Taxila an ancient site of Pakistan:
A significant archeological site, Taxila is an ancient city that was once a center of learning and home to one of the world's first universities. John Marshall spent twenty years working at Taxila starting in 1913, when he first began excavating the site's ruins. Midway through the 1800s, renowned archaeologist Alexander Cunningham rediscovered the ruins of Taxila by connecting a nearby site called Sarai kala (or Sarai Khola) with ancient Taxila.
It was unknown where Taxila, an ancient city known from literary texts, was located before then.
History
In 1980, Taxila was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, mostly because of the remnants of four town sites that illustrate the history of urban development on the Indian subcontinent over more than five centuries. At the series site, in addition to the four villages at Bhir, Saraikala, Sirkap, and Sirsukh, there are several monuments and other noteworthy historical locations in the region. In total, there are eighteen of them.
The Global Heritage Fund named Taxila as one of the 12 most important sites in the world in danger of irreversible loss and degradation in a 2010 assessment, listing the main dangers as inadequate management, pressure from development, looting, and war and violence.
Thailand has pledged to support conservation work at Buddhist sites in the Swat Valley and at Taxila, as reported in 2017. Relative to 1000 BCE, Taxila was founded as a city and is located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. Some of the ruins of Taxila date back to the Achaemenid Empire (6th century BCE), and then to the Mauryan, Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian, and Kushan periods one after the other.
Because of Taxila's advantageous location, numerous empires have competed for control of it over the ages. The city faded into obscurity as the major old trade routes that connected these areas were less significant, and in the fifth century the Hunas, who were nomads, eventually destroyed it.
According to The Guardian newspaper, Taxila was Pakistan's most popular travel destination in 2006. As one of the top 12 global sites facing irreversible loss and damage, according to a 2010 report by the Global Heritage Fund, the main threats to Taxila's survival were war and strife, development pressure, looting, and inadequate management.
Meaning Takkasila (Pali) and Takshashila (Sanskrit) were the names given to Taxila. From the time of Alexander the Great, the Europeans were acquainted with the name Taxila, which the Greeks reduced from its original form. As per the Ramayana, the city of Takshashila was named after Taksha, the first ruler and son of Bharata. Alternatively, the name Takshashila could mean "Rock of Taksha."
Another derivation links Takshashila to Takshaka (carpenter in Sanskrit), and suggests that Takshashila is another name for the Naga, a non-Indo-Iranian people of ancient India. According to the Ramayana, Bharata, Rama's younger brother, created Takshashila, a magnificent city known for its richness.
Taksha and Pushkala, two of Bharata's sons, were crowned king and queen of the two cities by the neighboring Pushkalavati, which he also founded.
The Buddhist Jatakas describe Taxila as the capital of the kingdom of Gandhara, a world-class center of learning with renowned instructors. The story of the Takkasila Jataka, also called the Telapatta Jataka, revolves around a prince from Benares who is tasked with becoming the king of Takkasila if he can reach the city in seven days without getting caught by the yakkhinis that mislead travelers in the forest.
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Twelve sons and grandsons succeeded Dipankara, a Kshatriya, as one of Taxila's early monarchs, according to the Dipavamsa. The Avadanakalpalata mentions Kunjakarṇa as another ruler connected to the city.
Rishabha, the first Tirthankara, is claimed to have traveled to Taxila millions of years ago according to Jain tradition. Bahubali then dedicated his footprints by building a throne and a dharmachakra, or "wheel of the law," above them that measured many miles in height and circumference. and stupas, an impact from which the city would never fully heal.
The City was ruled by the Hunnic Empire in India between 500 and 540 CE, during which time it was neglected. Between 629 and 645 CE, Xuanzang made a trip to India. When he returned to Taxila in 630 CE, it was half-ruined and forlorn. The majority of its sangharamas remained destroyed, and the state had turned into a vassal of Kashmir, with the local chiefs battling for control.
It was almost empty of monks. He mentioned that Kapisa had discussed it quite some years ago. It became a relic of the Kabul Shahis by the ninth century.
Current Taxila Located along the historic Grand Trunk Road, 32 km (20 mi) northwest of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, near the Mughal-era Wah Gardens and the significant Sikh pilgrimage center of Hasan Abdal, modern Taxila is a city in Rawalpindi District, rising to a height of approximately 549 meters (1,801 feet) above sea level. Culture Taxila today combines less affluent rural areas with rather affluent metropolitan areas.
Urban residential zones are typically constructed as planned communities that house employees of heavy industries and the heavy mechanical complex.
The Taxila Museum is home to one of Pakistan's largest and most extensive collections of Gandharan art, or stone Buddhist sculpture from the first to the eighth centuries. The main source of the collection is the Taxila Valley's excavated sites, specifically Sir John Marshall's excavations.
Other items originate from materials seized by the police and customs officials, donations like the Ram Das Collection, and excavated sites in other parts of Gandhara. Traveling Located in Taxila, one of the most popular tourist locations in northern Pakistan, is the Taxila Museum, which is home to several items from the excavations conducted in Taxila.
As an Islamist insurgency broke out in Pakistan in 2007, the number of foreign visitors to the site decreased sharply. However, by 2017, the situation regarding law and order in the area had significantly improved with the commencement of the Zarb-e-Azb campaign, which was initiated by the Pakistani Army in 2014 to combat radical Islamist militants.
In 2017, the government of Pakistan declared its goal to transform Taxila into a destination for Buddhist pilgrimages. In the process, it was revealed that the Thai government would support conservation work at the site and that an exhibition on the region's Buddhist legacy will take place in Thailand.
Not only does Taxila include the ruins of its ancient past, but it also has remnants of the Mughal gardens and the Grand Trunk Road.
A British-era monument that greets visitors arriving from Rawalpindi/Islamabad is called Nicholson's Obelisk in remembrance of Brigadier John Nicholson, who was killed during the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857.
Business One of the biggest engineering, military, and defense contractors in Pakistan, Heavy Industries Taxila, is based in Taxila. Large Pakistan Ordnance Factories, which employ 27,000 people, are also a major contributor to the city's economy. They are located near Wah Cantt. Shoes, pottery, and stoneware are examples of cottage and home businesses.