Hashtnagar

Hashtnagar (Pashto: هشت نګر, more commonly known as اشنغر in Pashto)^[3] is one of the two constituent parts of the Charsadda District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The name Hashtnagar is derived from the Sanskrit अष्टनगरम् Aṣṭanagaram, "eight towns", from Sanskrit aṣṭa, "eight" and नगर nagara, "settlement, locality, town". There was an unrelated town of the same name near Kabul in the 17th century. It was home to the Roshani Movement. The descriptive was later influenced by the Persian هشت hasht, "eight". The etymology "Eight Towns", refers to the eight major settlements situated in this region.^[4] These are:

Chārsadda, Hashtnagar [Muhammadzai and Kheshgi]
Prang (the 1812 list groups Prang with Chārsadda)
Rajjar, Chārsadda
Sherpao, Chārsadda
Tangi, Chārsadda
Turangzai, Chārsadda
Umarzai, Chārsadda
Utmanzai, Chārsadda
Dargai, Chārsadda

Hashtnagar

Hashtnagar area, in Pakistan

Hashtnagar Buddha

Statue of the Buddha from Palatu Dheri in Hashtnagar, inscribed of "the year 384", thought to belong to the Yavana era, which would be 209 CE.

Piedestal of the same statue, with Year 384 inscription: sam 1 1 1 100 20 20 20 20 4 Prothavadasa masasa divasammi pamcami 4 1 ("In the year 384, on the fifth, 5, day of the month Prausthapada").^[1] The pedestal was sawed off by L. White King in 1883 and brought to the British Museum.^[2]

History

Buddhist period

Hashtnagar is known for an early Buddhist statue. The name Hashtnagar is derived from the Sanskrit Aṣṭanagaram, aṣṭa meaning "eight" and nagaram meaning "town".^[5]

Modern era

In 1812 the Asiatick Society (Calcutta, India) described the Gujars of Afghanistan as brave, mainly pastoral, and numerous in Hashtnagar district. The Muhammadzai (Charsadda) and Kheshgi were also mentioned as powerful tribes in the area.^[6]

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History

Buddhist period

Modern era

Media

Notable people

See also

References

External links

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