What is Peshawar old name?

Once the capital of the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Gandhara, the city was known variously as Parasawara and Purusapura (town, or abode, of Purusa); it was also called Begram. The present name, Peshawar (pesh awar, “frontier town”), is ascribed to Akbar, the Mughal emperor of India (1556–1605).

Which civilization is Peshawar from?

Peshawar is located in an area that was dominated by various tribes of Indo-Iranian origin. The region was affiliated with theancient kingdom of Gandhara and had links to the Harappan civilization of the Indus River Valley and to Bactria and other ancient kingdoms based in Afghanistan.

What is the old name of Sindh?

Sindhu
However, the importance of the river and close phonetical resemblance in nomenclature would make one consider Sindhu as the probable origin of the name of Sindh. Later phonetical changes transformed Sindhu into Hindu in Pahlavi and into Hoddu in Hebrew.

Who named Peshawar?

Mughal Emperor Akbar
The modern name of the city “Peshawar” comes from the Persian words ‘Pesh’ – ‘Awardan’ meaning ‘the first coming city. It was named so by Mughal Emperor Akbar from its old name Parashawar, the meaning of which Akbar didn’t understand.

What is the origin of the name of the city Peshawar?

Sanskrit, written in the Kharosthi script, was the literary language employed by the Buddhist kingdoms which ruled over the area during its earliest recorded period. The city’s name may also be derived from the Sanskrit name for “City of Flowers,” Poshapura, a name found in an ancient Kharosthi inscription that may refer to Peshawar.

What is there to do in Peshawar?

Gardens and suburbs are outside the old city wall. Constituted a municipality in 1867, the city has three hospitals, a museum (with a large collection of Gandharan Buddhist relics), an agricultural college, and the University of Peshawar (founded 1950), with several constituent and affiliated colleges.

What happened to the city of Peshawar in 630 CE?

The Chinese monk and traveler Xuanzang visited ancient Peshawar around 630 CE, after Kapisa victory, and expressed lament that the city and its great Buddhist monuments had decayed to ruin —although some monks studying Hinayana Buddhism continued to study at the monastery’s ruins.

What is the history of Buddhism in Peshawar?

The Vale of Peshawar was annexed by the Greco-Bactrian king Eucratides (2nd century bce ), and Kaniska made Purusapura the capital of his Kushan (Kusana) empire (1st century ce ). Buddhism was still dominant in the 5th century ce when Faxian, the Chinese Buddhist monk and traveler, passed through the area.