Answer

Pushkalavati is an ancient city mentioned in Indian religious and historical traditions. In Jain tradition, it is known mainly as a place associated with ancient narratives, but its exact present-day geographical location is not firmly established within Jain tradition itself.

Historical Identification

Outside strictly scriptural Jain certainty, many historians and Indological sources commonly identify ancient Pushkalavati / Puṣkalāvatī with the area around Charsadda, near the junction of the Swat River and Kabul River, in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

This identification is generally based on:

• Ancient references to Pushkalavati in the region of Gandhara.
• Archaeological remains found around Charsadda.
• Historical association of the area with ancient north-western Indian civilization.

Jain Perspective

From a Jain Dharma standpoint, it is important to distinguish between:

• What is clearly established in Jain tradition, and
• What is proposed by historians or archaeologists.

So, it is appropriate to say:

Pushkalavati is an ancient city known in traditional literature, and modern historians often identify it with the Charsadda region of present-day Pakistan; however, this exact modern identification should not be presented as a definitively established Jain scriptural fact.

Spiritual Understanding

In Jain Dharma, ancient places are meaningful not merely because of geography, but because they remind us of:

• the vastness of Jain sacred history,
• the movement of great souls through many regions,
• and the importance of dharma beyond political or modern national boundaries.

Takeaway

The most careful statement is:

Pushkalavati is historically identified by many scholars with the Charsadda region in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, but Jain tradition does not give a precise present-day geographical identification with certainty.