Historical Geography of Ancient India c6.620

c6.620

Puṣkalāvatī (Puṣkarāvatī, Peukelaotis of Arrian and Peukalei of Dionysius Periegetes).—It was an earlier capital of Gandhāra, situated to the west of the river Indus. It is identified with the modern Chārsadda (Chārsada),¹ a little above the junction of the Swat with the Kabul river (V. S. Agrawala, *Geographical Data in Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī*, J.U.P.H. Society, Vol. XVI, Pt. I, p. 18). According to some this city, otherwise known as the lotus city, may be identified with the modern Prang and Chārsadda, 17 miles north-east of Peshwar on the Swat river (Schoff, *The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea*, pp. 183-84; J.A.S.B., 1889, iii; Cunningham, *A.G.I.*, 1924, 57ff.). It is said to have been founded by Puṣkara, son of Bharata and nephew of Rāma (*Viṣṇupurāṇa*, Wilson Ed., Vol. IV, Ch. 4). It was the capital of an Indian prince named Hasti (Greek Astes) at the time of Alexander's expedition (326 B.C.). Ptolemy calls it Proklais which was a very large and populous city. It came under the Śaka rule during the reign of Maues (*cir.* 75 B.C.). (Vide *Cambridge History of India*, Vol. I, 560; Brown, *Coins of India*, p. 24). Kaniṣka's son used to live here according to Tārānāth (vide V. A. Smith, *Early History of India*, 4th Ed., p. 277, f.n. 1). It is mentioned in the *Brihat-saṃhitā* as a city (XIV. 26). For further details vide B. C. Law, *Indological Studies*, Pt. I, p. 14.