhara became part of the Mauryan Empire with Chandragupta Maurya receiving an education in Taxila under Chanakya and later assumed control with his support.[13][14] Subsequently, Gandhara was successively annexed by the Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythians, and Indo-Parthians though a regional Gandharan kingdom, known as the Apracharajas, retained governance during this period until the ascent of the Kushan Empire. The zenith of Gandhara's cultural and political influence transpired during Kushan rule, before succumbing to devastation during the Hunnic Invasions.[15] However, the region experienced a resurgence under the Turk Shahis and Hindu Shahis.
- ^ Bryant, Edwin Francis (2002). The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture: The Indo-Aryan Migration Debate. Oxford University Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-19-565361-8.
- ^ Kulke, Professor of Asian History Hermann; Kulke, Hermann; Rothermund, Dietmar (2004). A History of India. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-415-32919-4.
- ^ Warikoo, K. (2004). Bamiyan: Challenge to World Heritage. Third Eye. ISBN 978-81-86505-66-3.
- ^ Hansen, Mogens Herman (2000). A Comparative Study of Thirty City-state Cultures: An Investigation. Kgl. Danske Videnskabernes Selskab. ISBN 978-87-7876-177-4.
- ^ Neelis, Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks 2010, p. 232.
- ^ Eggermont, Alexander's Campaigns in Sind and Baluchistan 1975, pp. 175–177.
- ^ "UW Press: Ancient Buddhist Scrolls from Gandhara". Retrieved April 2018.
- ^ GĀNDHĀRĪ LANGUAGE, Encyclopædia Iranica
- ^ Di Castro, Angelo Andrea; Hope, Colin A. (2005). "The Barbarisation of Bactria". Cultural Interaction in Afghanistan c 300 BCE to 300 CE. Melbourne: Monash University Press. pp. 1–18, map visible online page 2 of Hestia, a Tabula Iliaca and Poseidon's trident. ISBN 978-1876924393.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "3 alexander and his successors in central asia" (PDF). p. 72.
Three local chiefs had their reasons for supporting him. One of these, Sisicottus, came from Swat and was later rewarded by an appointment in this locality. Sangaeus from Gandhara had a grudge against his brother Astis, and to improve his chances of royalty, sided with Alexander. The ruler of Taxila wanted to satisfy his grudge against Porus.
- ^ "3 alexander and his successors in central asia" (PDF). pp. 74–77.
- ^ Rajkamal Publications Limited, New Delhi (1943). Chandragupta Maurya And His Times. p. 16.
Chanakya, who is described as a resident of the city of Taxila, returned to his native city with the boy and had him educated for a period of 7 or 8 years at that famous seat of learning where all the ' sciences and arts ' of the times were taught, as we know from the Jatakas.
- ^ Trautmann, Thomas R. (1971). Kautilya And The Arthasastra. p. 12.
Chanakya was a native of Takkasila, the son of a brahmin, learned in the three Vedas and mantras, skilled in political expedients, deceitful, a politician.
- ^ Samad, Rafi U. (2011). The Grandeur of Gandhara: The Ancient Buddhist Civilization of the Swat, Peshawar, Kabul and Indus Valleys. Algora Publishing. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-87586-860-8.