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of Central Asia from the Caucasus in the northwest, to Mongolia in the northeast.]] LITERARY SOURCES Zend Avesta states that the ancestors of Iranian, Indian and Turan ian people were the three sons of Tratoria, namely, Arya, Sairimia and Tura. ''Turk and Mansak'', two brothers, are stated to be ancestors of the Turks and Mongol s. Abu Qasim Farishta gives an interesting account of the Genealogy of the Indians and the Central Asians. Ancient Indian literary sources like Purana s, Ramayana , Mahabharata and numerours other texts also provide plenty of evidence on histotical, cultural and political links between ancient India and Central Asian Nation s. It is a fact of history that the Kambojas , Sakas , Kushana s, Huna s, Turks and Mughal s all came to India from Central Asia, as is frequently attested by the ancient Indian texts. ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS The Archaeological excavations in the Amu valley in Southern Uzbekistan , in Afrasiab on north-eastern edge of Samarkand and some other places in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan , Kazakhstan and Tak-mak in Kirghizstan add further evidence of the existence of links between ancient India and Cenrtral Asia since remote antiquity. Further, extensive excavations have been carried out with remarkable results at Kara Tepa, Fayaz Tepa, Dalverzin Tepa, Yer Kurgan, Ak-Beshin, Kranayerezka and Isyk-Ata. The discovery of Manuscript s in Xinjiang ( China ) and many other valuable excavational finds substantively establish that India and eastern Central Asian region of Xinjiang were also in extensive political, cultural and religious intercourse with each other. Dynasties of India came from Central Asia as invaders and dynasties of Indian origin also ruled in Khotan and other places in Central Asia. JAMBUDVIPA OF INDIAN TRADITIONS Puranic Cosmography divides our earth into seven concentric islands, viz. Jambudvipa , Plakasadvipa, Salmalidvipa, Kushadvipa, Krounchadvipa, Shakadvipa, and Pushkaradvipa, separated by seven encircling seas. Insular Continent Jambudvipa forms the innermost concentric Island in the above scheme of continents. Jambudvipa includes nine varsa and nine mountains. Varsa of Illa-vrta lies at the center of Jambudivipa at whose center is located Mount Meru (Platau of Pamir ). The varsa of Uttara Kuru lies to the north of Mount Meru and extending beyond north-wards (Vishnu Purana, H. H. Wilson). The varsa of Illa Vrta includes parts of ''Central Asia''. The Puranic Bhuvanakosha attests that the boundaries of Bharata varsa extended in the Uttarapatha as far as the Vamkshu or Oxus in Central Asia. The Oxus to be the northmost limit of the Geographical territories once included in the Bharata Varsa was a real fact in political history of ancient India . It was the most well-defined geographical feature delimiting the boundaries of Bharata Varsa in the north. The Puranic ''Bhuvanakosha'' attests that Bahlika or Bactria was the northern-most Puranic Janapada of ancient India and was located in Udichya or Uttarapatha division of Indian Sub-continent (Kirfel's list of the Uttarapatha countries of Bhuvanakosa). The Uttarapatha or northern division of Jambudvipa comprised very vast area of Central Asia, as far as the Ural s and the Caspian Sea to the Yenisei and from Turkistan and Tien Shan ranges to as far as the Arctic (Dr S. M. Ali). CENTRAL ASIAN PEOPLE IN INDIAN CLASSICAL LITERATURE There are extensive references to people of Central Asia in Indian literature like Atharvaveda, Vamsa Brahmana of Samveda, Aitareya Brahmana, Satapatha Brahmana, Puranas, Manusmiriti, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Raghuvamsa, Brihat-Katha -Manjari, Katha-Saritsagara, Rajaratrangini, Mudra-rakshasa, Kavymimansa and host of other old Sanskrit literature. A brief outline is given below: Atharvaveda Atharvaveda makes references to Gandhari , Mujavat and Bahlika from north-west (Central Asia). Gandharis are Gandharas, the Bahlikas are Bactrians, ''Mujavat'' (land of Soma) refer to Hindukush - Pamirs (the Kamboja region). Post-Vedic ''Atharvaveda-Parisista'' (Ed Bolling & Negelein) makes first direct reference to the Kambojas (verse 57.2.5). It also juxtaposes the Kambojas , Bahlikas and Gandhara s (AV-Par, 57.2.5; cf Persica-9, 1980, p 106, Dr Michael Witzel). At another place, it juxtaposes the Shaka s, Yavana s, Tusharas and Bahlikas (''Saka.Yavana.Tushara.Bahlikashcha''). This shows the Kambojas, Shakas, Tusharas, Bahlikas and Gandharas at this time were all located as neighbors in the Uttarapatha . Sama Veda The refers to ''Madrakara Shaungayani'' as the teacher of Aupmanyava Kamboja . Sage Shangayani Madrakara, as his name itself shows, and as the scholars have rightly pointed out, belonged to the Madra people. Prof Jean Przylusky has shown that Bahlika (Balkh) was an Iran ian settlement of the Madras who were known as ''Bahlika-Uttaramadras'' i.e the northern Madras, living in Bahlika or Bacteria country. These ''Bahlika Uttara Madras'' are the Uttara Madras of the Aitareya Brahamana . This connection between the ''Uttara Madras'' and the ''Kambojas'' is said to be but natural, as they were close neighbors in the north-west (Vedic Index)). The Kambojas as neighbors of the Uttara Madras here obviously refers to the trans- Himalaya n branch of the Kambojas who became known as Parama-Kambojas in epic times. Both these nations belonged to Central Asia. Aitareya Brahmana Aitareya Brahmana refers to some ancient nations lying beyond Trans- Himalaya boundaries. As an illustration, the name of Uttara Kuru and Uttara Madra are given (A.Br. VIII.14). But other literature affirms that, besides Uttara Kuru and Uttara Madra , the Janapadas of Parama Kambojas , Rshikas and the Lohas etc were also located beyond Himalaya boundaries into Central Asia. These Central Asian people were undoubtedly in intensive intercourse with ancient Indian people. Puranas According to Bahu-Sagara legend, the Shakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, Paradas and Pahlavas, the so-called five hordes (''panca-ganah''), from north-west were invited by the Haihaya Yadavas for military support against king Bahu of Ayodhya . Bahu was defeated and ran off Ayodhya. A generation later, Bahu's son, Sagara regained Ayodhya after totally destroying the Haihaya and Talajangha Kshatriya s in the battle. He was about to annihilate the five assisting hordes, but Sagara's Priest Vashishta intervened and persuaded him to save their lives by subjecting them to lighter punishments. Story says that king Sagara consented to the advice of his Spiritual guide but punished these foreigners by changing their ''hair-styles'' and ''turning them into degraded Kshatriyas '' (Harivamsa 14.1-19). These are the first known invaders in the recorded history of the Sub-continent . The invaders were eventually assimilated into the local Community as Kshatriyas {Link without Title} . Alberuni refers to this Puranic story in his Classic book ''Alberuni's India'' and testifies that the above referred to ''five hordes'' belonged to his own people i.e. Central Asia (Alberuni's India, Trans. Sachau , p 20-21). Puranic traditions ( Bhagavata Purana ) say that ''Budha'', the ''patriarchic'' figure the Yadu, Turvasa, Druhyu, Anu and Puru clans had come from Central Asia to ''Bharatkhand'' to perform penitential Rites and he espoused ''Ella'', the daughter of Manu, by whom was born ''Pururavas''. Pururavas had six sons, one of whom is said to be ''Ayu''. This ''Ayu'' or ''Ay'' is said to be the patriarch figure of the ''Tartars'' of Central Asia as well as of the first race of the kings of China (Ref: Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, p 172, James Tod). Whatever may be value of these conjectures, this literary tradition definitely alludes to intimate relations which existed, since antiquity, between the Indian people and the Central Asians. Indian Epics The vast area across the Himalayas and Hindukush from Pamir s up to Arctic (Somagiri) is stated by some to form ancient ''Uttara Kuru''. There is picturesque mention of this region in the Epic s Ramayana and the Mahabharata . There are also numerous references to the people forming part of this vast region. Valmiki Ramayana The Valmiki and Somagiri ( Arctica ). The region is described as without the sun and yet very much lighted. There are said to be no National boundaries there (Kisikindhi Kanda 4.43). The ''Bala Kanda'' section (1.55/2-3) of Ramayana refers to a joint ''mythical'' creation of the Central Asian Tribe s of the Kambojas, Yavanas, Shakas, Paradas and Mlechchas by sage Vasishatha through the divine powers of his ''Kamdhenu'' (1.55/2-3). ''Bala Kanda'' (1.6.22) of Ramayana also refers to the famed horses imported by Prince s of Ayodhya of Mid India from the Central Asian nations of Kamboja and Bahlika (Bacteria). Mahabharata According to Mahabharata, the kings of the Kambojas and the Tusharas were present in the ''Rajasuya'' Yajna of Yudhisthira . They had later participated in Mahabharata war from the Kaurava side. They were very ferocious warriors. The Shakas, Hunas, Paradas and Tusharas had paid tribute to Yudhishtra. The epic also mentions that Pandava Nakula had defeated the Hunas, Pahalvas, Yavanas and Shakas in the western horizon. Mahabharata mentions that Arjuna had brought tributes from the Daradas, Kambojas, Lohas, Rishika s, Parama Kambojas and the Uttara Kurus of trans-Himalyan regions. Mahabharata attests that the norhern ''Rishikas'' and the ''Lohas'' were close neighbors and allied to Parama-Kambojas i.e. Trans-Hindukush Kambojas of the Trans-Himalyan territories. |
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