History of Garhwal, Kumaon (Uttarakhand) - Part 41

Historical Features of Garhwal- Kumaon (Uttarakhand) in Mauryan Age Part-2

 

History of Garhwal, Kumaon (Uttarakhand) - Part 41  

 

Historical Aspects of Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas-38   

(All the History write ups are dedicated to great Historians Hari Krishna Raturi, Badri Datt Pandey and Dr Shiv Prasad Dabral)

 

                                         By: Bhishma Kukreti

   

                                                   Bindusara (Rule 297-272 B.C.)

            Bindusara succeeded his father in 297 B.C. The historians claim that he extended his empire between Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. The Maurya Empire was expended to Deccan. At the time of Bindusara death almost whole Indian subcontinent was under Maurya suzerainty. Bindusara was man of many interests and tastes. He used to import many entertaining and food products from Greece.

                                    Khasa Revolt against Bindusara        

              With the reference of Dr.Vasudev Sharan Agarwal ,Markandeya Puran: Ek Sanskritik Adhyayan (2010 reprint), Dr. Dabral states that there was revolt from Khasa of Nandakini valley ,Garhwal –Kumaon (Uttarakhand) against Maurya empire and Ashoka had to come to Uttarakhand to diffuse the revolt by Khasas. Historians as Taranath and Divyavadan also mentioned the vent of revolt by Khasas of Garhwal – Kumaon at Nandakini valley.

                                           Ashoka    (304 -232 B.C., Rule 269 to 232B.C.)                

  The great Ashoka was born (304 B.C. in Patliputra and died (232 B.C.) there.  Ashoka was great fighter and cruel in his early life. However, after winning Kalinga kingdom he became Buddhist and started spreading Buddhist preaching.

  Ashoka scripted Buddhist preaching at crowded places all over his rule and inscriptions are in local script that is either Kharosti or Brahmi scripts. There are around forty inscriptions of Ashoka on rocks, monolith pillars.

                                            Kalsi or Kalkut Inscription of Ashoka  

        Kalsi inscription of Ashoka is one of the fourteen rock edicts.

                       Kalsi or Kalkut was very important town of Uttarakhand in and before Nanda and Mauryan Ages. Presently, Kalsi is in Chakrata tahseel, district Dehradun of Uttarakhand. Kalsi was capital of Shrughna.  The Chinese traveler and historian Hiuen –Tsang wrote full details about Kalsi.

   Forrest discovered Kalsi rock inscriptions in 1860 AD. 

                The Characters of Kalsi inscription are in Ashokan Brahmi. The languageof Kalsi rock inscription is Prakrit (local) and Magadhaian Prakrit. In brief, the Kalsi rock inscription of Ashoka has the following messages-

  1-No animal should be killed or slaughtered

2- Medical aids should be given to men and animals.

3-People should grow medicinal herbs.

4- Wells should be dug

5- Trees should be grown

6-Quinquennial circuit should be conducted for Buddhist ethical teaching

7- The nation should be regenerated under the royal decree; censors of sacred law should be employed.

8-Welfare of people should be conducted.

9-The people should observe self purity and self control

10-The carnal amusements formally patronized by kings should be replaced by pious occupants.

11-Auspecious rites should be cultivated

12- The glory that arises from the promulgation of the Dharma should be upheld

13-The law should be broadcasted.

14-People should observe tolerance in religious rituals and acts.

  There are names of five contemporary kings of Ashoka in the Kalsi inscription-Antiochus Theos II, king of Syria; Ptolemy Philadelphose  (Egypt king); Magas (Cyrinian King); Antigonus Gonatos (Macedonian king) and Alexander (Epirus King).

  Dr Dabral mentions about constructions of  Stupas by Ashoka in other parts of uttrakhand as in Shatrughna, Govishan and Ahichhatra places.

             Disintegration of Mauryan Empire

    In the time of Ashoka the Mauryan empire started disintegrating. Buddha preached the middle path but Ashoka went on extreme path of non violence and definitely kingdom requires defense and army. There is less known about the sons of Ashoka and their successors.  After the death of Ashoka, son of Ashoka Jaluak who was governor of Kashmir became free from Magadha and he snatched some portion of Maurya regime up to Kanykubj. Kuna the blind son of Ashoka owned the regime Magadha, east India and up to certain part of Ujjain, Rajasthan.

 Diyadatt took over the region of Kapisha, Udyan and Gandhar either in the time of Ashoka or after his death.

 There was also disintegration of Mauryan regime in north Panchal. A king Veersen took over the region of Sindh.   

 Pushymitra Shung took over the Mauryan Empire in Magadha in 184 B.C.

 

                                 Uttarakhand at the time of Mauryan Empire

 

           The administration in Uttarakhand under Maurya dynasty was with old chieftains only. It seems they became governors of Mauryas. Therefore, the general ideology of administration would have changed as per need of each king of Maurya till Ashoka. Or it may be said that Kulindas/Kunindas were the kings /chieftains of Uttarakhand and Maurya kings were supervisory king.

  Kunindas became free from Maurya regime just after death of Ashoka.

      Life- Though, mercantile community have been on the high rise all over India under Nanda and Maurya rules, the inhabitants of Uttarakhand did not enhance their needs for life. The Uttarakhandis in Nanda and Mauryan dynasties were very simple and with little needs.

       The people were depending on domestic animals, agriculture and forest produces.

         Education- it seems the local people were capable of reading and writing. That was the reason that Ashoka carved rock inscription in Kalkut/Kalsi. There is no mention that government agents would read and preach from inscriptions.

Religious Events- People used to gather for social activities and religious activities. Kalkut/Kalsi seemed to be biggest centre of religious and social events of Mauryan time.

Hunting- Hunting was very common. Individual or group hunting was the system. Most of the communities of Uttarakhand of Mauryan time were Non vegetarian. The hunting community was on demand to fulfill the need of meat products.

  Hunting was also part of amusement.

Auspicious Songs- There was custom of singing auspicious songs at the time of auspicious event as marriages. Women were major singers of auspicious songs.

Deities- Shiv, Skand, Vishakh, Yaksha, Raksha, Nag, Matridevi- Gramdevi Goddesses etc were deities and

Occupancies – Exports of Gangajal, blanket, horses of Garhwal and Bhotiya regions were main source of trade. There are mentions of people of Uttarakhandis taking herbal toothbrush, color, anvala, fruits, juices, and perfumes to Ashoka in Patliputra in Mahavansh. The export of solders was common from Uttarakhand at that time.

Medicinal Plants and medicines- Himalayan medicinal plants and herbal medicines from Uttarakhand had heavy demand in the territories of Maurya. There was export of various forest produces from Uttarakhand to plains.

     

                                   

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti 13/05/2013

(The write up is aimed for general readers)

History of Garhwal – Kumaon (Uttarakhand) to be continued… Part -42

Ancient communities of Kumaon-Garhwal (Uttarakhand), Himalayas- to be continued…39

 

 

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 

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).  

Http://www.thefreeliberary.com/cist +burial+Himalayas-a017422774

New cultural Dimension in the Central Himalayas, region of Uttarakhand, an Archeological assessment:

http://opar.unior.it/664/1/5/Annali 1986 (f1)K.p.nautiyal-B.M.Khanduri  

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

Radheshyam Chaurasiya, 2002, History of Ancient India: Earliest time to 1000 AD

R.K. Nehra, 2010, Hinduism and Its Military Ethos

Chapters on African Presence in Early Asian Civilizations: A Historical Overview, Journal of African Civilizations, August 1995, Vol .X No.X pages 21-121

Radha Kumud Mukarji, 1988, Chandragupta Maurya and his Time

Om Gupta, 2006, Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Edward James Rapson, 1923, Cambridge History of India (7 Volumes)

              References for Mauryan Dynasty History

Shastri, K.A.N, 1988, Age of the Nandas and Mauryas

Bharcava, Purushottam, 1996, Chandragupta Maurya

Gergal Tania, Michael Wood, 2004, Alexander the Great 

Bose, S.C.1968, Land and People of the Himalayas

Various Sanskrit Literatures

Romila Thapar, 1966, A History of India, volume- one

Om Chanda Handa, 1994, Buddhist Art and Antiquates of Himachal Pradesh (Page 197) 

 

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Regards
Bhishma  Kukreti