RAWALPINDI, Feb 02 (APP): A seminar was organized at the Punjab Arts Council (PAC) on Gandhara civilization on the eve of the Gandhara Festival 2023.
Dr Ghani Ur Rehman presided over the seminar, while Dr Zubia Sultana performed the duties of the host.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ghani said that the ancient kingdom mentioned in the Vedas and Buddhist scriptures was established from the 6th BC to 11th centuries AD and extended to the present-day KP, Punjab and Potohar.
When Ashoka came here in 230 BC, people converted to Buddhism in great numbers, he said adding that it was a modern civilization with monasteries, places of worship, educational institutions and commercial centres.
Dr Ghani said that Gandhara architecture emerged from the convergence of Greek-Iranian and local cultures.
While addressing the seminar, Professor Dr Saadeed Arif, Prof. Dr Abdul Hameed Chitrali, Dr Tahir Saeed, and Dr Darial Chan shed light on the various periods of Gandhara civilization, history and art.
The seminar discussed the religious, cultural and archaeological aspects of the Gandhara civilization. The speakers emphasized restoring the lost importance of the national heritage of Pakistan.
Mehfil-e-Sama was also organized in which Imran Aziz Mian qawwal presented the famous qawwalis and got a lot of applause from the gathering.
A painting exhibition and Sufi night programme will be held on Friday, while the festival will conclude on February 4.
