Gandhara

The Gandhara Culture is located in Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan from the epicentre of the first BCE to the start of the second CE millennium. However, multiple most prominent authorities governed this province at that certain time period. All of them had the most prominent reverence, especially for Buddhism. After that, the Indo-Greek creative or artistic convention was adopted by Gandhara, which had grown in the area following Alexander’s invasions of India. Apart from this, the Gandhara satrapy was founded in 518 BCE, and the capital of Gandhara was Pushkalavati (Charsadda). It is currently known as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The first king of the Gandhara kingdom was King Subala. It was one of the ancient Indian regions of 16 Mahajanapada. You can know in detail about the Gandhara below.

Gandhara Meaning

• The Gandhara general meaning is called a ‘Land of Fragrance’
• It is one of the best Mahajanapadas of all of the 16 Mahajanapadas
• The capital was the place of Gandhara,  Pushkalavati (Charsadda)
• Apart from this, as the story goes, it was the first king to have a King. He had two children. One was a daughter, and another was a son
• It is located on the northwestern side of Pakistan and the eastern side of Afghanistan
• It is on the confluence of two rivers, one in Kabul and another in Swat

History of the Gandhara

• The Gandhara was one of the ancient regions from all the 16 Mahajanapadas
• The Buddhist monk Xuanzang went to Hsüan-Tsang in 602- 664 CE. It came in the 7th century CE and during the end of the Gandhara culture
• Especially when he had gained his most prominent accomplishments, he was dropping into deterioration

History of Gandhara

According to Political Gandhara detected the power of several prominent heads of antiquity as described here:

• Parthian Empire (c. 1st century BCE to 1st century CE)
• As the story goes, the empire of the Persian Achaemenid came across c. 600-400 BCE
• Hindu Shahi of Northern India (c. 9th to 10th century CE)
• After that, the Greeks of Macedon came roughly in c. 326-324 BCE
• Kushans of Central Asia (c. 1st to 5th century CE)
• Then, the Mauryan Empire of Northern India came up to c. 324-185 BCE
• Moreover, the Scythians of Eastern Europe came into the c. 2nd century to 1st century BCE
• The Indo-Greeks of Bactria were also included roughly around c. 250-190 BCE
• The last one was the White Huns of Central Asia, which came around c. 5th century CE

This was emulated by Muslim wins, and he had come during the time of the medieval era history of India. So, that’s the political history of Gandhara.

Gandhara Art

• Gandhara Art developed in India from the 1st Century A.D. to the 8th century A.D
• Gandhara art is famous for sculpture, architecture, pottery, painting, coins, etc. It actually took flight during the Kushan era and in the 1st century CE, particularly when it was powered by King Kanishka
• Who revered the Buddha and arguably familiarized the Buddha image for the first time
• After this, more than thousands of these types of images were created and were spread across every nook and crevice of the province going from handheld Buddhas to enormous statues at consecrated sites of idolization
• The main feature of Gandhara art was its making style has naturalism in drapery, body shape, and graphic hierarchy
• The male statuettes are portrayed with musculature, drapery with wavy curled hair, sharp flowing folds, and sharp attributes
• The vast ears are just due to the lowered thrust of the rich earrings modeled by a magnet and by a prince
• Gandhara art was introduced by the Kushana
• The art style of Gandhara art in Buddhist visual art was established in northwestern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan

Gandhara Kingdom

• Gandhāra was the most prominent Old Indian kingdom mentioned in the Mahabharata Indian epics and Ramayana
• As the story goes, the king of the Gandhara Shakuni was the origin of all the intrigues of Duryodhana against the Pandavas
• So, that ultimately resulted in the Kurukshetra War
• Currently, the Gandhara Kingdom is located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan
• Moreover, It was distributed over the Pothohar Plateau, Kabul River Valley, and Peshawar Valley
• Subsequently, fighting between various groups of Bactrian Greeks resulted in the freedom of Gandhara from Bacteria
• After that, the Indo-Greek kingdom came approximately in 184 BCE. Menander was its most prominent king
• Following are the kingdoms included under the Gandhara kingdoms, which as:
  • Achaemenids & Alexander
  •  Mauryan Rule
  •  Indo-Greeks
  •  Scytho-Parthians
  •  Kushans
  •  White Huns

Conclusion

Thus, all the above-given explanations are given for the Gandhara Kingdom. The “Gandhara ” was the elegant city in the Mahabharata, and it may have multifarious meanings. But one of the most eminent theories links its name, which is the Gandhara word Qand or Gand, which generally means “fragrance,” and another word is “Har ” which represents ‘lands.’ Accordingly, in its easiest formation, the Gandhara is called the ‘Land of Fragrance.’ The Gandhara kingdom is located in northern Pakistan. It was one of the 16 Mahajanapada of old India. If you want to know about its history, Gandhara art, and other facts about it, then you may follow the above-given information.

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