Gandhāra is an ancient kingdom extending to the Swat valley, and potohar plateau regions of Pakistan as well as the Jalalabad district of northeastern Afghanistan.

During the Hellenistic period, its capital city is Pushkalavati, present-day Charsadda, but later the capital city is shifted to Peshawar by the Kushan emperor Kanishka the Great in about 127.

It is mentioned in the Zend Avesta as Vaēkərəta, the sixth most beautiful place on earth created by Ahura Mazda.

It is known in Sanskrit as Puruṣapura, literally meaning "city of men".

It is known as the "crown jewel" of Bactria and also holds sway over Takṣaśilā (modern Taxila).

The Kingdom of Gandhara lasts from the Vedic period (c. 1500-500 BCE).

As a center of Greco-Buddhism, Bactrian Zoroastrianism and animism, Gandhara attains its height from the first century to the fifth century under the Kushan Kings.