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TEXT FLY WITHIN THE BOOK ONLY m< OU_160179>m ^ CD OSMANIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY CallNo. 6?1 <?W Acccssion Author c . Title This book should be returned on or before the date lasfmarked below. THE PUNJABORIENTAL(SANSKRIT) SERIES NO. XII. ~ ' ** * ~ "" ******'*^ **'***MM M ' *MM^***M M M ' *****^^*g|- ^ T_ ^ THE Punjab Oriental (Sanskrit) Series OR A COLLECTION OF RARE & UNPUBLISHED BOOKS RELATING TO ANCIENT INDIA EDITED BY THE WELL-KNOWN & EMINENTSCHOLARS OF INDIA, EUROPE and AMERICA No. 13. LAHORE (INDIA) THE PUNJAB SANSKRIT BOOK DEPOT 1926. Aiulthapindika ANCIENT INDIAN TRIBES By BIMALA CHURN LAW, M. A , B. L., Ph. D. Sir Asutosh Mookerjee Gold Medalist, Calcutta University; Fellow, Eoyal Historical Society; Corporate member of the American Oriental Society; Author, 1 Some Ksatriya Tribes of Ancient India, ' Ancient Mid-Indian Ksatriya Tribes', etc., etc. """ 6 4 i cJ *4r* tSr*! *^^** PUBLISHED BY MOTILAL BANARSIDAS Proprietors, The Punjab Sanskrit Book Depot, Lahore. 1926. PTTBUSHED Bt^ MOTI LAL B/VNARSI DAS, Proprietors, The Punjab Sanskrit Book Depot, SATDMITHA STREET, LAHORE. (All Rights Reserved}. 1926. PRINTED BY DURQADASS "PARBHAKAH" Manager, The Bombay Sanskrit Press, SAIDMITHA STREET, LAHORE. Preface The present volume deals with the five tribes, the KiVIs, the Ko^alag, the Assakas, the Magadhas, the Bhojas who play- ed an important part in tho history of Ancient India. I have collected materials from the original works, Sanskrit, Pali, and Prakrit. Some scholars have dealt with the history of these tribes but my treatment is quite different. I have suc- ceeded in bringing together many new materials from Pali books. I have not failed to utilize the legends connected with rt these trlb s as they cannot be entirely ignored. I have refrai- ned from building up doubtful theories and hypotheses and have presented only the solid facts. 24, Sukea Street, - Bima.a Churn Law September, CONTENTS Pages Preface CHAPTER I ThoKftHs 1-33 CHAPTER TI 34"8r> The Koalas ... .. CHAPTER III The Amakas or Assakaa ... ... ... 86-92 CHAPTER IV 93-175 The Magadhas ... ... ... ... CHAPTER V Tho Bhojaa ... ... ... ... 170-191 Index Ancient fndian CHAPTER I THE one of the 1 KaSi, Mahajanapadas of Jambudipa, was the ancient name of the kingdom of which thechiefci ty s Barana si, the modern Benares, which derives its name from the river Barana vatl and is situated at a distance of eighty miles below Allahabad on the north bank of the Ganges, at the 2 junction between it and the river Barana. The Barana or Varana is a considerable rivulet which rises to the north of Allahabad and has a course of about 100 miles. The Asi is a mere brook. From the joint name of these two streams which bound the city to the north and the south, the Brahmanas derive Varanafii or Varaiiasi which is said to be the Sanskrit form of the name of Bauaras. 8 Baranasi had 4 other names also. It was called Surundhana in the Udaya r> birth, Sudassana in Chullasutasoma birth, Brahmavaddhana 1 in the Sonananda birth, Pupphavatl in the Khandahala 1. Anguttara Nikaya, vol. I., p. 213; vol. IV., pp. 25?, 256, 260. 2. Buddhist India, p. 34. 3. Cunningham, Ancient Geography of India, pp. 435436. 4. Jataka, IV., p. 104. 5. Ibid., IV., p. 119; F., 177. 6. Ibid., IV., p. 119; F. 7. Ibid,, VI., p. 131. 2 THE KASTS 1 3 birth, Ramma city in the Yuvafijaya birth and Molini in the Saiikha birth. In the Chinese version of Buddhist works, the terms KasI and VaranasI are generally given in transcriptions. But the former term is sometimes transla- ted by Ti-miao. This means reed-sprouts. Ti-miao may have been used to translate Ka^I as supposed to be connect- ed with Ka^a. 3 The city proper, as Rhys Davids says, included the land between the Barana and a stream called the Asi, as its name suggests. Its extent including the suburbs, is often stated to have been, at the time when it was the capital of an independent kingdom (i. e. sometimes before the rise of 4 Buddhism) 12 leagues or about 85 miles. In the Jatakas, we find the 5 extent of the city mentioned as 12 yojanas . Benares extends four miles along the bank of the river, which here descends to the water with a steep brink. Down this brink are built flights of steps known as ghats, at the foot of which pilgrims bathe and dead bodies are burnt. 6 The little kingdom of Kas'i was bordered by Kosala on the north, Magadha on the east and Vatsa on the west. 7 It had 8 abundance of seven gems, wealth and prosperity. The Buddha predicted that when the lease of life of human 1. jataka IV. pp. 119, 26. etc. 2. Ibid., IV., p. 15. 3. Waiters on Yuan Chwang, vol. II., pp. 58-f>9. 4. Buddhist India, p. ;j4. 5. Jfttaka, vol. VI., p. 160. 6. Cambridge History of India, Ancient India, vol. I., p. 14. 7. Ibid., p/316. 8. Augnttara Nikaya, vol. I., p, 213; vol. IV. pp. 252, 256, 260. ANCIENT INDIAN TRIBES 3 beings would be 80, 000 years, BaranasI would be known as KetumatI which would be the capital of Jambudlpa and the king would be Sahkha who would be the universal monarch 1 possessing seven gems. The Saiikhayana Srauta Sutra mentions Ka3ya, the king of KflSi, and Jala, son of Jatukarni, KclsiintheVcdic . , who became the fc fi after an d sutra to chaplainr % literature. having performed the religious sacrifice for ten nights. (XVI 29. 5). KaSya was a warrior belonging to the family of warriors as the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad informs us. (III. 8. 2). The Brhadaranyaka and Kausitaki Upanisad speak of Ajata^atru, another king of KasI and Balaki, Fon of Balaka told him that to him. I. IV. I. The he would speak of Brahma (II., L; ). Baudhayana Srauta Sutra tells us that Ayu, son of Purii- ravfi, renounced the worldly life and he wandered in the countries of KaSI, Kuru and Pancala. ( XVIII, 44). From the Satapatha Brahmana we learn that Satanika, son of the horse of Satrajita, performed the Govinata Yajfia taking the king of Kan, Ka3ya. Afterwards the king of KasI per- further informs us formed the yajfta. (XIII. 5. 4. 19). It that Satanika accepted the horse of the kings of Ka3l which 5. 4. The was meant for religious sacrifice. (XIII. 21). 7. river Varanavafcl is referred to in the Atharvaveda ( IV. of which removes We with Drs. 1 ), the water poison. agree Macdonell and Keith that though KaSi is a late word, it is the is older as the river VaranavatI quite possible that town 2 may be connected with the later BaranasI (Benares). 1, Digha Nikaya, vol. IIx, p. 75. I 2. Vedie Index, vol. , p. 154. THE KASIS was a famous kingdom in the age of the Ramayana. This is apparent from several passages. in M the Epic Thus we are told in the Adikauda 13th pcwod-ln the ' ' ( Ramayana. svarga) that Vasistha asked Sumantra to invite many pious kings including the king of Benares together with one thousand Brahmins, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas, and Siidras. In the Kiskiiidhyakanda (40th svarga) we read that Sugrlva while sending the monkey king Vinata in search of Sita requested him to go to KaSI and some other countries in quest of her. In the Ch. si. we read that said Uttarakanda (56th } 25) Mitradeva " to Urva^I, Go to Pururava, king of Kan. He will be your 1 husband/ In the same kanda (Ch. 59, 19) Puru, son of Yayati, is represented as residing in Pratisthfina and ruling over the kingdom of Ka^I figures even more prominently in the other epic of ancient India. Haryasva, grandfather of In the Mahdbhd- Divodasa was the of Benares. He mta. king . was killed by the relations of King Vita- havya in a battle fought on the land between the Ganges and the Jumna. His son Sudeva was installed on the throne of Kai. Sudeva ruled Kasi righteously, but he also was defeated by the Vitahavyas. Then his son Divodasa was anointed King of Benares. He built the city of Benares which became populated by Brahmins, Ksatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. The city was on the north bank of the Ganges and on the south bank of the river, Gomatl. Big markets were opened. The Haihayas again attacked him. A great war ensued. It lasted for one thousand days. Divodasa was defeated, fled to a forest and took shelter in the hermitage of the sage, Bharadvaja, eldest son of Vrha- He narrated the whole event to the sage. The sage ANCIENT INDIAN TRIBES 5 assured the king that he would perform a sacrifice so that the king might be blessed with a son who would kill thou- of the sands Vltahavyas. The sage performed a sacrifice, as a merit of which a son was born. This son was named Pra- tardana. He learnt Vedas and archery. He was anointed prince and was sent by his father, Divodasa to conquer the Vltahavyas. Pratardana crossed the Ganges and reached the land of the Vltahavya in a chariot. A fierce fight was fought with the result that the Vltahavyas were defeated. King Vltahavya found all his men killed and fled to the hermitage of the sage, Bhrgu. Pratardana also went there and requested Bhrgu to let the King Vltahavya go. Bhrgu said, ''There is no Ksatriya in my hermitage; all are brahmins here/' Pratardana said, "I am satisfied. My prowess has caused Vltahavya to leave his caste. Bhrgu's to state of 1 words raised Vltahavya the a Brahmars!" .