GANDHARA AND BUDDHISM INTO INDIA

Gandhara, the historical region in what is now Northwestern Pakistan with extensions into the lower valleys of Kabul and Swat rivers. Gandhara was a trade crossroads and cultural meeting place between India, Central Asia and the Middle East. it is also considered to be the name of an ancient, extinct kingdom once located in North-Western India in what is now Pakistan and East Afghanistan. This kingdom attained heights from the 1st century to the 5th century, under the Buddhist Kushan Kings. After it was conquered by the Muslims, the name Gandhara itself disappeared. The primary cities of Gandhara were Purushapura (Peshawar) and Takshashila (Taxila). An important Buddhist shrine helped to make a centre of pilgrimage until the 7th Century when it was taken over by a Muslim Emperor. Our connection to this history now takes us to Taxila, where the ruins of several settlements including a vast collection of Buddhist monuments remain.