Pashand/Pakhand Era: Different Religious Sects in Uttarakhand in Mauryan and Gupta Eras (500-300BCE)
History of Kumaon, Garhwal (Uttarakhand) - Part 37
Historical Aspects of Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas-34
Kumaon and Garhwal (Uttarakhand) during the Time of Buddha and afterwards Buddhism part -3
(All the History write ups are dedicated to great Historians Hari Krishna Raturi, Badri Datt Pandey and Dr Shiv Prasad Dabral)
By: Bhishma Kukreti
In fifth or fourth century before, there was flooding of various religious sects in India. There were great influences of old and newer religious sects in Uttarakhand.
Pashand means different religious faiths. Today, Pakhand means false doctrine. In 500-300 BCE, the words had two meanings – doctrine of faith and doctrine of false faith. Asoka and Yagyavalkya used Pashand words at various places.
There were three major sects of Pashand
1-Theist or Believers on god, life after death
2-Non believers on god and life after death
3-Those believed on luck
Ashrams- There were Ashrams in Uttarakhand in this Age where sages/ascetics used to get penance. Backsides Badrikashram, Upmanyu Ashram, Kanwashram, Bhrigu Ashram, Kankhal Ashram there were hundreds of Ashrams at Ganges, Yamuna,Sharda, Rathstha (Ramganga), Kaliganga and other rivers banks in Uttarakhand. Ganges bank was the main centres of establishing Ashram.
The father of first teerthankar of Jainism King Nabhi visited Kailash. The first teerthankar of Jainism Rishabhdev retires in Kailash. Jain literature state that there were Jain worshipping places in Gandhmadhan hills of Uttrakhand. One of Uttarakhandi (Kailash/Gandhmadhan near Badrikashram) Vidyadhar became disciple of Jainism.
Buddhist of Uttarakhand in Pashand Era- There was notable influence of Buddhism in plains (Bawar) of Uttarakhand. The archeological sites of fifth century and coins found in Uttarakhand are proof of notable influences of Buddhism in plains of Uttarakhand. There were Buddha Bhikshus who obeyed the doctrine of Buddhism related to dresses, eating, living and worshipping methods. There were Buddhist sanghs in Uttarakhand.
Bhakti Puja- Uttarakhandis started believing on Vedas and started Vedic worshipping or performing Vedic rituals.
The common men were worshiping Yaksha, Vriaksh dev (tree as deity0, nag (snakes as deities). Indra, Kuber, Vishnu, were other deities. Mother, village, also became deity.
Nag puja- snakes were also worshipped as deities in every sect of sanatan sects including Jainism and Buddhism. There are snake deities s on the coins of Kulinda kings.
Grah and Gan were also worshipped.
Worshipping of forefathers was common.
Shaivism also became common sect
Vaishnivism came after Mahabharata and became popular in this age.
Pilgrimages in Uttarakhand- There were many famous pilgrim centers in this age in Uttarakhand. Many rivers, ponds, lakes, hills, shrines and Ashrams became pilgrim centers.
There were various kinds of ascetics in Kanwashram (Malini River bank, Kotdwara, Bhawar, Garhwal). There were ascetics those were living only on fruits, bulbs and roots or plants. There were ascetics living on smoke of Yagya and sun rays. Many ascetics lived only on milk. Many sages used to live on grasses.
People of urban centers and villages used to listen the preaching of knowledgeable. The custom of donating to saints, preachers, Brahmins, Kulpurohit , sages, Tapswi, Bhikshus, knowledgeable.
Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti 9/05/2013
(The write up is aimed for general readers)
History of Garhwal – Kumaon (Uttarakhand) to be continued… Part -38
Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas- to be continued…35
Kumaon and Garhwal (Uttarakhand) during the Time of Buddha and afterwards Buddhism to be continued…part -4
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
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
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
Nitya Nand Mishra, 1994, Sources Materials of Kumauni History, Shri Almora Book Depot.
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
Uttar Pradesh District gazetteers, 1989, Volume-23
Plant, Richard, J., 1979, Greek, Semitic, Asiatic Coins and how to read them
R.C Majumdar, Ancient Colonies in the Far East
Shiv Pad Sen, 1988, Sources of History of India , Volume -5
Vishwa Chandra Ohri, 1980, Himachal Art and Archeology
World Archeological Bulletin, 1989.p 18
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