.svg)
Sindhu-Sauvīra
Sindhu-Sauvīra | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1000 BCE–c. 518 BCE | |||||||
.png) The Sindhu-Sauvīra kingdom and the Mahājanapadas in the Post Vedic period | |||||||
| Capital | Roruka or Vītabhaya/Vītībhaya | ||||||
| Common languages | Prakrits | ||||||
| Religion | Jainism and Historical Vedic Religion (Hindu Dharma or Sanatana Dharma) | ||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||
| Historical era | Iron Age India | ||||||
• Established | c. 1000 BCE | ||||||
• Conquered by the Achaemenid Empire | c. 518 BCE | ||||||
| |||||||
| Today part of | Pakistan | ||||||
During the Iron Age in the western region of Ancient India, particularly in the lower Indus Valley region (present-day Sindh province in Pakistan), the ancient Indo-Aryan kingdom of Sindhu-Sauvīra (Sanskrit: सिन्धु-सौवीर) thrived. This civilisation was inhabited by two distinct groups: the Saindhavas (सैन्धव) of Sindhu and the Sauvīrakas (सौवीरक) of Sauvīra. The region served as a significant cultural and political center during this historical period.
Location[edit]
The ancient Indo-Aryan territory of Sindhu-Sauvīra occupied the lower Indus Valley region (modern-day Sindh, Pakistan), with its southern boundary marked by the Indian Ocean and northern limits extending to the Punjab region near Multān. The kingdom was divided into two distinct zones: the inland area between the Indus River and Sulaiman Mountains known as Sindhu, and the coastal zone along with the eastern territories east of the river stretching northward toward Multān, termed Sauvīra.
Historical records identify two prominent capitals: Roruka and Vītabhaya (also called Vītībhaya), which scholars associate with the medieval settlement of Arohṛ and the present-day town of Rohṛī. Buddhist texts particularly highlight Roruka as a bustling commercial hub, underscoring its role in regional trade networks during this period