Bakhshali Bakhshali Coordinates: 34°10′N 72°54′E / 34.17°N 72.9°E / 34.17; 72.9Coordinates: 34°10′N 72°54′E / 34.17°N 72.9°E / 34.17; 72.9 Country  Pakistan Province Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa District Mardan Government  - Nazim Qazi Bashir Time zone PST (UTC+5) Bakhshali is a village and union council in Mardan District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.1 It is located at 34°17'0N 72°9'0E and has an altitude of 307 metres (1010 feet).2 Contents 1 History 2 Bakhshali today 3 See also 4 References History

The village is notable for being the location of what is now known as the Bakhshali manuscript; this is an ancient mathematical work written on birch bark and is the oldest surviving document in South Asia of Indian mathematics.3 It was discovered in 1881 during British rule by a tenant of Mian An-Wan-Udin, a police inspector; the manuscript was discovered while the tenant was digging in an abandoned building.4 The village also lends its name to the Bakhshali approximation which is a method of finding an approximation to a square root that was described in the manuscript. Bakhshali today

In March 2007 there were attacks made on music shops in Bakhshali. Two people were injured and one was killed in attacks by an unidentified extreme group who attacked the bazaar shooting and killing the watchman of the Seven Stars music centre.5 In August 2007 residents of Bakhshali observed a strike against loadshedding of the electric power supply and blocked the main Mardan–Bakshali road. The protesters claimed that the power cuts were impacting business and their children's studies.6 The village has also been affected by violence between the Taliban and the government; on 24 January 2008 the militants attacked the vehicle of former Health minister Syed Kamal Shah injuring his guard.7 The rebels have also been pressuring local people to stop listening to music as well launching bomb attacks in the area.57

On 15 August a jirga of elders in Mardan decided to set up anti-Taliban squads based on one that has been stated in neighbouring Buner District. According to Shakoor Khan, an elder from Bakhshali who attended the jirga, "Before the Taliban resorts to torching more schools, we have decided to resist them".8Now, Bakhshali is a developed village with many facilities. See also Bakhshali manuscript Baghdada References ^ Tehsils & Unions in the District of Mardan – Government of Pakistan ^ Location of Bakhshali – Falling Rain Genomics ^ The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism ^ The Bakhshali manuscript ^ a b Extremists kill one, injure two in attacks on music shops, Marvaiz Khan, 18 March 2007, Freemuse, accessed 31 August 2008 ^ MARDAN: Demo held against loadshedding ^ a b Mardan residents say paying price for delay in Taliban-govt peace pact – Daily Times ^ PAKISTAN: Border Villages Rise Up Against Taliban - Inter Press Service News agency v · d · eAdministrative subdivisions of Mardan District Capital Mardan Union Councils Alo · Babini · Babozai · Bakhshali · Bala Garhi · Chamtar · Charguli · Dagai · Dheri · Garhi Daulatzai · Garhi Ismail Zai · Garyala · Gujar Garhi · Hathian · Hoti · Lund Khwar · Muslim Abad · Rustam  · Shamozai  · Saro Shah  · Takkar  · Toru