Charsadda, the site of Pushkalavati, is 28 kilometers northeast of Peshawar. Pushkalavati was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Gandhara from about the 6th century B.C to the 2nd century of A.D.

Today, there is nothing to see except a huge mound about 800 meters to the left of the Charssadda called Bala Hisar. This mound has been excavated thrice, and according to Sir Mortimer Wheeler, here lay the great fort which was invaded by Alexander’s generals in the 4th century B.C.

The one at Pushkalavati, a great archaeological site, Shaikhan Dheri, a kilometer northeast of the Bala Hisar. From the top of Bala Hisar mound it is visible across the river; only dedicated archaelogists gain much by going to take a closer look. It is a place to which the habitation had shifted in the lst century B.C. Remains of a Greek town have been excavated here.Charsadda is surrounded by hundreds of hectares of graves, all decorated with black and white stones in geometric pattern.