Gandhara

Gandhara (IAST: Gandhāra) was an ancient Indo-Aryan culture and historical region located in what is now northwestern Pakistan and northeastern Afghanistan. Situated at the crossroads of Central and South Asia, it was known for its influential Buddhist culture and absorbed diverse influences from neighbouring areas. The core of the region of Gandhara was the Valley of Peshawar, though the cultural influence of "Greater Gandhara" extended across the Indus River to Taxila and westwards into the Kabul Valley as far as Bamyan, and northwards up to the Karakoram range, including Swat, Bajaur and other valleys.

Gandhara is named after the Gandhara tribe of the Vedic period, who are attested in the Rigveda (c. 1500 – c. 1200 BCE). Indo-Aryans migrated into the region sometimes between 1900 and 1500 BCE, and mixed with the local population. The Gandhara grave culture (c. 1400–800 BCE) has sometimes been taken as a representative of Indo-Aryan migrations, although it has also been regarded as a local development or a combination of the two. Gandhara was recognised as one of the sixteen mahajanapadas ("great realms") by the 6th century BCE.

It was annexed in the late 6th century BCE by the A