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Nomenclature and Geography of Ancient Gandhara

OAI: oai:ojs2.jhss-uok.com:article/20

Abstract

Gandhara has been a significant region since the early historic period of South Asia. Besides its emergenceand growth as an artistic and cultural center, the uniqueness of Gandhara lies in its location because it was connected with all important towns of ancient India. Several roads branch out from Gandhara which provided access from Bactria in the west to Magadha (Bihar) in the east. This ideal geographic location transformed Gandhara in to the meeting place of several cultures through traders, invaders, religious leaders and devotees. The trade and commerce flourished due to its remarkable geographical location linking it with all the other important trade centers from east and west. The present paper focuses on the various names applied to designate the ancient region of Gandhara and its geographical extent with reference to ancient literary and epi graphic records.