Parama Kamboja kingdom was mentioned in the epic Mahabharata to be on the far north west along with the Bahlika, Uttara Madra and Uttara Kuru countries. It was located in parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.[1]
Parama Kambojas in Kurukshetra War
editDrona Parva of Mahabharata refers to 6000 soldiers from the Parama Kamboja (caste) group who had sided with the Pandavas against the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war. They have been described as "very fortunate Kambojas" (prabhadrakastu Kambojah),[2] extremely fierce, 'Personification of Death' (samanmrityo), fearful like Yama, the god of death and rich like Kuber i.e. god of treasure (Kambojah.... Yama. vaishravan.opamah: 7.23.42-44).
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Dr Buddha Prakash maintains that, based on the evidence of Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha, Raghu defeated the Hunas on river Vamkshu (Raghu vamsha 4.68), and then he marched against the Kambojas (4.69-70). These Kambojas were of Iranian affinities who lived in Pamirs and Badakshan. Xuanzang calls this region Kiumito which is thought to be Komdei of Ptolemy and Kumadh or Kumedh of Muslim writers (See: Studies in Indian History and Civilization, Agra, p 351; India and the World, 1964, p 71, Dr Buddha Prakash; India and Central Asia, 1955, p 35, P. C. Bagch).
- ^ See: Ethnography of Ancient India, 1954, p 140, ROBERT SHAFER, Publishers: O. Harrassowitz, Ethnology. Also check up "Prabhadraka" in Monier-William Dictionary [1] Archived 2008-01-26 at the Wayback Machine.
Books/References
edit- Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, translated to English by Kisari Mohan Ganguli