Central Asians in Ancient Indian literature - Revision history

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'''Central Asia''' and '''Ancient India''' have long traditions of social-cultural, religious, political and economic contact since remote [[Classical antiquity|antiquity]].<ref>Alberuni's India, 2001, p 19-21, Edward C. Sachau - History; Dates of the Buddha, 1987, p 126, Shriram Sathe; Foundations of Indian Culture, 1984, p 20 sqq, Dr Govind Chandra Pande - History; India & Russia: Linguistic & Cultural Affinity, 1982, Weer Rajendra Rishi; Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, Dr Moti Chandra - India; Linguistic & Cultural Affinity, 1982, Weer Rajendra Rishi; Racial Affinities of Early North Indian Tribes 1973, Myths of the Dog-Man, 1991, David Gordon White - Social Science; Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya - Ethnic Groups.</ref> The two regions have common and contiguous borders, climatic continuity, similar geographical features and geo-cultural affinity. But the flow of people and the impact on native population and its archaeogenetics have been negligible throughout the thousands of years of contact.

[[Image:Central Asia Physical.jpg|thumb|[[Physical map]] of Central Asia from the Caspian Sea to the west, to Inner Mongolia in the east.]]

==Migrations==
[[Image:Kushanmap.jpg|thumb|200px|The 2nd century [[Kushan Empire]].]]

In classical Indian tradition clans of the Shakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, Pahlavas, Paradas and others are also attested to have been coming as invaders and that they were all finally absorbed into the community of [[Kshatriya]]s.<ref>History and Culture of Indian People, The Vedic Age, pp 286-87, 313-14.</ref>

Chinese author Ma-twan-lin writes that, "The nomenclature of the early Sakas in India shows an admixture of Scythian, Parthian and Iranian elements. In India the Scythians soon adapted themselves to their new environs and began to adopt Indian names and religious beliefs."<ref>Social and Cultural History of Ancient India, Manilal Bose, p.26</ref>

==Central Asian people in ancient Indian literature==

===''Atharvaveda''===
''[[Atharvaveda]]'' refers to [[Gandhara|Gandhari]], Mujavat and Bahlika from the north-west (Central Asia). Gandharis are Gandharas, the Bahlikas are Bactrians, ''Mujavat'' (land of Soma) refer to Hindukush–[[Pamirs]] (the Kamboja region) and possibly be the [[Muztagh Ata]] mountain.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Witzel|first1=Michael|title=Brill's Encyclopedia of Hinduism|date=2012|publisher=Brill|chapter=Vedic Gods (Indra, Agni, Rudra, Varuṇa, etc.)}}</ref>

The post-Vedic ''Atharvaveda-Parisista'' (Ed Bolling & Negelein) makes first direct reference to the Kambojas (verse 57.2.5). It also juxtaposes the Kambojas, [[Bactria|Bahlikas]] and [[Gandhara]]s.<ref>AV-Par, 57.2.5; cf Persica-9, 1980, p 106, Dr Michael Witzel.</ref>

===Sama Veda===
The ''[[Vamsa Brahmana]]'' of the [[Sama Veda]] refers to ''Madrakara Shaungayani'' as the teacher of [[Aupamanyava Kamboja]]. Sage Shangayani Madrakara, as his name itself shows, and as the scholars have rightly pointed out, belonged to the [[Madra]] people.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

Prof Jean Przylusky has shown that Bahlika (Balkh) was an Iranian settlement of the Madras who were known as ''Bahlika-Uttaramadras'' i.e. the northern Madras, living in Bahlika or [[Bactria]] country. These ''Bahlika Uttara Madras'' are the [[Uttara Madras]] of the [[Aitareya Brahamana]].{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}

This connection between the Uttara Madras and the Kambojas is said to be natural because they were close neighbours in the north-west.<ref>Vedic Index, 138</ref>

===''Manusmriti''===
''[[Manusmriti]]'' asserts that the Kambojas, Sakas, Yavanas, Paradas, Pahlavas, etc., had been Kshatriyas of good birth but were gradually degraded to the barbaric status due to their not following the [[Brahmana]]s and the [[Vedic Brahmanism|Brahmanical]] code of conduct.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}

The Silk road route through which erstwhile Hindu Vedic societies became partially Buddhists as well as the Hindu names and history of these kingdoms lend credence to this idea. Furthermore, almost invariably, the royal clans of Central Asia and Northwestern India claimed descent from historical Hindu royalties and royal lines such as [[Suryavansha|Suryavanshi]] and [[Chandravanshi]]. Many of these kings and nobilities often claimed direct descent from Lord Rama and Pandavas to strengthen their claim to throne.<ref>Cultural Heritage of India, I, p 612.</ref>

===Puranas===
The Haihaya Yadavas are the first known invaders in the recorded history of the sub-continent. Described in the Puranas as allying with four other groups, the invaders were eventually defeated and assimilated into the local [[community]] under different castes from Kshatriyas to Shudras.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/07/07/stories/2002070700310400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030609235857/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/07/07/stories/2002070700310400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2003-06-09|website=[[The Hindu]]|date=2002-07-07|title=Harappa and Vedic Civilisation}}</ref> [[Alberuni]] refers to this description, saying that the "five hordes" belonged to his own people, i.e. Central Asia.<ref>Alberuni's India, Trans. [[Sachau]], p 20-21.</ref>

The Puranic ''Bhuvanakosha'' attests that [[Bahlikas|Bahlika]] or [[Bactria]] was the northernmost Puranic [[Janapadas|Janapada]] of ancient India and was located in Udichya or Uttarapatha division of Indian sub-continent.<ref>[[Kirfel]]'s list of the Uttarapatha countries of Bhuvanakosa.</ref> The Uttarapatha or northern division of Jambudvipa comprised an area of Central Asia from the [[Ural Mountains|Ural]]s and the [[Caspian Sea]] to the [[Yenisei]] and from [[Turkestan|Turkistan]] and [[Tien Shan]] ranges to the [[Arctic]] (Dr S. M. Ali).{{full citation needed|date=October 2016}}

===Kavyamimamsa of Rajashekhara===
The 10th century CE ''Kavyamimamsa'' of Pandit Rajashekhara knows about the existence of several Central Asian tribes. He furnishes an exhaustive list of the extant tribes of his times and places the Shakas, Tusharas, Vokanas, [[Hunas]], Kambojas, [[Bahlikas|Vahlika]], [[Pahlavas|Vahlava]], Tangana, Limpaka, [[Turkic peoples|Turushka]] and others together, styling them all as the tribes from [[Uttarapatha]] or north division.<ref>Kavyamimamsa Ed. Gaekwad's Oriental Series, I (1916) Chapter 17; Introd., xxvi. Rajashekhara is dated c 880 AD - 920 AD.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Buddhism in Central Asia]]
* [[Hinduism in Armenia]]
* [[Indo-Scythians]]
* [[Indo-Parthian Kingdom]]
* [[Uttara Kurus]]
* [[The Kurus]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Books and periodicals==
* ''Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country'', 1981, Dr Kamboj
* ''Political History of Ancient India'', 1996, Dr H. C. Raychaudhury
* ''India and Central Asia'', 1955, Dr P. C., Bagchi.

{{Ancient India and Central Asia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Central Asians In Ancient Indian Literature}}
[[Category:Human migration]]
[[Category:Ancient Central Asia|India]]
[[Category:Historiography of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Historiography of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of ancient India]]