The Gandhara civilization emerged in the 6th century BCE in the region of northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. It reached its peak under the Kushan Empire from the 1st to 5th century CE. Buddhism was the dominant religion and spread from Gandhara as far as Japan and Korea. The civilization declined due to the loss of popularity of Buddhism and invasions of the Huns and other tribes in the 5th-6th centuries CE, disrupting trade and urban centers.

1. Gandhara Civilization
By Amna Sarfraz
Masters in Education
And Pakistan Studies

2. Content
 Origin of word Gandhara
 Introduction
 Geography
 Political history of Gandhara
 Language
 Religion
 Historical sites
 End of Gandhara Civilization

4. Introduction
Origin of the Name Gandhara
Origin of the word Gandhara
 The name of Gandhara may have several meanings the most prominent theory
relates its name to the word Qand/Gand which means "fragrance"
and Har which means 'lands' hence the simplest definition being 'Land of
Fragrance’.
 Word Qand/Gand is evolved from Kun which means 'well' or 'pool of water' and
indeed the word Gand appears with many other place names associated with
water i.e. Gand-ao or Gand-ab (pool of water)

5.  Ancient civilization that emerged in the region of present-day northern Pakistan
and eastern Afghanistan.
 The Gandhara civilization emerged in the 6th century BCE.
 The Greeks established a number of cities in the area, including Taxila and
Peshawar.
 Under the rule of the Mauryan Empire, which controlled much of the Indian
subcontinent in the 3rd century BCE, the Gandhara region became a hub of
Buddhist learning and culture.
 The Gandhara civilization reached its peak during the rule of the Kushan Empire
in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE.
Introduction

6. Geography
 Including areas of northern Punjab
and Kashmir and eastern Afghanistan.
The Persian Empire’s easternmost
area, Gandhara, was a vital trade hub
between Persia, Central Asia, and
India. Buddhism moved eastward
from here, reaching as far as Japan
and Korea.
 Gandhara was a region in Afghanistan
that stretched from the Kabul River
to Jalalabad. It included the
northwest Frontier Province’s
(NWFP) agencies of Mardan, Swat,
Dir, Malakand, Bajuaur, Punjab’s
Taxila, and parts of modern-day
Pakistan. From Gandhara, Buddhism
spread as far east as Japan and
Korea.

7. Gandhara witnessed the rule of several major powers of antiquity as listed here:
Achaemenids (~600-400 BCE)
Greeks (~326-324 BCE),
Mauryans (~324-185 BCE),
Indo-Greeks (~250-190 BCE),
Scythians (~2nd century to 1st century BCE),
Parthians (~1st century BC to 1st century CE),
Kushans (~1st to 5th century CE),
White Huns (~5th century CE)
Hindu Shahi (~9th to 10th century CE).
This was followed by Muslim conquests by which time we come to the medieval
period of Indian History.
Political History of Gandhara

8. Language
The language in the region is written on the earliest manuscripts discovered in
Asia. A Prakrit language, it appears on coins, inscriptions, and texts – most of
which were written on the bark of birch trees and kept in labeled clay pots. Some
of these texts are also the earliest discovered Buddhist texts – the Gandharan
Buddhist texts.

9. Religion
Hinduism was supposed to be the predominant religion before the Persian
rule as Gandhara had played an important role in the epic of
mahabharata.
During the 2nd century B.C., It was here that Buddhism was adopted as
the state religion which flourished and prevailed here for over 1000 years,
starting from 2nd century B.C., until 10th century A.D.
After the Muslim invasion in 10th and 11th century, Islam prevailed in the
region which is still the dominant religion since the last thousand years.

10. Historical sites
Taxila, several sites illustrate Buddhist history and Gandhara architecture. As a result,
history buffs like visiting this location. The following locations in the city are historical
sites:
Takht Bahi
Jaulian Taxila

11. One of the main factors was the decline of
Buddhism in the region. Buddhism had
been the dominant religion in Gandhara for
centuries, but by the 5th century CE, it had
begun to wane in popularity, in part due to
the rise of Hinduism and Islam in the
region.
Another factor that contributed to the
decline of the Gandhara civilization was
the invasions by the Huns and other
Central Asian tribes in the 5th and 6th
centuries CE. These invasions disrupted
trade and commerce in the region, and led
to the decline of many urban centers.
End of Gandhara Civilization
 One of the main factors was the decline of Buddhism in the region.
Buddhism had been the dominant religion in Gandhara for centuries,
but by the 5th century CE, it had begun to wane in popularity, in part
due to the rise of Hinduism and Islam in the region.
 Another factor that contributed to the decline of the Gandhara
civilization was the invasions by the Huns and other Central Asian
tribes in the 5th and 6th centuries CE. These invasions disrupted trade
and commerce in the region, and led to the decline of many urban
centers