Which Mahajanapada had Taxila as a major city?

Which Mahajanapada had Taxila as a major city? Gandhara. Taxila, or Takshashila, was one of the most important cities of Gandhara, the northwestern Mahajanapada centred on the Peshawar region and adjoining parts of the Punjab.

Gandhara occupied a strategic corridor between the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan and Central Asia. Its position along the northern overland route made it a centre of commerce, diplomacy and cultural exchange. Gandharan territory included several important urban sites, notably Pushkalavati, Purushapura and Taxila; political centres shifted over time, so Taxila should be understood as a major city rather than the only capital in every period.

Taxila became famous as a centre of learning and attracted students and teachers from across the ancient world. The grammarian Panini and the political thinker Kautilya are traditionally associated with its intellectual environment, though later accounts should be treated carefully.

Gandhara was incorporated into the Achaemenid Empire in the sixth century BCE and encountered Alexander’s forces in 327 BCE. Under the Mauryas, Taxila served as a provincial capital in the northwest. These changing political connections explain why Taxila’s history extends beyond any single dynasty.