Takshashila centre of learning

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Takshashila (also known as the Hellenized Taxila) was an important centre of learning in ancient India; its site is to be found in present-day Pakistan^[1]. Legend has it that Taksha, an Indian king who ruled the kingdom of Taksha Khanda (Tashkent), founded the city of Takshashila.^{[citation needed]} The word Takshashila, in Sanskrit, means "rock of Taksha".

Taksha was the son of Bharata (brother of the legendary Rama) and Mandavi (cousin of Sita), historical characters who appear in the Indian epic Ramayana. Today, the ruins of the ancient city can be found at Taxila in the Punjab province of Pakistan, about thirty kilometres northwest of Islamabad.

Although Takshashila lies in modern-day Pakistan, it is considered a place of religious and historical sanctity mostly by Hindus and Buddhists in India. The former do so because the strategist, Chanakya, who later consolidated the empire of the emperor Chandragupta Maurya, was a senior teacher there. The institution is also significant in Buddhist tradition since it is believed^{[citation needed]} that the Mahayana sect of Buddhism took shape there.

Some scholars^{[citation needed]} date Takshashila's existence to c.700 BCE. It became a noted centre of learning at least four centuries before Christ, and continued to attract students from around the old world until the destruction of the city in the 6th century AD. Takshashila is perhaps best known because of its association with Chanakya, the mentor of Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Maurya empire. The famous treatise Arthashastra (Sanskrit for The knowledge of Economics) by Chanakya, is said to have been composed in Takshashila itself.

Generally, a student entered Takshashila at the age of sixteen. The four Vedas (Rig-Ved, Sama-Ved, Yajur-Ved, Atharva-Ved) and the Eighteen Arts were taught, in addition to law, medicine and warfare. Skills such as dhanushvidya (Sanskrit for archery), hunting and elephant-lore were also taught.