Pahlavas

The Pahlavas are a people mentioned in ancient Indian texts like the

Katyayana mentions the Sakah-Parthavah demonstrating an awareness of these Saka-Parthians, probably by way of commerce.^[5]

Literary references

ancient India (circa 500 BCE), around the time of the Achaemenid conquest of the Indus Valley.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]

Bharata Khanda

.

In Puranic texts

Pahlavas are referenced in various Puranic texts like Vayu Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Markendeya Purana, Matsya Purana, Vamana Purana etc.

Kirfel's list of Uttarapatha countries of the Bhuvanakosha locates the Pahlavas along with the Tusharas, Chinas, Angalaukikas, Barbaras, Kambojas, Daradas

, Bahlikas and other countries of the Udichya division of ancient India. e.g.:

ete desha udichyastu

Kambojashchaiva Dardashchaiva Barbarashcha Angaukikah ||

Chinashchaiva Tusharashcha Pahlavadhayata narah ||.[10]

The Vayu Purana, Brahamanda Purana and several other Puranas mention the Pahlavas with the tribes of Uttarapatha or north-west. The 6th century CE text Markendeya Purana

Sauvira and Anarta (north Saurashtra) countries. Further the 6th century Brhatsamhita of Varaha Mihira also locates the Pahlavas and Kamboja kingdoms in south-west India i.e. around Gujarat/Saurashtra.^[12]

Puranas like Vayu also state that the

Puranic

evidence.

According to Vayu Purana and Matsya Purana, river Chakshu (

Sakas etc.^[13]

Pānca Ganahas or Five Hordes

Puranas associate the Pahlavas with the Kambojas, Sakas, Yavanas and

Paradas and brands them together as Panca-ganah (five-hordes). These five hordes were military allies of the Haihaya or Taljunga Kshatriyas of Yadava^{[disambiguation needed}

] line and were chiefly responsible for dethroning king Bahu of Kosala. Later, king Sagara, son of king Bahu, was able to defeat the Haihayas or Taljungas together with these five-hordes. According to Puranic accounts, king Sagara had divested the Paradas and other members of the well-known Pānca-gana (i.e. the Sakas, Yavanas, Kambojas and Pahlavas) of their Kshatriyahood and turned them into the Mlechchas. Before their defeat at the hands of king Sagara, these five-hordes were called Kshatriya-pungava (i.e. foremost among the Kshatriyas).

In the Ramayana

The Balakanda of the

Vishwamitra.^[14]

The Kiskindha Kanda of

Shakas, Kambojas, Paradas (Varadas), Rishikas and the Uttarakurus etc. and locates them all in the trans-Himalayan territories i.e. in the Sakadvipa.^[15]

In the Mahabharata

Figurines of foreigners in Mathura

Mathura Museum.^[16]

In the Uttarapatha

Yudhishtra

.

The Mahabharata also associates the Pahlavas with the

Tusharas, Sabaras, Barbaras, etc. and addresses them all as the barbaric tribes of Uttarapatha

.

In the Udyoga-Parva

But the Udyoga-Parva of Mahabharata groups the Pahlavas with the

Sakas, Paradas and the Kambojas-Rishikas

and locates them all in/around Anupa region in western India.

Mahabharata [17] reads: These kings of the Shakas, Pahlavas and Daradas (i.e. the Paradas) and the Kamboja Rshikas, these are in the western riverine (Anupa) area.

This epic reference implies that sections of the Pahlavas, Sakas, Paradas, Kambojas were also located in western India near Saurashtra/Maharashtra.

In Kurukshetra War

The Pahlavas along with the Sakas, Kiratas, Yavanas etc. joined Saradwat's son Kripacharya, the high-souled and mighty bowman, and took up their positions at the northern point of the army.^[18]^[19]

In the Manusmriti

Daradas, Khasas

, etc. were originally noble Kshatriyas, but later, due to their non-observance of valorous Kshatriya codes and neglect of chivalry, they had gradually sunken to the status of Mlechchas.

In the Mudrarakshasa Drama

The

Mauryan Empire in northern India.^[21]

In the Brihat-Katha-Manjari

The Brihat-Katha-Manjari of

Kshmendra^[22] relates that around 400, the Gupta king Vikramaditya (Chandragupta II

) had "unburdened the sacred earth of the barbarians" like the Shakas, Mlecchas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Tusharas, Parasikas, Hunas, etc. by annihilating these "unrighteous people" completely.

In the Kavyamimamsa

The 10th century Kavyamimamsa [23] of Pt Raj Shekhar still lists the Sakas, Tusharas, Vokanas, Hunas, Kambojas, Bahlikas, Pahlavas, Tangana, Turukshas, etc. together and states them as the tribes located in the Uttarapatha division.

References

[1]

[2]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[18]

[19]

[21]

[22]

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