Contrary to the common association which pops up in the minds of the many upon hearing the word “Ganja” – the name of the city has nothing to do with the slang word which refers to cannabis.  Ganja translates as ‘treasure’ from Old Persian. As per the legend of the city,  its founder gave this name to the place having dreamt of a treasure hidden underneath one of the tree hills of the city. The plant of the marijuana, in the meanwhile, has taken its name of “Ganja” from the Sanskrit word which refers to a herb found in India. Formed from the root “gan” meaning “to imagine” and the ending “jaa” which stands for “to be born” or “to produce”, this other type of Ganja might also be as precious to some, but it’s a very different type of treasure than the founder of the city must have imagined.