The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Taxila

in ancient times, a city located in the northwestern part of the Hindustan Peninsula, 35 km from the present-day city of Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Taxila was at first the capital of the Gan-dhara state; in the third and second centuries B.C., it was the administrative center of the northwestern part of the Mauryan empire. The oldest archaeological layer of Taxila dates from the sixth century B.C.

Taxila was a major trading and crafts center and a crossroad of Indian, Hellenic, Iranian, and Middle Asian cultures. It was also a center of ancient Indian science and education. In the second half of the fifth century, Taxila was severely damaged by Hephthalite invasions; during the seventh century it was gradually abandoned by its inhabitants. Excavations begun in 1913 have made it possible to trace the city’s uninterrupted history for more than a thousand years. These excavations have yielded valuable materials for the study of numerous aspects of ancient Indian life.

REFERENCES

Il’in, G. F. Drevnii indiiskii gorod Taksila. Moscow, 1958.
Marshall, J. Taxila, vols. 1–3. Cambridge, England, 1951.

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References in periodicals archive

WAH CANTT -- Taxila police has detained an accused wanted in a land transfer case without bringing the arrest on record.

Taxila police detain accused without showing arrest

TAXILA -- Police on Friday booked two people for allegedly fanning religious extremism on social media and took them into custody.

Two arrested for fanning extremism on social media

This was stated by Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resources, Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari while addressing the participants of Vesak Festival at Taxila on Monday.

All out efforts to be made to tap religious tourism potential: Zulfi Bukhari

TAXILA -- Third meeting of the Standing Committee on Defence Production of the National Assembly was held at Heavy Industries Taxila on Thursday with MNA Chaudhry Iftekhar Nazir in the chair.

NASC on Defence Production lauds HIT new defence products

ISLAMABAD:The sites of the Taxila getting damaged by stone crushers which is posing serious threat to cultural sites, said an official of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) here on Tuesday.

Stone crushers damaging Taxila heritage

TAXILA -- Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Tuesday that he chose the symbol of jeep for his election campaign personally.

Personally chose the jeep symbol: Chaudhry Nisar

TAXILA:Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that he had decided to contest the upcoming general elections from four constituencies.

Chaudhry Nisar to contest 2018 general election from four constituencies

Former interior minister and senior member of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will be contesting the general elections from NA-63, Taxila.

Chaudhry Nisar to contest elections from NA-63

Situated at the pivotal junction of trade routes of South Asia and Central Asia in the lush green valleys of Margalla, Taxila city grew from the 8th Century BCE to 5th century AD, to become a prominent centre of ancient civilizations, with a diverse range of ruling dynasties, including Persian, Greek and Indian cultural stock.

Connecting the Two Capitals

Rawalpindi -- FIA claimed to have apprehended three alleged human traffickers while recovering fake passports and documents from suspects possession during raids in Rawat and Taxila. On a tip-off, the FIA raided at hideout in Rawat on Tuesday and rounded up a proclaimed offender identified as Abbasi Kashmir.

Three alleged human traffickers apprehended

The 14th convocation of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Taxila, has been held at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad.

UET Taxila graduated awarded degrees, medals

Islamabad An almost century old set of buildings, covered with lush green weed, in the Pakistani city of Taxila is the treasure trove of the lost civilisation -- once thriving in the country's north-western region around 7th Century BC.

Taxila - the lost civilisation