Uttarapatha - Revision history

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	{{Short description\|Part of the Jambudvipa in ~~Hindu~~ and ~~Buddhist~~ cosmology}}		{{Short description\|Part of the Jambudvipa in puranic and shramanic cosmology}}
	{{~~Refimprove~~\|~~date=August 2009~~}}		'''Uttarapatha''' ([[Hindi language\|Hindi]]: {{Lang\|hi\|उत्तरापथ}}) is the name used by ancient [[Buddhism\|Buddhist]] and [[Hinduism\|Hindu]] texts to describe the Northern part of [[Jambudvipa]] (equivalent of present-day Afro - Eurasia){{Citation needed\|date=December 2025}}, one of the "[[dvipa\|continents]]" in Vedic belief. In modern times, the [[Sanskrit]] word ''uttarapatha'' is sometimes used to denote the geographical regions of [[North India]], [[Western India]], [[Central India]], [[Eastern India]], [[Northeast India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], and [[Nepal]] in just one term. The pronunciation of the word varies depending on the regional language of the speaker.
	~~Ancient~~ [[Buddhist]] and [[Hindu]] texts ~~use '''Uttarapatha''' as the name of~~ the Northern part of [[Jambudvipa]] (equivalent of present day ~~[[North India]]~~), one of the "[[dvipa\|continents]]" in ~~[[Hindu history]]~~. In modern times, the [[Sanskrit]] word ''uttarapatha'' is sometimes used to denote the geographical regions of [[North India]], [[Western India]], [[Central India]], [[Eastern India]], [[Northeast India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], and [[Nepal]] in just one term. The pronunciation of the word varies depending on the regional language of the speaker.

	==History==		==History==
	The name is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] terms ''uttara'', for north, and ''patha'', for road. Initially, the term Uttarapatha referred to the ''northern high road'', the main trade route that followed along the river [[Ganges]], crossed the Indo-Gangetic watershed, ran through the [[Punjab region\|Punjab]] to [[Taxila]] (Gandhara) and further to ''Zariaspa'' or [[Balkh]] ([[Bactria]]) in [[Central Asia]]. The eastern terminus of the Uttarapatha was Tamraliptika or [[Tamluk]] located at the mouth of [[Ganges]] in ~~west~~ [[Bengal]]. This route became increasingly important due to increasing maritime contacts with the seaports on the eastern coast of [[India]] during the [[Maurya]] rule. Later, Uttarapatha was the name lent to the vast expanse of region which the ''northern high road'' traversed.		The name is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] terms ''uttara'', for north, and ''patha'', for road. Initially, the term Uttarapatha referred to the ''northern high road'', the main trade route that followed along the river [[Ganges]], crossed the Indo-Gangetic watershed, ran through the [[Punjab region\|Punjab]] to [[Taxila]] (Gandhara) and further to ''Zariaspa'' or [[Balkh]] ([[Bactria]]) in [[Central Asia]]. The eastern terminus of the Uttarapatha was Tamraliptika or [[Tamluk]] located at the mouth of [[Ganges]] in [[West Bengal\|West]] [[Bengal]]. This route became increasingly important due to increasing maritime contacts with the seaports on the eastern coast of [[India]] during the [[Maurya]] rule. Later, Uttarapatha was the name lent to the vast expanse of region which the ''northern high road'' traversed.

	==Region==		==Region==
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	The Jambudvipa region to the south of Uttarapatha was known as ''Majjhimadesa'' (or the Middle Country) in Buddhist texts and ''Madhyadesa'' in Puranic texts.		The Jambudvipa region to the south of Uttarapatha was known as ''Majjhimadesa'' (or the Middle Country) in Buddhist texts and ''Madhyadesa'' in Puranic texts.

	According to Buddhist texts, [[Kamboja Kingdom\|Kamboja]] and [[Gandhara]], two of the sixteen [[Mahajanapadas]] or great nations referred to in the [[Anguttara Nikaya]] and Chulla-Niddesa belonged to the ''Uttarapatha''.		According to Buddhist texts, [[Kamboja Kingdom\|Kamboja]] and [[Gandhara]], two of the sixteen [[Mahajanapadas]] or great nations referred to in the [[Anguttara Nikaya]] and Chulla-Niddesa belonged to the ''Uttarapatha''.<ref>{{Cite web \|last=Centre \|first=UNESCO World Heritage \|title=Sites along the Uttarapath, Badshahi Sadak, Sadak-e-Azam, Grand Trunk Road \|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6056/ \|access-date=2023-06-26 \|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre \|language=en}}</ref>

	==Literature==		==Literature==
	The Buddhist texts include the remaining fourteen of the Mahajanapadas, namely [[Kasi Kingdom\|Kasi]], [[Kosala]], [[Anga]], [[Magadha]], [[Vajji]], [[Malla (~~India~~)\|Malla]], [[Chedi Kingdom\|Chedi]], [[Vamsa]] (or Vatsa), [[Kuru (kingdom)\|Kuru]], [[Panchala]], [[~~Machcha~~]] (or ~~Mattsya~~), [[Surasena]], [[Avanti (India)\|Avanti]] and [[Assaka]] in the ''Majjhimadesa'' division.		The Buddhist texts include the remaining fourteen of the Mahajanapadas, namely [[Kasi Kingdom\|Kasi]], [[Kosala]], [[Anga]], [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)\|Magadha]], [[Vajjika League\|Vajji]], [[Malla (tribe)\|Malla]], [[Chedi Kingdom\|Chedi]], [[Vamsa]] (or Vatsa), [[Kuru (kingdom)\|Kuru]], [[Panchala]], [[Matsya (tribe)\|Matsya]] (or Maccha), [[Surasena]], [[Avanti (India)\|Avanti]] and [[Assaka]] in the ''Majjhimadesa'' division.

	Numerous Puranic literature terms refer to the Bahlikas, Pahlavas, Sakas, Paradas, Ramathas, Kambojas, Daradas, Tushars, Chinas, Barbaras, Keikayas, Abhiras, Sindhus, Soviras and others as the tribes of Uttarapatha (''[[Kirfel]] list of the Uttarapatha countries of the Bhuvanakosa'').		Numerous Puranic literature terms refer to the Bahlikas, Pahlavas, Sakas, Paradas, Ramathas, Kambojas, Daradas, Tushars, Chinas, Barbaras, Keikayas, Abhiras, Sindhus, Soviras and others as the tribes of Uttarapatha (''[[Kirfel]] list of the Uttarapatha countries of the Bhuvanakosa'').

	==Commerce==		==Commerce==
	Uttarapatha was famous from very early times for its fine breed of [[horse]]s and the horse-dealers. There are ancient references to an ongoing trade between the nations of Uttarapatha and the states of [[East India]]. Buddhist and Puranic sources attest that the merchants and horse-dealers from Uttarapatha would bring horses and other goods for sale down to eastern Indian places like Savatthi ([[Kosala]]), [[Benares]] ([[Kasi Kingdom\|Kasi]]), [[Pataliputra]] ([[Magadha]]), Pragjyotisha ([[Assam]]~~) and Tamarlipitka (in Bengal~~).		Uttarapatha was famous from very early times for its fine breed of [[horse]]s and the horse-dealers. There are ancient references to an ongoing trade between the nations of Uttarapatha and the states of [[East India]]. Buddhist and Puranic sources attest that the merchants and horse-dealers from Uttarapatha would bring horses and other goods for sale down to eastern Indian places like Savatthi ([[Kosala]]), [[Benares]] ([[Kasi Kingdom\|Kasi]]), [[Pataliputra]] ([[Magadha (Mahajanapada)\|Magadha]]) and [[Pragjyotisha]] ([[Assam]]).

	The great Indian epic, [[Mahabharata]] gives an account of the ancient roadways. It refers to Uttarapatha (northern highway) which linked the territories of [[Kirata]] (perhaps of [[Magadha]]), [[Kamboja Kingdom\|Kamboja]], [[Gandhara]] and [[Yavana]] countries ([[Shanti Parva]], 207.43; Foreign Trade and Commerce in Ancient India, 2003, p 107, Prakash Chandra Prasad)		The great Indian epic, [[Mahabharata]] gives an account of the ancient roadways. It refers to Uttarapatha (northern highway) which linked the territories of [[Kirata]] (perhaps of [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)\|Magadha]]), [[Kamboja Kingdom\|Kamboja]], [[Gandhara]] and [[Yavana]] countries ([[Shanti Parva]], 207.43; Foreign Trade and Commerce in Ancient India, 2003, p 107, Prakash Chandra Prasad)

	Documentation exists that the nations from the Uttarapatha like Kamboja, Gandhara and Kashmira were actively engaged in commercial intercourse not only with the states of Gangetic valley but also with [[Myanmar]], ''Suvarnabhumi'', south-west [[China]] and other nations in the [[Southeast Asia]] {{citation needed\|date=May 2021}}. When the Chinese envoy Chiang Kien was in [[Gandhara]] (circa c 127 BCE), he found to his great surprise that bamboos and textiles from ''south-western China'' were sold in the local markets. ''On personal enquiry, he learnt that these goods were brought to eastern India ([[Bengal]]) through [[Yunnan]], [[Burma]] and then carried all the way from eastern India to Bactria across [[India]] and [[Afghanistan]] along the Uttarapatha or the northern high road''.		Documentation exists that the nations from the Uttarapatha like Kamboja, Gandhara and Kashmira were actively engaged in commercial intercourse not only with the states of Gangetic valley but also with [[Myanmar\|Brahmadesh]], [[Suvarnabhumi]], south-west [[China]] and other nations in the [[Southeast Asia]] {{citation needed\|date=May 2021}}. When the Chinese envoy Chiang Kien was in [[Gandhara]] (circa c 127 BCE), he found to his great surprise that bamboos and textiles from ''south-western China'' were sold in the local markets. ''On personal enquiry, he learnt that these goods were brought to eastern India ([[Bengal]]) through [[Yunnan]], [[Burma]] and then carried all the way from eastern India to Bactria across [[India]] and [[Afghanistan]] along the Uttarapatha or the northern high road''.

	The ancient Pali literature says that merchants from the nations of Uttarapatha were engaged in international trade following the well-known [[Kamboja-Dvaravati Route\|Kamboja-Dvaravati Caravan Route]]. Merchants from Kamboja, Gandhara, Sovira, [[Sindhu]] and other places used to sail from ports of [[Bharukaccha]] (modern [[~~Bharoch~~]]) and [[Supparaka]] Pattana (modern Nalla-[[Sopara]], near [[Mumbai]]) for trade with Southern India, [[Sri Lanka]] and nations of Southeast Asia. Huge trade ships sailed from there directly to south Myanmar. This trade had been going on for hundreds of years before the [[Gautama Buddha\|Buddha]]. Some merchants from northern India had settled in Myanmar, in the ports and towns located at the mouths of [[Ayeyarwady River\|Irrawaddy]], Citranga ([[Sittaung River\|Sittang]]) and Salavana ([[Salween River\|Salween]]) rivers. The case in point is of two merchant brothers ''Tapassu'' and ''Bhalluka or Bhalluka'' from ''Pokkharavati'' (=[[Pushkalavati]], present Carasadda) in the Gandhara-Kamboja region who also had their trade settlement in Myanmar.<ref>Ref: ''Vipassana Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 10 Dec 97''.</ref> The name Irrawaddy for the chief river of Burma (Myanmar) was copied from river Irrawati ([[Ravi River\|Ravi]]) of the north [[Punjab region\|Panjab]]. There is also a tradition in Ceylon (''recorded in the Pūjāvaliya'') that [[Trapusa and Bahalika\|Tapassu and Bhalluka]] visited the east coast of [[Ceylon]] and built a Cetiya, there. An inscription also makes a similar record.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/b/bhallika.htm \|title=Online Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names \|publisher=Palikanon.com \|access-date=2012-09-19}}</ref>		The ancient Pali literature says that merchants from the nations of Uttarapatha were engaged in international trade following the well-known [[Kamboja-Dvaravati Route\|Kamboja-Dvaravati Caravan Route]]. Merchants from Kamboja, Gandhara, Sovira, [[Sindhu]] and other places used to sail from ports of [[Bharukaccha]] (modern [[Bharuch]]) and [[Supparaka]] Pattana (modern Nalla-[[Sopara]], near [[Mumbai]]) for trade with Southern India, [[Sri Lanka]] and nations of Southeast Asia. Huge trade ships sailed from there directly to south Myanmar. This trade had been going on for hundreds of years before the [[Gautama Buddha\|Buddha]]. Some merchants from northern India had settled in Myanmar, in the ports and towns located at the mouths of [[Ayeyarwady River\|Irrawaddy]], Citranga ([[Sittaung River\|Sittang]]) and Salavana ([[Salween River\|Salween]]) rivers. The case in point is of two merchant brothers ''Tapassu'' and ''Bhalluka or Bhalluka'' from ''Pokkharavati'' (=[[Pushkalavati]], present Carasadda) in the Gandhara-Kamboja region who also had their trade settlement in Myanmar.<ref>Ref: ''Vipassana Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 10 Dec 97''.</ref> The name Irrawaddy for the chief river of Burma (Myanmar) was copied from river Irrawati ([[Ravi River\|Ravi]]) of the north [[Punjab region\|Panjab]]. There is also a tradition in Ceylon (''recorded in the Pūjāvaliya'') that [[Trapusa and Bahalika\|Tapassu and Bhalluka]] visited the east coast of [[Ceylon]] and built a Cetiya, there. An inscription also makes a similar record.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/b/bhallika.htm \|title=Online Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names \|publisher=Palikanon.com \|access-date=2012-09-19}}</ref>

	Evidence exists that horse-dealers from Kamboja in the Uttarapatha were trading horses as far as Sri Lanka. Dr Don Martino notes that the merchants from northwest Kamboja had been conducting horse trade with Sri Lanka following the west coast of India since remote antiquity (''Epigraphia Zeylanka, Vol II, No 13, p 76'').		Evidence exists that horse-dealers from Kamboja in the Uttarapatha were trading horses as far as Sri Lanka. Dr Don Martino notes that the merchants from northwest Kamboja had been conducting horse trade with Sri Lanka following the west coast of India since remote antiquity (''Epigraphia Zeylanka, Vol II, No 13, p 76'').
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	==Trade routes==		==Trade routes==
	Corresponding to Uttarapatha, the [[Dakshinapatha]] was the name of ''southern high road'' which originated from [[Varanasi]], followed through [[Ujjain]]i and [[Narmada River\|Narmada]] valley to Pratisthana ([[Paithan]]) in the Mahajanapada of Ashmaka (in modern [[Maharashtra]]), onwards to the western coast of India and running in the southern direction. According to ''Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography'' by [[Sanjeev Sanyal]], the crossing of the two highways made Sarnath (just outside Varanasi) a major place of exchange of goods and ideas in ancient India. Sanyal argues that this is why the Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath.<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Sanjeev\|first=Sanyal\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uv_iDQAAQBAJ\|title=Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography\|~~page~~=~~71-76~~\|date=2012-11-15\|publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited\|isbn=9788184756715\|language=en}}</ref>		Corresponding to Uttarapatha, the [[Dakshinapatha]] was the name of ''southern high road'' which originated from [[Varanasi]], followed through [[Ujjain]]i and [[Narmada River\|Narmada]] valley to Pratisthana ([[Paithan]]) in the Mahajanapada of Ashmaka (in modern [[Maharashtra]]), onwards to the western coast of India and running in the southern direction. According to ''Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography'' by [[Sanjeev Sanyal]], the crossing of the two highways made Sarnath (just outside Varanasi) a major place of exchange of goods and ideas in ancient India. Sanyal argues that this is why the Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath.<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Sanjeev\|first=Sanyal\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uv_iDQAAQBAJ\|title=Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography\|pages=71–76\|date=2012-11-15\|publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited\|isbn=9788184756715\|language=en}}</ref>

	Later, Dakshinapatha was also the name lent to the region of India lying to the south of Vindya through which the Dakshinapatha passed. The name [[Deccan Plateau\|Deccan]] for the southern part of India has originated from this ancient Dakshinapatha. The philosophies of the easterners were disseminated precisely by the intercourse that went on along the ''Uttarapatha'' and the ''Dakishinapatha'' trade routes.		Later, Dakshinapatha was also the name lent to the region of India lying to the south of Vindya through which the Dakshinapatha passed. The name [[Deccan Plateau\|Deccan]] for the southern part of India has originated from this ancient Dakshinapatha. The philosophies of the easterners were disseminated precisely by the intercourse that went on along the ''Uttarapatha'' and the ''Dakishinapatha'' trade routes.
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	==Further reading==		==Further reading==
	* {{citation \|last=Neelis \|first=Jason \|title=Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks: Mobility and Exchange Within and Beyond the Northwestern Borderlands of South Asia \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GB-JV2eOr2UC \|year=2010 \|publisher=BRILL \|isbn=90-04-18159-8 \|pp=197–201 \|ref={{sfnref\|Neelis, Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks\|2010}}}}		* {{citation \|last=Neelis \|first=Jason \|title=Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks: Mobility and Exchange Within and Beyond the Northwestern Borderlands of South Asia \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GB-JV2eOr2UC \|year=2010 \|publisher=BRILL \|isbn=978-90-04-18159-5 \|pages=197–201 \|ref={{sfnref\|Neelis, Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks\|2010}}}}


	~~[[Category:Rigvedic tribes]]~~
	[[Category:Ancient Indian geography]]		[[Category:Ancient Indian geography]]
	~~[[Category:Ancient peoples]]~~
	[[Category:Historic sites in India]]		[[Category:Historic sites in India]]
	[[Category:~~Locations~~ in Hindu mythology]]		[[Category:Places in Hindu mythology]]
	[[Category:History of international trade]]		[[Category:History of international trade]]
	[[Category:~~History~~ of Pakistan]]		[[Category:Historical geography of Pakistan]]
			[[Category:Historic trails and roads in India]]

imported>LordMödRich: grammar, spelling and space fixed

2021-08-18T16:35:12Z

grammar, spelling and space fixed

New page

{{Short description|Part of the Jambudvipa in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology}}
{{Refimprove|date=August 2009}}
Ancient [[Buddhist]] and [[Hindu]] texts use '''Uttarapatha''' as the name of the Northern part of [[Jambudvipa]] (equivalent of present day [[North India]]), one of the "[[dvipa|continents]]" in [[Hindu history]]. In modern times, the [[Sanskrit]] word ''uttarapatha'' is sometimes used to denote the geographical regions of [[North India]], [[Western India]], [[Central India]], [[Eastern India]], [[Northeast India]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], and [[Nepal]] in just one term. The pronunciation of the word varies depending on the regional language of the speaker.

==History==
The name is derived from the [[Sanskrit]] terms ''uttara'', for north, and ''patha'', for road. Initially, the term Uttarapatha referred to the ''northern high road'', the main trade route that followed along the river [[Ganges]], crossed the Indo-Gangetic watershed, ran through the [[Punjab region|Punjab]] to [[Taxila]] (Gandhara) and further to ''Zariaspa'' or [[Balkh]] ([[Bactria]]) in [[Central Asia]]. The eastern terminus of the Uttarapatha was Tamraliptika or [[Tamluk]] located at the mouth of [[Ganges]] in west [[Bengal]]. This route became increasingly important due to increasing maritime contacts with the seaports on the eastern coast of [[India]] during the [[Maurya]] rule. Later, Uttarapatha was the name lent to the vast expanse of region which the ''northern high road'' traversed.

==Region==
The boundaries of Uttarapatha, as a region, are nowhere precisely defined in the Buddhist or any other ancient source. According to some writers, the Uttarapatha included the whole of Northern India, from [[Anga]] in the east to [[Gandhara]] in the north-west, and from the [[Himalaya]] in the north to the [[Vindhya]] in the south.

The Jambudvipa region to the south of Uttarapatha was known as ''Majjhimadesa'' (or the Middle Country) in Buddhist texts and ''Madhyadesa'' in Puranic texts.

According to Buddhist texts, [[Kamboja Kingdom|Kamboja]] and [[Gandhara]], two of the sixteen [[Mahajanapadas]] or great nations referred to in the [[Anguttara Nikaya]] and Chulla-Niddesa belonged to the ''Uttarapatha''.

==Literature==
The Buddhist texts include the remaining fourteen of the Mahajanapadas, namely [[Kasi Kingdom|Kasi]], [[Kosala]], [[Anga]], [[Magadha]], [[Vajji]], [[Malla (India)|Malla]], [[Chedi Kingdom|Chedi]], [[Vamsa]] (or Vatsa), [[Kuru (kingdom)|Kuru]], [[Panchala]], [[Machcha]] (or Mattsya), [[Surasena]], [[Avanti (India)|Avanti]] and [[Assaka]] in the ''Majjhimadesa'' division.

Numerous Puranic literature terms refer to the Bahlikas, Pahlavas, Sakas, Paradas, Ramathas, Kambojas, Daradas, Tushars, Chinas, Barbaras, Keikayas, Abhiras, Sindhus, Soviras and others as the tribes of Uttarapatha (''[[Kirfel]] list of the Uttarapatha countries of the Bhuvanakosa'').

==Commerce==
Uttarapatha was famous from very early times for its fine breed of [[horse]]s and the horse-dealers. There are ancient references to an ongoing trade between the nations of Uttarapatha and the states of [[East India]]. Buddhist and Puranic sources attest that the merchants and horse-dealers from Uttarapatha would bring horses and other goods for sale down to eastern Indian places like Savatthi ([[Kosala]]), [[Benares]] ([[Kasi Kingdom|Kasi]]), [[Pataliputra]] ([[Magadha]]), Pragjyotisha ([[Assam]]) and Tamarlipitka (in Bengal).

The great Indian epic, [[Mahabharata]] gives an account of the ancient roadways. It refers to Uttarapatha (northern highway) which linked the territories of [[Kirata]] (perhaps of [[Magadha]]), [[Kamboja Kingdom|Kamboja]], [[Gandhara]] and [[Yavana]] countries ([[Shanti Parva]], 207.43; Foreign Trade and Commerce in Ancient India, 2003, p 107, Prakash Chandra Prasad)

Documentation exists that the nations from the Uttarapatha like Kamboja, Gandhara and Kashmira were actively engaged in commercial intercourse not only with the states of Gangetic valley but also with [[Myanmar]], ''Suvarnabhumi'', south-west [[China]] and other nations in the [[Southeast Asia]] {{citation needed|date=May 2021}}. When the Chinese envoy Chiang Kien was in [[Gandhara]] (circa c 127 BCE), he found to his great surprise that bamboos and textiles from ''south-western China'' were sold in the local markets. ''On personal enquiry, he learnt that these goods were brought to eastern India ([[Bengal]]) through [[Yunnan]], [[Burma]] and then carried all the way from eastern India to Bactria across [[India]] and [[Afghanistan]] along the Uttarapatha or the northern high road''.

The ancient Pali literature says that merchants from the nations of Uttarapatha were engaged in international trade following the well-known [[Kamboja-Dvaravati Route|Kamboja-Dvaravati Caravan Route]]. Merchants from Kamboja, Gandhara, Sovira, [[Sindhu]] and other places used to sail from ports of [[Bharukaccha]] (modern [[Bharoch]]) and [[Supparaka]] Pattana (modern Nalla-[[Sopara]], near [[Mumbai]]) for trade with Southern India, [[Sri Lanka]] and nations of Southeast Asia. Huge trade ships sailed from there directly to south Myanmar. This trade had been going on for hundreds of years before the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]]. Some merchants from northern India had settled in Myanmar, in the ports and towns located at the mouths of [[Ayeyarwady River|Irrawaddy]], Citranga ([[Sittaung River|Sittang]]) and Salavana ([[Salween River|Salween]]) rivers. The case in point is of two merchant brothers ''Tapassu'' and ''Bhalluka or Bhalluka'' from ''Pokkharavati'' (=[[Pushkalavati]], present Carasadda) in the Gandhara-Kamboja region who also had their trade settlement in Myanmar.<ref>Ref: ''Vipassana Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 10 Dec 97''.</ref> The name Irrawaddy for the chief river of Burma (Myanmar) was copied from river Irrawati ([[Ravi River|Ravi]]) of the north [[Punjab region|Panjab]]. There is also a tradition in Ceylon (''recorded in the Pūjāvaliya'') that [[Trapusa and Bahalika|Tapassu and Bhalluka]] visited the east coast of [[Ceylon]] and built a Cetiya, there. An inscription also makes a similar record.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/b/bhallika.htm |title=Online Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names |publisher=Palikanon.com |access-date=2012-09-19}}</ref>

Evidence exists that horse-dealers from Kamboja in the Uttarapatha were trading horses as far as Sri Lanka. Dr Don Martino notes that the merchants from northwest Kamboja had been conducting horse trade with Sri Lanka following the west coast of India since remote antiquity (''Epigraphia Zeylanka, Vol II, No 13, p 76'').

Several ancient cave inscriptions found in [[Anuradhapura]] in [[Sri Lanka]] attest the existence of a Kamboja Goshatha or Samgha (''Gote Kabojhiana'') and a Grand Kamboja Trade Guild (''Kabojiya Mahapughyanam'') in ancient [[Sinhalese language|Sinhala]]. The terms Kaboja and Kabojiya are the ancient Sinhalese forms of the Uttarapatha Kamboja.

A Pali text ''Sihalavatthu'' of the fourth century specifically attests to a group of people known as ''Kambojas'' living in Rohana in Sri Lanka.

A regular horse trade between the nations of Uttarapatha and those of eastern, western and southern India is attested to have been going on as late as the medieval ages. King Devapala (810-850 CE) of Bengal, King Vishnuvardhana Hoysala (1106–1152 CE) of [[Mysore]] and King Valabhi Deva of Valbhi/[[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] (1185 CE) had powerful fleets of Kamboja horses in their [[cavalry|cavalries]].

There is also good archaeological evidence of [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] trade (1 CE to 200 CE) coming into Gandhara/Kamboja and Bactria region in Uttarapatha through the [[Gujarat]]i peninsula. The Roman gold coins imported from Rome into Gandhara were usually melted into bullion in these regions.

==Trade routes==
Corresponding to Uttarapatha, the [[Dakshinapatha]] was the name of ''southern high road'' which originated from [[Varanasi]], followed through [[Ujjain]]i and [[Narmada River|Narmada]] valley to Pratisthana ([[Paithan]]) in the Mahajanapada of Ashmaka (in modern [[Maharashtra]]), onwards to the western coast of India and running in the southern direction. According to ''Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography'' by [[Sanjeev Sanyal]], the crossing of the two highways made Sarnath (just outside Varanasi) a major place of exchange of goods and ideas in ancient India. Sanyal argues that this is why the Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sanjeev|first=Sanyal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uv_iDQAAQBAJ|title=Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography|page=71-76|date=2012-11-15|publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited|isbn=9788184756715|language=en}}</ref>

Later, Dakshinapatha was also the name lent to the region of India lying to the south of Vindya through which the Dakshinapatha passed. The name [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] for the southern part of India has originated from this ancient Dakshinapatha. The philosophies of the easterners were disseminated precisely by the intercourse that went on along the ''Uttarapatha'' and the ''Dakishinapatha'' trade routes.

==See also==
*[[Dakshinapatha]]
*[[Grand Trunk Road]]
*[http://www.metta.lk/pali-utils/Pali-Proper-Names/uttaraapatha.htm Pali definition of Uttarapatha] (metta.lk)
*[[Uttarakuru]]

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

==Further reading==
* {{citation |last=Neelis |first=Jason |title=Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks: Mobility and Exchange Within and Beyond the Northwestern Borderlands of South Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GB-JV2eOr2UC |year=2010 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=90-04-18159-8 |pp=197–201 |ref={{sfnref|Neelis, Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks|2010}}}}

[[Category:Rigvedic tribes]]
[[Category:Ancient Indian geography]]
[[Category:Ancient peoples]]
[[Category:Historic sites in India]]
[[Category:Locations in Hindu mythology]]
[[Category:History of international trade]]
[[Category:History of Pakistan]]