ഇന്നത്തെ വടക്കേ [[പാക്കിസ്ഥാന്|പാക്കിസ്ഥാനിലും]] കിഴക്കേ [[അഫ്ഗാനിസ്ഥാന്|അഫ്ഗാനിസ്ഥാനിലും]] ആയി കിടക്കുന്ന, പുരാതന [[മഹാജനപദങ്ങള്|മഹാജനപദങ്ങളില്]] ഒന്നായിരുന്നു '''Gandhāraഗാന്ധാരം''' ([[Sanskritസംസ്കൃതം]]: गन्धार [[Urduഉര്ദു]]: '''گندھارا''' ''Gandḥārā''; alsoപേര്ഷ്യന് knownഭാഷയില് as '''Waihindവൈഹിന്ദ്''' inഎന്നും ഇത് Persianഅറിയപ്പെടുന്നു)<ref>[http://www.takeourword.com/TOW137/page1.html Take Our Word For It: Spotlight on Topical Terms]</ref> is the name of an ancient kingdom ([[Mahajanapada]]), in what is now northern [[Pakistan]] and eastern [[Afghanistan]]. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of [[Peshawar]], the [[Potohar]] plateau (see [[Taxila]]) and on the [[Kabul River]]. Its main cities were Purushapura (modern [[Peshawar]]), literally meaning City of Man<ref>from Sanskrit puruṣa= (primordial) man and pura=city</ref> and Takshashila (modern [[Taxila]]).<ref>[http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9035986/Gandhara Encyclopædia Britannica: Gandhara]</ref> Gandhara is described as 'the place of light,' in the song of the same name by Japanese band [[Godiego]] which was used as the closing theme to the first season of the TV series [[Monkey (TV Series)|Monkey]].
The Kingdom of Gandhara lasted from c. the 6th century BC to the 11th century AD. It attained its height from the 1st century to the 5th century under the Buddhist [[Kushan]] Kings. After it was conquered by [[Mahmud of Ghazni]] in AD 1021, the name Gandhara disappeared. During the Muslim period the area was administered from [[Lahore]] or from [[Kabul]]. During [[Mughal]] times the area was part of Kabul province.
