The Gandhara Archaeological remains

This is a trip to Gandhara sites around the Swat Valley, where Gandhara art flourished. Gandhara Buddhist art flourished during the Kushan Empire in the 1st-5th centuries. Its cultural influence extended over north-west Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, with present-day Peshawar (Purushapura) flourishing as the capital, and many stupas and monasteries were built in the Swat Valley. The first Buddha statues are thought to have been made during the Kushan Empire in the 1st century, the period of the succession between Kujula Kadphises and Vima Kadphises (various theories exist), when Buddhist art, influenced by the Greeks, Persians, West and Central Asia of that time. This tour takes you to many Gandhara archaeological sites. Some sites have spectacular remains to almost nothing left (not excavated), but why not feel like a survey team? You will see the wonderful Gandhara exhibits including the Jataka reliefs, at the Peshawar Museum.