Hephthalite Invasion of Gandhara

Name: Hephthalite Invasion of Gandhara
Start: 501
End: 530

Type Event Region Asia Time 501–530

In the early 6th century, the Hephthalites (White Huns) swept south from Central Asia into Gandhara and northwestern India, capturing key cities like…

Timeline

501–510Peshawar (Gandhara) · Khyber PakhtunkhwaHephthalite cavalry broke through the Hindu Kush passes and captured the cities of Gandhara; local Gupta vassals and Buddhist city-states could not resist, and control of the northwestern corridor changed hands.
510–530Gandhara Buddhist site complex · GandharaMonasteries, stupas, and statues were systematically destroyed, monks migrated south or fled into exile, the Greco-Buddhist artistic tradition of Gandhara declined sharply, and the Hephthalites established a new military order in the northwest.

Sources

Xuanzang, Records of the Western Regions (大唐西域记) — 玄奘
Richard Foltz, Religions of the Silk Road — Richard Foltz (1999)