Gandhâra

see also: Etymology of Gandhâra

Gāndhāra - also spelled Gandhâra - is an old kingdom of the Afghanistan and the North-West of the Pakistan centered on the valleys of the Swât and the Kâboul, two affluents of the Indus. Its principal cities were Purushapura - our Peshawar - and Taxila, shopping malls of foreground between India and the Occident. Other cities as Kapishî - today Begrâm - were important arts centres. It was under the authority of the Satraps indo-Greeks until worms -30, then under that of the Kouchan at least until the 3rd century.

Gandhâra is famous for the style of Buddhist art which developed there, known under the name of art of Gandhâra, a Syncrétisme gréco-Buddhist which made the fusion of Indian influences and hellenistic during the centuries which followed the forwarding of Alexandre Large the in Central Asia at fourth century BC. The style of Gandhâra flowers of the 1st century, under the Kouchan dynasty, at the 5th century when it disappears with the invasion from the Shvetahûna or Huns white.

The Buddhism of Gandhâra and the neighbouring areas, mixes influences Indian, Persian and hellenistic, saw the birth of the Mahayana and influenced in an important way Buddhism of the Far East; the first missionaries and active translators in China, as well as the majority of the Sutra S, came from the indo-Greek areas and kouchanes. An influence was also exerted on the Bouddhisme Tibetan via the school Yogacara, founded by Asanga and Vasubandhu, two brothers gandhârais. The Buddhist handwritten oldest, which are also the Indian manuscripts oldest, were found in Gandhâra. They are written in Gāndhārī, language of use in the kingdom, drifting of the Sanskrit and noted in writing Kharosti.

It is in Gandhâra that the Lac Dhanakosha is supposed to be, birthplace of Padmasambhava, founder of the Bouddhisme Tibetan.

Chronology

326 av. J. - C.: Alexandre Large the arrives at fine Gandhâra
of fourth century BC: the country is under the control of Chandragupta, founder of the dynasty Maurya
medium of third century BC: Ashoka converts with Buddhism
end of third century BC at the 1st century: under the control of the Bactriane
beginning of the 1st century: Aspavarman directs the kingdom.
5th century: Gandhâra is invaded by the Shvetahûna

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