Description

Pakistan is home to the ancient kingdom of Gandhara and historically it had four capitals, stretching from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Punjab. These capitals include Bagram, Charsadda, Taxila, and Peshwar. Gandhara means “Land of Perfume” and is the central meeting point of South Asia, West Asia, and Central Asia. These four capitals have produced many Buddhist philosophers and together they have become centers of Buddhist learning. The emperors and kings of this great empire took many steps to ensure that the sanctity of the region was preserved. King Ashoka chose the stupa in Taxila as one of the main sites of his empire to protect the remains of the Buddha. Later, the role of Kanishka, the ruler of Kushan, was crucial as he worked to promote Gandharan sculpture, a fusion of classical Buddhist and Greek themes.

A Little History

Despite being an Islamic republic, Pakistan respects the historic legacy of pre-Islamic civilizations. One of the most famous centers of Buddhist civilization in Pakistan is called Gandhara, which literally means “the land of fragrance”. It is located in the present day Peshawar Valley that included Swat and Taxila in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab province. Over the centuries, the kingdom of Gandhara was ruled from its four different capitals, which include, Kapisa (Bagram), Pushkalavati (Charsadda), Takshashila (Taxila), and Purusapura (Peshawar). The history of Gandhara is the stuff that legends are made of. From the composition and recitation of Mahabharata – the greatest Hindu epic at Gandhara in the early historic period to the preeminence of the ancient centers of Buddhist learning – the Takshashila University, the legends of Gandhara have always inspired the imagination of people from diverse lands and from time immemorial. Once strategically located at the junction of caravan routes that linked Southern, Western and Central Asia regions to the West, Gandhara was a melting point of various civilizations, which include Achaemenids, Hellenistic, Mauryans, Greco-Bactrian, Kushan, Gupta, Huns and eventually the Muslims.

Gandhara entered in the annals of recorded history as the eastern province of Achaemenid Empire of Persia in the 6-5th centuries B.C.E. Gandhara was invaded by Alexander of Macedonia in 327 B.C.E., which led to a brief period of Greek rule. Thereafter, it was ruled by Chandragupta Maurya and his successors for over 150 years. From 300-200 centuries B.C.E., Greek dynasties took over Gandhara. In the early first century B.C.E., the victorious Sakas or Scythians, were followed after yet another century by the Parthians, and the Kushans. Finally, the deathblow to its prosperity was given by the Hephthalites or White Huns, who swept over the country in about 465 C.E., carrying fire and sword wherever they went and destroying the Buddhist monasteries. Mahmud Ghaznavi conquered Gandhara and made it part of Ghaznavid Empire in 998 C.E. Under the influence of Central Asian sufis, slowly and gradually, the Buddhists of Gandhara embraced Islam. Politically and culturally, the 12th century C.E. marked the end of Buddhism in Gandhara region.

Packages:

Activities:

Sight Seeing

Places to see:

Lahore | Islamabad | Peshawar | Mingora 

Lahore City, Lahore Museum, Mankyala Stupa, Taxila,Julian, Mohra Moradu, Dharma Rajika Stupa, Taxila Museum, Peshawar, Hund Museum
Rani Gut, Buddhist Sites, Ashoka Rock, Jamal Gahri Buddhist Site, Mingora, Peshawar Museum, Takhat Bahi, Swat, Swat Museum, Butkara I & Butkara II, Jehanabad Village, Buddah Rock, Carvings, Saidu Sharif Stupa & Monastery,  Dir,  Andan Dheri, Nimogram Buddhist Site, Singerdar Stupa, Amluk Dara Stupa, Stupa of Amlukdara, Katas Raj Temple ,Khewra Salt Mines

Itinerary:

We share customized itinerary along with packages of the tour, after receiving the booking details.