- Gandhara is also an ancient name for Peshawar, Pakistan.
Gandhāra (, , ,
Avestan:
Vaēkərəta,
Old Persian Para-upari-sena,
Bactrian Paropamisadae [Hellenization:
Paropamisus],
Greek Caspatyrus) is the ancient term for the city and old kingdom of
Peshawar, which encompassed the
Swat valley and the
Potohar Plateau regions of
Pakistan, as well as the
Jalalabad district of modern-day
Afghanistan. During the
Hellenistic period, its capital city was
Charsadda, but later the capital city was shifted to
Peshawar by the
Kushan emperor
Kanishka the Great in about 127. It is mentioned in the
Zend Avesta as
Vaēkərəta, the
sixth most beautiful place on earth created by
Ahura Mazda. It was known in
Sanskrit as
Puruṣapura, literally meaning "city of men". It was known as the "crown jewel" of
Bactria and also held sway over
Takṣaśilā (modern
Taxila).
