Kulinda Janapada of Uttarakhand (400-300BCE) of Panini Time
History of Kumaon, Garhwal (Uttarakhand) - Part 36
Historical Aspects of Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas-33
Kumaon and Garhwal (Uttarakhand) during the Time of Buddha and afterwards Buddhism part -2
(All the History write ups are dedicated to great Historians Hari Krishna Raturi, Badri Datt Pandey and Dr Shiv Prasad Dabral)
Jan
Before Maurya or Maghad Kingdom Era, there were hundreds of smaller Janapada in India. There were Ganaparishad or Sangh( Republic ways of rule). The Chakravarti Samrat as Yudhishthir used to win Janpadas but the existence of Janpada never demolished.
Major Janpada of North India from 500-400 BCE
Panini (480-410BCE) provides the details of north Indian Janpada of his life time (Agarwal, Panikalin Bharatvars, p.57). There were following Major North Indian Janapada those had relation with Uttarakhand.
Madra Janpada-Southern –was in eastern of Takhshila (today’s Syalkot).
Shvi-Ushinagar- was Southern of Madra Janapada
Trigart Janapada – was at hills of Satluj, Vyas and Ravi Rivers (Kangra to Chamba of Himachal).
Bharat Janapada- was at present Thanesar, Kaithal, Karnal, Panipat.
Kuru Janapada - was near Delhi and Meerut.
Pratyagranth Janapada- was at plains of in between Ganga and Ramganga.
Kosal, Kashi and Maghad Janapada- were in western Bihar to eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Kulun/Kulinda Janapada- Kulinda Janapada was spread from east to Satluj, to Yamun, Ganges up to Kali Ganga. Historians found Kulinda/Kuninda/Kulun coins from Western Satluj to Kali Ganga regions.
Kulinda-Ushinagar- Historians divide Kulinda Janapada and state as Kulinda -Ushinagar the region of Uttarakhand of Kulinda regimes.
Provinces or Regimes under Kulinda Ushinagar Janpada of Uttarakhand (500-400BCE)
According to Dabral, the Kulinda Ushinagar Janapada was divided into major six provinces, rules/regimes or parts.
Tamas – The Janpada adhyaksha or king of Tamas was Ushinagar. Tamas was spread on the hills of Satluj, Tons (Tamsa) rivers. The other smaller rivers in the region were Jala and Upjala (Rupi, Supi of Himachal).
Kalkut , Kalshail(today’s Kalsi) - The area of Kalkut comprised of southern Yamuna, Kalsi, Dehradun and Shatrughan Nagar. The region was famous for black color Eye ointment (kala Anjan) production in Mahabharata.
Tangan- the Bhotiya regions .Tibetan border of present Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Chamoli was called Tangan.
Bhardwaj Janapada- the region of Present Pauri Garhwal and Tihri, earls Uttarkashi and Haridwar was Bhardwaj region of Kulinda Ushinagar Janapada.
Ranku- Present boarder of Tibet or Bhotiya region of Pithoragarh was called Ranku in Panini literature. Ranku region of Kulinda /Kuninda Ushinagar was famous for blanket and ox in Panini time. A few inhabitants of Pithoragarh of this region still speak Ranka language.
Atrey or Govishan region- The Govishan region of Kulinda Ushinagar is today’s Almora, Nainital, Bageshwar, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar and southern Pithoragarh.
Human colonies in Kulinda/Kuninda Regimes of Uttarakhand in Panini Time (500-400BCE)
The Kulinda region of Uttarakhand was full of dense forests. The hunters from various foreign regions were regularly coming for hunters in the region.
There were important human colonies in the plains of Kulinda/Kuninda regions of Uttarakhand (Bawar region0 and there were colonies on hills too.
Katrinagar of Kulinda of Palini time-There are two capitals mentioned in Ashthdhyayi of Panini-Katri and Kalkoot. Samudragupta mentions Katripura in his Prayagprasasthi. There is mention of Kartikeypur the capital of Katyuri kingdom in Katyuri scripts. Agarwal suggests that Katri, Katripur and Kartikeypur are same.
Kalkootnagar- the capital of Kulinda kingdom (400AD) was Kalkoot (Kalsi). Even Kalkut was having importance at the time of Asoka too.
The ‘arm’ suffix used to be added for calling a place. Still there is a village name ‘Kubjamrak’ near Rishikesh (Dabral).
Kulinda /Kuninda Villages- There were villages. Ashthadhyayi mentions names of two villages of Bhardwaj Janapada (Garhwal region) –Krikarn and Parn. Patanjali mentioned two villages Ainik and Saunsuk of Bhardwaj Janapada.
There were Ashrams /Kutirs/Sangha/Matha of Bikshuks near villages. The villagers provided food etc to Bhikshuks.
Where there were crops the farms were the properties of owners. However, when there is no crops the farms used to be the properties of villages. The same system persists today in Garhwal, remote Dehradun and Kumaon; as soon harvesting is completed in the field the villagers can use farms for grazing the cattle till next seeds sowing.
Houses- The mud, stones, wood and grass were use for constructing huts. The huts were in clusters for protection purpose. The people used to plaster of red and white mud. There were signs that the bricks and lime were used in construction of building, hut etc in plains of Kulinda /Kuninda region (Bawar).
Dabral provides the references of Chullbag and informs that people used wooden utensils/appliances, earthen pots, sticks utensils/appliances, grass vessels and stone utensils/appliances. The mats were made by grass and ropes and other sticks. The leather boxes, cucumber dry empty fruits were common things for carrying materials.
Beatifying Items- The Kulinda people of Panini time used to put ‘langoti’, Kacchaa, or Ghuttnna, Dhoti, and cotton or woolen upper garment as blankets or chadar. Turban was common.
People used to do make up on lips and face. The Yamuna valley coollyrium(Eye Anjan) was very famous and the communities used to export the same. The metallic or plants ornaments were common.
Food- The food items were same as of Kulinda of Mahabharata time.
Medicines and Health care- The health care practices was developed. Herbal medicinal plants and medicines had heavy demand.
Arm men as occupancy- There was heavy demands for the Kulinda youth for army from foreign regions and youth used to earn by serving in army of Kulinda king or foreign king.
Looting and dacoit acts were very common.
Exports from Kulinda Uttarakhand- Bawar /Bhabhar or plains of Kulinda Uttarakhand had wholesales markets. The people used to export grass, grass materials, mats, salt minerals, figs, ropes, fibers produces, flowers, dry fruits and flowers, medicinal plants, herbal medicines, wool and woolen items, leather from various animals, leather items, milk, milk products, honey , Gangajal, elephant tusk, etc.
There were ores and Kulinda people used to export ores or metal. The Kulinda people used to export precious stones, borax, skulls, and other items too.
Roads in Kulinda Region- Bawar or plains of Kulinda was the transition centers for trading. The roads were comfortable in plains of Kulinda.
However, the roads in hills were very difficult and were named Kupath. The Pali language Mahaniddes booklet classified the roads of hills of Kulinda of Panini time as-
1-Venuoath- rope road,
2-Ajpath- Road for goats,
3-Mendupath,
4-Sankupath-,
6-Chhatpath
7-Banspath, (Bamboo jungle)
8-Musikpath
9-Sakunpath
10-Dariptha
11-Vettcharpath
People had to make preparation for walking on those raods and had to take many articles to walk. There were gras rope bridges to cross rivers as Ganges.
Social Customs- The custom of keeping relation or family name on ‘moolgaon or mool purush’ (Original village and Original family person) was very strong and still the custom persists.
Languages- the common men used to speak local languages and elite used to speak Sanskrit.
The other social customs and structures were already described in previous chapters.
Administration- The kings or regional rulers used to take help of councils of ministers. There were court priests, prime ministers, chief of army, crown prince, princes and other counselors to look after administration.
Taxation-There were taxes as land taxes, octori, river crossing taxes, sales taxes, mineral taxes and forest product taxes.
Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti 7/05/2013
(The write up is aimed for general readers)
History of Garhwal – Kumaon (Uttarakhand) to be continued… Part -37
Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas- to be continued…34
Kumaon and Garhwal (Uttarakhand) during the Time of Buddha and afterwards Buddhism to be continued…part -3
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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