Gandhara - The land of fragrance and beauty comprises the area to the west of river Indus and
north of river Kabul. It includes the valleys of
Peshawar, Swat, Dir and Bajaur and extends eastwards
to the Taxila Valley in the Punjab and westwards to
Hadda and Bamiyan in Afghanistan.
Gandhara, the cradle of Buddhist Civilization, which
gave birth to the famous Gandhara Art, is first
mentioned in the Rig-Veda, the religious book of
Aryans.
The purpose of this art was the propagation of Buddhism
through the images carved and made in stone, stucco,
terracotta and bronze, mostly enshrined in the stupas and
monasteries throughout Gandhara. Thousands of such stupas
were mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim, Hiuen Tsang, who
visited Gandhara in the early 7th century AD, only few of
which have been excavated so-far. The main focus of the art
was Buddha's life stories and individual images his previous
birth stories (Jatakas) and future Buddhas. The most
important among them are the figures of historic Buddha, his
miracles and all episodes from his birth to death,
beautifully and liberally executed. The local devoted
artists, stimulated by the personality of Buddha, took
advantage of the contact, motifs and technology from Greek,
Romans and Persians and developed such a unique art, which
gave Buddha an eternal life.
Pakistan has inherited a wealth of
rich and diverse cultural heritage – a legacy of successive
civilizations which flourished in the region over the
centuries. Gandhara, the cradle of Buddhist Civilization,
which gave birth to the famous Gandhara Art, is first
mentioned in the Rig-Veda, the religious book of Aryans. It
remained one of the provinces of the Achaemenian Empire as
per Darius inscription of the 6th century BC. Pushkalavati (Balahisar-Charsadda
in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan) was its
first capital from the 6th century BC to 1st century AD,
which was invaded in 327 BC by Alexander the Great. Later,
Gandhara was ruled by Mauryans, Indo-Greeks, Scythians and
Parthians rulers.
The purpose of this art was the propagation of Buddhism
through the images carved and made in stone, stucco,
terracotta and bronze, mostly enshrined in the stupas and
monasteries throughout Gandhara. Thousands of such stupas
were mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim, Hiuen Tsang, who
visited Gandhara in the early 7th century AD, only few of
which have been excavated so-far. The main focus of the art
was Buddha's life stories and individual images his previous
birth stories (Jatakas) and future Buddhas. The most
important among them are the figures of historic Buddha, his
miracles and all episodes from his birth to death,
beautifully and liberally executed. The local devoted
artists, stimulated by the personality of Buddha, took
advantage of the contact, motifs and technology from Greek,
Romans and Persians and developed such a unique art, which
gave Buddha an eternal life. 
Pakistan has inherited a wealth of
rich and diverse cultural heritage – a legacy of successive
civilizations which flourished in the region over the
centuries. Gandhara, the cradle of Buddhist Civilization,
which gave birth to the famous Gandhara Art, is first
mentioned in the Rig-Veda, the religious book of Aryans. It
remained one of the provinces of the Achaemenian Empire as
per Darius inscription of the 6th century BC. Pushkalavati (Balahisar-Charsadda
in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan) was its
first capital from the 6th century BC to 1st century AD,
which was invaded in 327 BC by Alexander the Great. Later,
Gandhara was ruled by Mauryans, Indo-Greeks, Scythians and
Parthians rulers. 