Taxila (Takshashila): Ancient Centre of Learning

1.1 What does the name mean, and what was the city?

Taxila is the Greek form of the Sanskrit name Takshasila (Takshashila). It was the capital of the kingdom of Gandhara, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas.

INFLIBNET calls it both a centre of trade and an ancient seat of learning. It says the city was founded by a prince called Taksha. That origin is a tradition, not a proved fact.

1.2 Where is it today?

The ruins lie in the Punjab province of Pakistan, about 30 km north of Islamabad. They sit off the Grand Trunk Road. UNESCO listed the area as a World Heritage Site in 1980. The listing covers 18 sites together.

1.3 Why was this spot so busy?

Taxila stood on a route that ran east to Pataliputra and west towards Bactria and Central Asia. The Greek writer Megasthenes called that route the “Royal Highway”. Traders, settlers, preachers and invaders all passed through. The same route is still in use today.

2.1 What was Bhir Mound?

Bhir Mound was the first city. Its layers run from the 5th-6th century BCE to the 2nd century BCE. Early digs found an uneven, “organic” layout and no fortifications.

Houses had a courtyard with rooms around it. The outer rooms faced the street and probably served as shops. Later digs (1998-2000) found a town plan, wells and a mud and wood rampart.

2.2 What was Sirkap?

Sirkap was the second city. The Bactrian Greeks founded it in the 2nd century BCE. World History Encyclopedia names Demetrius and the year 184 BCE.

It followed a grid street plan, called the Hippodamian plan. Its stone walls were 15 to 21 feet thick. Yet no Greek temple, palace or theatre has been found. After the first plan, the city grew in an Indian way.

2.3 What was Sirsukh?

Sirsukh was the third city. The Kushans founded it in the second half of the 1st century CE. It lay on open plain, with no natural defence. So it had solid limestone walls with round towers.

3.1 Who held it before Alexander?

The Persian Achaemenid empire ruled Gandhara from the 6th century BCE until 327 BCE. INFLIBNET says Darius I conquered the Indus valley in 518 BCE. Gandhara paid tribute to Persia as a province, called a satrapy. Then Alexander arrived.

3.2 What did Ambhi do when Alexander came?

The king of Taxila was Ambhi. INFLIBNET says he and the ruler Paurava (Porus) were enemies. Ambhi accepted Alexander’s overlordship without a fight. Alexander crossed the Indus with his help.

3.3 What was Taxila under the Mauryas?

Chandragupta Maurya took Gandhara and made Taxila a provincial capital. INFLIBNET tells of a revolt at Taxila during Bindusara’s reign. His son Sumana was the viceroy there. Bindusara sent Ashoka to restore order.

3.4 Who came after the Mauryas?

Three foreign powers in turn held Taxila or its land. The Indo-Greek king Eucratides made Taxila his capital. The Shaka ruler Maues ruled from Pushkalavati in the west to Taxila in the east. The Kushan emperor Kanishka built monuments at Taxila.

4.1 Was Taxila a university?

Taxila was revered as one of the world’s first universities. Teaching covered maths, medicine, politics, philosophy, astronomy and military science. But it was not one formal institution. It was a mix of religious and everyday learning, centred on monasteries. So “centre of learning” is the safer exam phrase.

4.2 Why does Taxila matter to Buddhism?

The Dharmarajika Stupa is the largest Buddhist site at Taxila. It dates from Ashoka’s time. Most scholars believe it holds relics of the Buddha. Taxila became a hub of Buddhism, especially under Ashoka and in the Kushan age.

5.1 Who rediscovered Taxila?

Taxila was lost to memory for nearly 1,000 years. It came to light in the late 1800s under Alexander Cunningham, an antiquarian of the British Raj. John Marshall did the major work in the early 1900s. Marshall was a director of the Archaeological Survey of India.

5.2 Why did Taxila fade?

The White Huns arrived in the 5th century CE. They followed the Shaiva faith and gave Buddhism no support.

The large monasteries lost their income. Buddhist monks left, and city life faded. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, in the 7th century CE, wrote of decay. Village life went on, and the nearby Margala pass is still a route today.

5.3 What should you remember?

• Taxila is the Greek form of Takshasila, capital of Gandhara, now in Pakistan.
• Three cities: Bhir Mound, Sirkap and Sirsukh.
• Rulers: Persians, Alexander and Ambhi, Mauryas, then Indo-Greeks, Shakas and Kushans.
• Learning: a centre of learning, not one formal university.
• Discovery: Cunningham found it; Marshall dug it.

Who identified the location of Taxila?

The answer is (a). Alexander Cunningham, an antiquarian of the British Raj, brought Taxila back to light in the late 1800s. John Marshall later led the major digs. See World History Encyclopedia.