Mauryan Empire Disintegration and Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon)
History of Garhwal, Kumaon (Uttarakhand) - Part 42
Historical Aspects of Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas-39
(All the History write ups are dedicated to great Historians Hari Krishna Raturi, Badri Datt Pandey and Dr Shiv Prasad Dabral)
By: Bhishma Kukreti
From Indian political history point of view, many historians call the period 200B.C. - 300 A.D. as Mauryan Empire Disintegration period.
After death of Ashoka in 200 B.C., Indian subcontinent witnessed divided into numbers of political regions with their own ambitions.
The immediate heirs of remained Mauryan Empire were Shungas (180 B.C.). Brahmin Shungas came from Ujjain and were once, under Mauryas. Shungas killed the last Maurya King Pushyamitra and took throne. At the time of Shungas the Empire comprised entire Ganges valley and parts of North India though through proxy representations. However, within a century, the Empire was limited to Magdha. Kanva took over Magadha from Shunga and controlled till 28 B.C.
Kharvela of Kalinga (Orissa) rose again and ruled Kalinga till first century B.C. . After Kharvela , the heirs
lost Kalinga regime.
Regain of Greece Era
After death of Alexander, the Iranian regional kings under Greece became free. By third century B.C. the entire Persian region had many chieftains and major regions were Bacteria and Parthia. Bacteria lay between Hindu Kush and Oxus.
Diodotus a brave and strategy expert Bacteria governor revolted against Antiocus. Diodotus got bride from Seleucid king. Therefore, the Indian king lost the war of his attacking to Seleucid.
Demetrius the son of Euthydemus attacked on Afghanistan and Markran (then Indian territories)
Demetrius II conquered Punjab, Bharuch, Cutch, Chittaur..
Rule by Menander
Demetrius was ambitious and he conquered Panchal, Saket, Banaras and Patliputra with the help of his army chief Menander. Shaka, Tushar, Darad, Parad, Shringal, Khas, Pahlava, and many soldiery communities of hills were in the service of Menander. However, the Greece armies or satrap (regional kings) started fighting with each other. Demetrius Ii died in a battle around 165 B.C.
After the death of Demetrius, Menander became the king of Indian part. Buddhist literature (Milinda Panha) throws much light on Menander and praises him. Menander was converted to Buddhist. His empire was from North hills, Saurashtra, central Gujrat (Bharuch), Mathura, Panchal Yamuna-Ganges valley. Historians assumed that his empire was in central Afghanistan, Punjab, Sind, Rajasthan, Kathiawar, Parts of Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Himachal and Uttarakhand. The Menander ruled around 175-90B.C. His capital was Sagala (near Siyalkot, Punjab).
Menander got the title of king of kings etc. Greece rulers were never liked by Indian societies for their culture and looting behavior.
Menander died in battle.
Though, Menander won the larger Indian territories than Alexander but his rule did not leave any specific and lasting effects on Indian culture.
Amodghbhuti a Kulinda chieftain of Himachal or Uttarakhand freed Uttarakhand from the rule of successors of Menander. .
Menander and Uttarakhand
The historians claim that Menander won some territories of Uttarakhand from Vyas to Ismasmas River (Kali River). The coins of Menander also indicate that he ruled over Kulinda territories too. Motichnadra described the Kulinda chieftains under Menander. It is difficult to establish the exact area of Kulindas/Kunindas of Uttarakhand under Menander. Rahul Sankritayan states that there is influence of Greek art on Pandukeshwar art but historian as K.P Nautiya states it as unwarranted statement of Rahul .
In the time of Menander, the highway was from Sakal to Satrughna (Himachal and Uttarakhand plain regions of Yamuna valley), Kalkut (Kalsi), Govishan (Kumaon), Ahicchtra to Saket (Ayodha).
This shows that the merchant activities were very high on the mountain base-plains of Uttarakhand (Tarai and Bawar). Kalikut (Kalsi) was again major trade centre for exporting Uttarakhand goods. Same way there might be trade centers of Kumaon plains.
'Jaun' word of Jaunsar
According to Al-Baruni the word 'Jaun' of Jaunsar is indicative of Greece settlement in Jaunsar (Kalkut/Kalsi) . Yavan (Yunani or Greece) is converted to Jauvan and then became Jaunsar. It seemed (Rahul Satyakritan, Garhwal page 64-65) that a few Greece citizens or army men might have settled in Kalkut region (Kalsi) and the area was named as Yavansar or Jaunsar.
There are a few customs of Jaunsari those tally with present customs. The women gown of Jaunsari is similar to Takhriyas of central Asia. The Jaunsari women greet /welcome by kissing and that is also similar to custom of Greece women. The average faces of Jaunsari women also match with average face of Greece women.
The custom of one wife by all brothers
There were custom before few decades to have one wife of all brothers in the said region. Many social historians give this reason to Pandavs having one wife Draupadi. However, it may be that when a few Greece or Iranian settled in Kalkut or Kalsi they found it difficult to marry with Khas girls of the region and custom for to have one wife for all brothers was started from that time.
Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti 14/05/2013
(The write up is aimed for general readers)
History of Garhwal – Kumaon (Uttarakhand) to be continued… Part -43
Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas- to be continued…40
References and Further Reading Suggestions:
Ajaya Rawat, History of Garhwal
Alexander Cunningham, 1996, Coins of Ancient India: From Earliest times down to the Seventh century
Badri Datt Pandey, 1937, Kumaun ka Itihas, (second edition.) Shyam Prakashan, Almora (page 155-179)
B.P. Kamboj, 2003, Early Wall painting of Garhwal
C.M Agarwal , History of Kumaon
Dabral, Shiv Prasad, 1968, Uttarakhand ka Itihas Bhag-2, (pages117 to321), Veer Gath Press, Dogadda, India
Dabral, Shiv Prasad, 1992, Kulinda Janpada
Dinesh Prasad Saklani, 1998, Ancient Communities of the Himalayas
D.D Sharma, 2009, Cultural History of Uttarakhand
D.P Agarwal, Jeewan Singh Kharakwal, 1995, Cist Burials of the Kumaun Himalayas
D.P Agarwal, J Kharakwal, 1995, Kumaon Archeology and Tradition, Almora Book, Almora
Gyan Swarup Gupta, 199, India: From Indus Valley civilization to Mauryas
G.P. Singh, 2008, Researches into History and Civilizations of Kiratas
Hari Krishna Raturi, 1921, Garhwal ka Itihas
Imana Simha Cemjonga, 2003, History and Culture of Kirat People
Jagdish Bahadur , 2003 Indian Himalayas
J.C. Agarwal, S.P.Agarwal, S.S. Gupta, 1995, Uttarakhand: Past, Present and Future
John Whelpton, 2005, History of Nepal (page 22 , Khasa)
Khadak Singh Valdiya , 2001, Himalaya: Emergence and Evolution , Uni Press, Hyderabad, India
Khemanand Chandola, 1987 Across the Himalaya through Ages: a study of relations between Central Himalayas and Westren Tibet
K.P.Nautiyal, B.M. Khanduri, 1997, Him Kanti (page 85 for Khasa)
Kanti Prasad Nautiyal, 1969, The Archeology of Kumaon including Dehradun
K.P Nautiyal, B.M. Khanduri, 1991, Emergence of Early culture in Garhwal, Central Himalaya
Lalan Ji Gopal and Vinod Chandra Shrivastava , History of Agriculture in India (up to 1200AD(article of Dr K.P Nautiyal et all – Agriculture in Garhwal Himalayas o to 1200AD, page 162)
Maheshwar Prasad Joshi, 1990, Uttaranchal (Kumaon-Garhwal) : An Essay in Historical Anthropology, Shri Almora Book, Almora
Maheshwar Prasad Joshi, 1989, Morphogenesis of Kunindas, Cir 200B.C.-cir A.D.300
Mathpal, Yashodhar, 1998, Kumaon Painting: A Story of Living Tradition of Painting in Kumaon
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O.C. Handa, 2009, Art and Architecture of Uttarakhand
O.P Kandari and O.P Gusain, 2001, Garhwal Himalaya (Pages for Khasa- 309/360)
Parmannad Gupta, 1989, Geography from Ancient Indian Coins and Seals
Prem Hari Har Lal, 1993, The Doon valley Down the Ages, Dehradun, India
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R.C. Naithani, 1999, Radiant Himalayas,
Ram Naresh Pandey (A.S.I), Ancient and Medieval History of Western Nepal
S S.S. Negi, Back and beyond, Garhwal Himalaya: Nature, Culture and Society
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Sukhdev Singh Charak, 1979, History and Culture of Himalayan states
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Surendra Singh, 1995, Urbanization in Garhwal Himalaya: a geographical Interpretation
Upinder Singh, 2008, History of Earlier and Medieval India.
Vishwa Chandra Ohri, 1980, Himachal Art and Archeology, State Museum, Shimla , Pages 3,5 and 65)
H. Sarkar, A.Banerji 2006, Hari Smriti , Chapter ' The Kunindas and their Archeology in Garhwal Himalaya (pages-391-398).
Http://www.thefreeliberary.com/cist +burial+Himalayas-a017422774
New cultural Dimension in the Central Himalayas, region of Uttarakhand, an Archeological assessment:
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Radha Kumud Mukarji, 1988, Chandragupta Maurya and his Time
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This chapter contains Political history of Uttarakhand around Mauryan Empire Disintegration; Political narration of Jaunsar, Uttarakhand around Mauryan Empire Disintegration; Political account of Dehradun, Uttarakhand around Mauryan Kingdom Disintegration; Political history of Haridwar, Uttarakhand around Mauryan Territory Disintegration; Political history of Garhwal , Uttarakhand around Mauryan Empire Disintegration; Political Record of Kumaon ,Uttarakhand around Mauryan Empire Disintegration; Political history of Upper Garhwal , Uttarakhand around Mauryan Empire Disintegration; Political history of Uttarakhand around Upper Kumaon Mauryan Empire Disintegration.
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Bhishma Kukreti
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