Political, Religious, Economical and Historical Characteristics of Kunindas/Kulindas Rule in Uttarakhand (200-20 BCE) -1
History of Garhwal, Kumaon (Uttarakhand) - Part 44
Historical Aspects of Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas-41
(All the History write ups are dedicated to great Historians Hari Krishna Raturi, Badri Datt Pandey and Dr Shiv Prasad Dabral)
By: Bhishma Kukreti
The Rise of Republican Rules
After the death of Great King Ashoka, there was immediate disintegration of Maurya dynasty. There was immediate rise of republicans or the kings /chieftains under Ashoka started revolting Maurya representation and declared them free. However, the attack of Greece veterans stopped full rise of republicans (Ganapada, Janapada, Ganasatta, Gana Sangh etc). The second rise of republicans or Ganapada or republicans started around Shunga and stopped there on. The republicans as Kunindas/Kuilindas, Yaudhey and Audambar flourished at this time. The third rise of republicans started in the decline of Kushan era.
The coins, inscriptions and old literature from India and Greece provide ample information of the second and third rise of republicans (Ganapada, Janapada, Ganasatta, Gana Sangh etc) as Kunindas/Kulindas.
The coins and literature suggest that Kuninda/Kulinda Ganas or Janapadas were there from Vyas River to Kali (Kumaon) including Saharanpur. It is not clear the whole territory of Central Himalayas was governed by one Kulinda/Kuninda or the said territory was governed by Kuninda /Kulinda chieftains.
Two or three types of coins are described about Kuninda/Kunindas coinage. These were found from Mevatappa, Jwalamukhi of Kangada Himachal; Ambala and Karnal of Haryana; Behat of Saharanpur; and Dehradun, Tehri, Almora of Uttarakhand. The coins were manufactured and distributed definitely after Ashoka Age.
Script is on both Kharosti and or Brahmi
1-Copper Coins one side blank and inscription is on one side- Vedi, Bodhoivriksh and Baudhvesthini.
2- As first but inscribed- Kuninda.
3-Many symbols on both the sides and written texts (mostly silver)
Symbols of Kunindas/Kunindas Coins
There are symbols in coins of Kunindas/Kulindas Age found in north India .
Tree in railing- The ancient Indian symbol appears on reverse side
Swastika- An ancient Indian always appear on reverse side and very rarely on obverse side
Hills-Three –arched hills appear on obverse side and five arched hills appear on reverse side.
Two types of Y symbols- A common ancient Indian symbol but is still unknown about the meaning
Lotus Flower- appears on obverse side of silver coins with a dot in middle or no dot.
The peacock or trophy- a tiny symbol appears on rare coins on the obverse side. The symbol may be of peacock or chalice/trophy.
Unknown symbol on Indo Greek coins- may be a symbol of vessel.
Deer- Common ancient symbol
Cobras- The ancient symbols
Laxmi- The ancient symbol and she is offering grass or lotus to deer.
Indardhwaja- This ancient Indian symbol .
‘Sumeru’ and’ Nandipad’ images were also found on later Age Kulinda/Kunindas coins.
Shiva- Dr. Saklani (1998, page 49) provides references of Shiva on latter age coins that Shiva was also there with trident and legend of ’Bhagvata Chatreshwara Mahataman’. There is scrip of king Agrarajasya in many coins (Dabral).
Four dots four dots represent following Artha, Dharma, Kama and Moksha.
The catalogues are in Brahmi or and Kharosti scripts
Prakrit script on Brahmi inscription on obverse side: The script states- Rajnah Kunindasya Amoghabhutisya Maharajasya (Great King Amoghabhuti of the Kunindas). The dear is standing right, crowned by cobras, attended by Laxmi holding lotus.
Script on Kharosti inscription on reverse side: the script states Rajna Kunindasa Amoghabhutisa Maharajasa (Great King Amoghabhuti of the Kunindas).Stupa surmounted by Buddhist symbol ‘triratna’ and ‘Y’ symbols, wavy line bellow Kharosti writing.
The coins are of different sizes and weight that shows that metallurgy was in its developing stage. The places of symbols on coins are also different in different coins.
Brahmi is found in central Himalayas but Kharosti scripted coins are from Kashmir or western regions.
The Land and Time of Kunindas/Kulindas
The coins and the writings of Greek historian Ptolemy suggest that Kunindas /Kulindas were inhabited from east of Vyasa River (Himachal), Garhwal and Kumaon. The area of Behat of Saharanpur was also under Kunindas/Kulindas. The time would from 200 BCE to 165 AD.
The major trading transaction used to be on barter system. However, the start of coinages indicates that merchant civilization started and was flourishing. The coins are symbol of rise of mercantile community in Indian peninsula. The coins found in Uttarakhand are of copper. That means that it was not possible for small kings to have silver coins. Perhaps the silver coins were manufactured in Magadha and they were also the source of commercial transactions. The Mauryas used to cover copper coins by silver polishing.
Religious Characteristics of Kunindas /Kulindas Age
The coins throw light on ritual and performing styles of worshiping. The trees were worshipped as deities or goddesses. The platform was erected around trees as banyan or holy fig tree and a stone was put on the platform as image.
There was worshipping /ritual performance for Bodhivriksha, Stupa, Triranta, cobra, Swastik, Sun etc. Kartikey was also worshipped. The image of Kartikey has been there in later Age Kunindas/Kulindas coins.
The coins were not used only for business transactions but were also used as images and were kept for ritual performances.
Political Characteristics of Kunindas/Kulindas Age
The Kunindas /Kulindas coins state that the Kunindas/Kulinda kingdom or Kunindas /Kulindas republicans were free from any interference of bigger rulers of Indian Territory. The coins are proof of independency of Kulindas/Kulindas king or republics.
The kings believe on four pillars of life- Artha, Dharma, Kama, Moksha
The List of Kunindas /Kulindas kings would be provided in next chapter….. Political, Religious, Economical and Historical Characteristics of Kunindas/Kulindas Rule in Uttarakhand (200-20 BCE) –part-2
Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti 15/05/2013
(The write up is aimed for general readers)
History of Garhwal – Kumaon (Uttarakhand) to be continued… Part -45
Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas- to be continued…42
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
Michael Mitchiner, 1976, Indo Greek and Indo Scythian Coinage vol./79 page 617/632
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
Nautiyal, K.P. B.M. Khanduri, 1991, Kuninda coins from Athoor, Tehri Garhwal, central Himalaya,JNSI, Volume-LIII, parts 1 and 2
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
Minyan G. Singh, 199, Wooden temples in Himachal
M.C.Joshi, 1978, the Khasas in the History of Uttarakhand, Swasti Sri, edited by K.V.Ravi , p.10),ND
M.S. S Rawat (editor), Himalaya: a Regional Perspective
Mamta Chaudhari, 1977 Tribes of Ancient India
Narendra Singh Bisht and T. S Bankoti, 2004, Encyclopedic Ethnography of the Himalayan Tribes (Page for Khasa – 736)
Dr. Naval Viyogi, Professor M A Ansari, 2010 History of the Later Harappans and Shilpkara Movement (two volumes) Kalpaz Publication, Delhi, India
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O.C. Handa, 2003, History of Uttaranchal (Page 22 for Khashas)
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
R.C. Bhatt, K.P. Nautiyal, 1987-88Trans Himalayan Burials, visa vis Malari, an Assessment, JOSHARD, Vol11-12 (pp 95-101)
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
S.S.S. Negi, Himalayan Rivers, lakes and Glaciers
Sukhdev Singh Charak, 1979, History and Culture of Himalayan states
Savita Saxena, 1995, The geographical Surveys of Puranas
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).
New cultural Dimension in the Central Himalayas, region of Uttarakhand, an Archeological assessment:
Carleton Stevens Coon, 1962, The Origin of Race
C.S. Coon, The Races of Europe
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Plant, Richard, J., 1979, Greek, Semitic, Asiatic Coins and how to read them
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Vishwa Chandra Ohri, 1980, Himachal Art and Archeology
World Archeological Bulletin, 1989.p 18
Radheshyam Chaurasiya, 2002, History of Ancient India: Earliest time to 1000 AD
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Additional References for Neo Kunindas/ Kulinda Era
Molu Ram Thakur, 1997, Myths, Rituals and beliefs in Himachal Pradesh page 18
Ptolemy, Vol.1
Prasanna Bundela, 2003, Coin Splendor: A Journey into Past , page 105-108nwards
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