The Untold History of Afghanistan’s Rise & Fall – A Story of Empires, Wars, and Lost Glory!Timestamp of the episode segment:00:00 Intro00:56 Gandhari's Gandhar02:55 External Attack04:19 Greek's Gameplan, Maurya's Rise05:59 Chandragupta to Ashok07:58 The Turning Point08:42 The changing face09:22 Fall of Gandhar10:00 The Great Game11:31 Birth of Taliban13:46 Conclusion How Gandhari’s Gandhar (Modern Kandahar) Was the Center of Ancient Power – The kingdom that shaped the Mahabharata, ruled by a blindfolded queen, and home to Shakuni’s revenge plot that led to the Kurukshetra War! Taxila – The World’s First Ivy League University – Where Chanakya wrote Arthashastra, students from Greece to China came to study, and Buddhism flourished under Ashoka! Who Destroyed Gandhar? – From Greek invasions to Mongol war, how Afghanistan’s golden age was erased by war, religion, and politics! The Taliban’s Birthplace Was Once a Buddhist Paradise – Why did Taliban blow up 1500-year-old Buddha statues? How did Cold War politics turn Kandahar into a terror hub? The Great Game – British vs. Russia’s Secret War for Afghanistan – The geopolitical conspiracy that doomed the region! Future of Afghanistan? Will history repeat itself, or can peace return?The Legend of Gandhari & The Curse of GandharWho was Gandhari? The blindfolded queen of Mahabharata who sacrificed her sight for her husband.Shakuni’s Revenge – How her brother swore to destroy Hastinapur, leading to the Kurukshetra War!Was Gandhar really in Afghanistan? Shocking proof that Kandahar = Ancient Gandhar! Alexander the Great’s Bloody Invasion (326 BCE)Why did Alexander attack Gandhar? The secret wealth of the Silk Road!The Betrayal of King Ambhi – How a traitor king helped Greeks conquer Taxila!"Alexandria in Arachosia" – Alexander renamed Gandhar, but his empire collapsed in months! Ashoka’s Golden Age – The Buddhist ParadiseFrom Warrior to Saint – How Ashoka converted to Buddhism after the Kalinga War.The Giant Buddha Statues of Bamiyan – 53-meter-tall wonders built in 3rd Century BCE!Taxila University – Ancient World’s Harvard – Where medicine, math, and philosophy thrived!Arab Invasion – How Islam Erased Buddhism (7th-11th Century)Muhammad Bin Qasim’s Attack (712 CE) – The first Islamic invasion of Sindh & Gandhar.Why were Buddhist monks massacred? The religious war that changed Afghanistan forever.From Temples to Mosques – How Buddhist stupas became Islamic forts!The Mongol Holocaust – How Genghis Khan burned Taxila University to the ground!Why did Buddhism disappear? The last survivors fled to Tibet & Nepal.The Great Game – British vs. Russia’s Secret War (1800s)Afghanistan = The "Buffer State" – How British spies & Russian agents fought a shadow war!The Anglo-Afghan Wars – Why Britain failed to conquer Afghanistan (3 times!).How the Durand Line divided tribes – The root of today’s Taliban conflict! Cold War & The Birth of Taliban (1979-1996)Soviet Invasion (1979) – Why Russia attacked Afghanistan.America’s Secret Weapon – Osama Bin Laden & Mujahideen – How the USA funded Islamic radicals to fight Russia!From Mujahideen to Taliban – How Pakistan created the Taliban in Kandahar!Taliban’s Destruction of Buddha Statues (2001)Why did Taliban blow up 1500-year-old statues? The extremist ideology behind the crime.UN’s Failed Protests – The world watched as history was erased! Future of Afghanistan?Will Taliban restore peace or repeat history?Can Buddhism ever return to Afghanistan?Lessons from Gandhar’s fall – Why education & tolerance are the only way forward.Afghanistan was NOT always a warzone – it was the cradle of civilization, where: Greek, Persian & Indian cultures merged Women studied in Taxila University (1600 years before Oxford!) Buddhism, Hinduism & Islam coexistedBut foreign invasions, religious extremism, and geopolitics destroyed it. Will history repeat?