List of people from Gandhara

Important Gandharans who influenced Ancient India include;

• Pāṇini (5th century BC), born in Śalatura he was a Sanskrit philologist, grammarian, and a revered scholar from Gandhara. Pāṇini is known for his text Aṣṭādhyāyī, a sutra-style treatise on Sanskrit grammar.[4][5]

17th-century birch bark manuscript of Pāṇini's grammar treatise from Kashmir in the north of Gandhara, Pāṇini is considered first grammarian in the world history

Chanakya played an important role in the establishment of Mauryan Empire

• Chanakya (4th century BC), born in Takshashila he was an ancient Gandharan teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor. Chanakya assisted the first Mauryan emperor Chandragupta in his rise to power, and his work Arthashastra is considered Pioneer of field of political science in India.[6]

Chanakya

Chinese illustration of Gandharan monk Vasubandhu. His teachings created Jōdo Shinshū, the most widely adhered branch of Japanese Buddhism

Gandharan Buddhist monks from eastern Afghanistan and north western Pakistan directly or indirectly developed important schools and traditions of Buddhism like Nyingma school of Tibet, Sautrāntika school of China, Hossō, Jōjitsu and Kusha-shū schools of Japan, as well as traditions of Dzogchen and Yogachara in East Asia. Gandharans were instrumental in spreading Buddhism to China, Korea and Japan and thus deeply influenced East Asian philosophy, history, and culture. Founders of various buddhist schools and traditions from Gandhara are as follows; ]]]

• Garab Dorje (1st century), born in Uddiyana (Swat) he was the founder of Dzogchen (Great Perfection) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.[7]
• Kumāralāta (3rd century), born in Takshashila (Taxila) Kumāralāta was the founder of Sautrāntika school of Buddhism, one of original Buddhist schools. He was author of a "collection of dṛṣtānta" (Dṛṣtāntapaṅkti) called the Kalpanāmaṇḍitīkā. Sautrāntika school's teaching latter influenced formation of Jōjitsu school of Japanese Buddhism.

Japanese wood statue of Gandharan monk Asaṅga from 1208 CE

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• Vasubandhu (4th century), Born in Puruṣapura (Peshawer) Vasubandhu is considered one of the most influential thinkers in the Gandharan Buddhist philosophical tradition. In Jōdo Shinshū (most widely adhered branch of Japanese Buddhism), he is considered the Second Patriarch; in Chan Buddhism, he is the 21st Patriarch. His Abhidharmakośakārikā ("Commentary on the Treasury of the Abhidharma") is widely used in Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism.[8]
• Asaṅga (4th century), Born in Puruṣapura (Peshawer) he was "one of the most important spiritual figures" of Mahayana Buddhism and the "founder of the Yogachara tradition of East Asia ". His writing includes Mahāyānasaṃgraha (Summary of the Great Vehicle) and Abhidharma-samuccaya.

Tibetan depiction of Asaṅga

Five-story pagoda and Tōkondō at Kōfuku-ji of Hossō school of Yogachara tradition which was founded by Gandharan monk Vasubandhu, in Japan

Important Gandharans who played a significant role in translation of buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Chinese are as below;

• Zhi Yao (2nd century), he translated important Buddhist texts into Chinese during era of Han dynasty of China.
• Lokakṣema (2nd century), he translated important Sanskrit sutras into Chinese, during the rule of Han dynasty of China.[9]

Chinese illustration of Lokaksema, the first translator of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese

• Jñānagupta (6th century), translated 39 scriptures in 192 fascicles during the period 561 to 592 into Chinese during the rule of Sui dynasty of China.
• Prajñā (9th century), translated important Sanskrit sutras into Chinese during the rule of Tang dynasty of China.
• Dānapāla (11th century), he was an Buddhist monk and prolific translator of Sanskrit Buddhist sutras during the Song dynasty in China

During ancient era (500 BC-500 AD) many rulers ruled kingdom of Gandhara independently. Main Gandharan rulers of this era include:

• Porus (4th century BC ), ruler of Eastern Gandhara[10][11][12]
• Ambhi (4th century BC ), ruler of Taxila[13][14]

Meeting of king Porus and king Ambhi, a 20th century artist's imagination.

• Peithon (son of Agenor) (4th century BC), Greek ruler of Gandhara
• Pantaleon (2nd century BC ), first Indo Greek ruler of Gandhara
• Menander I (2nd century BC ), first Buddhist Indo-Greek ruler of Gandhara

Menander I (155–130 BC) is one of the few Indo-Greek kings mentioned in both Graeco-Roman and Indian sources.

• Archebius (1st century BC), last Indo-Greek ruler of Gandhara
• Maues (1st century BC ), first Indo-Scythian ruler of Gandhara
• Kharahostes (1st century BC), last Indo-Scythian ruler of Gandhara
• Gondophares (1st century AD), first Indo-Parthian ruler of Gandhara
• Pacores (1st century AD ), last Indo-Parthian ruler of Gandhara
• Vima Takto (1st century AD ), first Kushan ruler of Gandhara[15]
• Kanishka (2nd century AD), first Buddhist Kushan ruler of Gandhara[16]

Gold coin of Kanishka I with a representation of the Buddha

• Kipunada (4th century AD ), last Kushan ruler of Gandhara
• Kidara I (4th century AD), first Kidarite ruler of Gandhara

portrait of Kidara

• Kandik (5th century AD ), last Kidarite ruler of Gandhara

• Marananta (4th century) , he brought Buddhism to Korean Peninsula.[17]

• Aṣṭādhyāyī, text by Pāṇini
• Arthashastra, text by Chanakya
• Dzogchen tradition, founded by Garab Dorje
• Maurya empire
• Kushan empire