The ancient kingdom of Gandhara is located in present-day northwest Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Its core territory was centered in the Peshawar and Swat valleys, extending west to Kabul and Bagram and east to the Pothohar Plateau. Key historical cities of the region included Taxila (near Islamabad) and Peshawar.
Gandhar – Mahabharata's Gandhar is currently situated to the west of River Sindhu in Sindh, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Gandhari, the daughter of the King Subal of Gandhara, was the wife of Dhritrashtra.
Ancient Gandhara, located in the rugged foothills of the Himalayas in what is today northwest Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, was for centuries a thriving center of trade along the Silk Road linking China, South Asia, and the Mediterranean.
How the Rigveda Preserved India’s Ancient History | Former ISRO Scientist Jijith Nadamuri EXCLUSIVE
What is Gandhar called today?
Gandhara satrapy was founded in 518 BCE, and its capital was Pushkalavati. It was founded in the general province of the ancient Gandhara grave culture. So, it's named today as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Afghanistan has several historical names, with the oldest widely recognized being Ariana (meaning "Land of the Aryans"), while other major historical names include Bactria in the north and Khorasan, a larger Persian region that included much of modern Afghanistan. The name Afghanistan itself emerged later, formalized in the 18th century by Ahmad Shah Abdali.
Shakuni, also lesser-known as Saubala, was the prince of the Gandhara Kingdom, which is the present-day Kandahar in Afghanistan. He is famed for being one of the pivotal negative characters of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata – a villain, who is believed to have veritably changed the landscape of the epic.
The earlier name of the city was 'Quandhar', derived from the name of the region of Gandhara. Erstwhile home to Al-Qaeda today, it was always a strategic site, being on main Persian routes to Central Asia and India. Hence, it has a long history of conquests.
Shakuni went to heaven because he died as a warrior in the Kurukshetra battlefield . Any warrior who falls in battle is believed to go to heaven, regardless of their misdeeds.
Sindh is mentioned in Hindu epic of Mahabharat 2000 BC, in names of Sindhu Kingdom (Capital Virsadharthpura, presently known as Mithakot, Punjab, Pakistan.)
Located in the North Western part of Pakistan, particularly in Taxila, Gandhara became the center of Buddhist learning and the spread of Lord Buddha's message thus playing a pivotal role in the history of Buddhist faith, art and architecture.
Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Hastinapura is described as the capital of the Kuru kingdom in Hindu texts such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas; it is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts. Hastinapur is located on the right bank of the Ganga river.
Location: Mayamkottu Malancharuvu Malanada Temple in #Pavithreswaram (earlier known as Pakutheswaram) near Kottarakkara in the #Kollam district of Kerala, a state that is also known as God's Own Country, is dedicated to Shakuni.
Kurukshetra is located at Latitude 29°-52′ to 30°- 12′ & Longitude 76°-26′ to 77°-04′ in the North Eastern part of Haryana State. It is surrounded by four districts of Haryana (Ambala, Yamuna Nagar, Karnal & Kaithal) in the East, South, North and Patiala district of Punjab in the North West.
Once upon a time, Afghanistan was not how we see it today, that is what studies say. It was once known as Gandhara and the fact that it still has a city known by the name of Kandahar confirms the truth. As per the experts, the Gandhara kingdom covered portions of today's northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, 39 is taboo. It's hard to find a credible story to explain what exactly it means, but everyone knows it's bad. Many Afghans say that the number 39 translates into morda-gow, which literally means "dead cow" but is also a well-known slang term for a procurer of prostitutes — a pimp.
Gandhara art, style of Buddhist visual art that developed in what is now northwestern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan between the 1st century bce and the 7th century ce.
He had 100 siblings and a sister Gandhari and thus, was the maternal uncle of Duryodhana. He later became the King of Gandhara after his father's death. Shakuni's wife was 'Arshi'.
Gandhari is introduced in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata as the daughter of King Subala, the ruler of the Gandhara kingdom and a descendant of Turvasu (son of Yayati) of the Lunar Dynasty. This region spanned from the Sindhu River to Kabul in Afghanistan.
In Kabul, there are several Hindu temples: Asamai Hindu temple, Old city, Dargaa, Asamayi: The Asamai temple is at the foothills of the central hill Asamayi (Koh-i-Asamayi) of the Afghan capital. The hill is named Asamai after Asha, the goddess of hope said to be present on the hilltop since ancient times.
Buddhism was widespread in the region before the Islamic conquest of Afghanistan. Most of the Zoroastrian, Greek, Hellenistic, Buddhist, Hindu and other indigenous cultures were replaced by the coming of Islam and little influence remains in Afghanistan today.
Afghanistan is highly ethnically diverse. Some Afghans have ethnic Persian identity, but nowhere near a majority. Most Afghans are ethnic Pashtuns, Hazaras, Tajiks, Uzbeks, among others.
Afghanistan was part of the Persian Empire from the sixth century to the fourth century ʙᴄ, although the Bible does not use the proper name for the modern nation. However, you can quickly identify the geographic region when you understand the geography and alignment of countries in the ancient world.
