#Rāmāyan #Afghanistan #AncientCivilization #Gāndhāra

Lord Rama’s brother Bharata and his wife Mandavi, (Sita Ma's sister), had two sons named Taksha and Pushkal.

Bharata conquered the Gandhara region (modern day Afghanistan & Pakistan) and ruled it. Two cities emerged in the

valley surrounding the Kabul and Swat rivers, named after Bharata’s two sons – Takshashilā (Taxila), named after Taksha and Pushkalāvati (modern day Peshawar) named after Pushkal. Pushkalāvati means "lotus city" in Sanskrit. The early settlement of these two great cities later

became the basis for the Gandhara civilisation.

Mentioned in the Ramayana (8th – 4th BCE) and the Mahabharata, Gandhara thus had ancient roots. Much before Buddhism was propagated in the kingdom, the region had a significant population. Lord Rama’s these two nephews, obviously

must have lived in the ancient Hindu realm, and consequently so did the early Gandharans.

Gandhara is mentioned in an even older text of the Rigveda (1500-1200 BCE) which has a whole poem deciated to the kingdom. Another sacred text, the Atharvaveda (1500-1000 BCE) mentions the

region and its people as ‘Gandharis’.

According to Mahābhārata, Emperor Dhritarāshtra is married to Queen Gāndhāri, which means she was from Afghanistan.

The pivotal documentation from these ancient times establishes the fact that Gandhara as a civilisation existed in at

least the Bronze Age. 

The Gandhara civilisation took root in a fertile region, one of surreal natural beauty. The rivers were of great religious significance. For instance, the Kabul river and the Swat river converge at a single point from where they flow into the mighty Indus

river. The point of confluence of these rivers was a sacred point and was called Prang, quite similar to modern day confluence of Gangā, Yamunā & Sarasvati in India which is called Prayāg.

Interestingly long after those philosophies have ceased to influence people’s lives, the

importance of this place is still significant. The local population still holds the place in reverence and bury their dead at that point. 

Gandhara is surrounded by high mountains, making the region difficult to access, but because the region is so strategically located, it did

not hinder people from all over the region to come to Gandhara – for not only trade and commerce but also for exchange of ideas and learning. Taxila hosted the oldest university in the world.

68 subjects were taught including Vedas, Grammar, Philosophy, astronomy, medicine,

surgery, politics, archery warfare, music, commerce etc. Minimum entry age was 16. At the time, 10,500 students studied there, including those from China, Babylon, Syria and Greece.

During the Gupta Empire, Chānakyā taught at Takshashilā University.

The region became the

gateway into the Indian Subcontinent, producing a uniquely eclectic culture, which in turn produced splendid art.

Gandhara inherited syncretic traditions in arts and culture because of the influence of varied peoples and traditions. The amalgamation resulted in a unique

civilisation, rooted in the traditions of the Nanda, the Magadha as well as the great Achaemenid Empire.

Chandragupta created a secure and effective empire where trade and commerce flourished unhindered in a very large area of land, making it a unique giant body of commercial

activity under a single emperor. Chandragupta provided security and opportunity to his citizens to travel vast distances and to trade not only goods but also ideas – without any fear. Such an environment of course created a magnificent diffusion of traditions and promoted a

dialogue. Ancient Hinduism, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism all coexisted in the same realm, resulting in great learning and development of the thought process. Thus the early Gandhara art has roots also in the ancient Hindu culture and tradition.