The two-day Gandhara festival is scheduled to be held at Gandhara art village near Taxila from Sunday.
The festival is organized by Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) in collaboration with Pak-Romina friendship association to highlight the ancient civilization of Taxila.
Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) Director Waqar Ahmed said that the main objective of the festival was to highlight the old civilization of the region and to inform the young generation about the country’s history, art and culture.
He said festivals were being organized to highlight the culture of Punjab as well as the ancient civilizations of Gandhara.
He said the exhibition of Buddha statues made by local sculptors would also be part of the festival in a bid to promote the rich Gandhara civilization.
He said that the Gandhara festival will include an art exhibition, a book fair, a folk dance and a Sufi night.
Zaildar Ahsan Shah- Chairman Pakistan- Romania friendship association said that organizing the festival with aim to sensitize public as well as Islamabad based diplomatic community about their ancient heritage spanning the province. He said the festival will help the province attract foreign and local investment in the tourism sector, adding that Buddhist countries play a key role in upgrading their holy sites spread throughout the province.
Mr Shah said that there was a close relationship between culture and ancient civilizations, because the civilisation of any region must have an impact on its culture.INP
