Wardak

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Wardak (Pashto/Persian: وردک, also spelt Vardak) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the centre of the country. Its capital is Meydan Shahr.

The population, about 70,000, is a mixture of 70% Pashtuns, 20% Hazaras and 10% others. Most Wardak residents are Pashto speakers.

Bhim Singh Dahiya has mentioned about a inscription of Wardak near Kabul of the year 51 of Saka era, which relates the establishment of the relic of Lord Buddha in a stupa by Vagramarega who is shown as a scion of Kama Gulya. Here it is related with clan name Gulya of the Jats. [1] Wardak is associated with the history of Burdak Jat clan.

Contents

The Inscription on the Wardak Vase

FE Pargiter[2] gives details of this vase which was found by Masson in the topes oh Khawat, South west of Kabul, during the year 1834-7 and in now in the British Museum. It is described in Ariana Antiqua (page 147) and E Thomas’ edition of Prinsep’s Essays (p.161). Several scholars have endeavored to decephar the inscription on it.

The script is Khrohthi, and letters are all well made and made clearly distinguished, except y and s, which are much like. The characters for ḍ and ph are of modified form, and a new character for final anusvara appear in pandiyamasam (l l.3,4). An important feature is the rightward stroke added to the foot of consonant. It is of two forms when added to g in the first part of the inscription (down to bhavagra in l.3), straight and curved up; the letters denotes a real r as in agra (l.2) ; the former does not signify r but probably gave g the sound of घं and is transcribed as an italic r , thus gra=ordinary ga. It is also added to mi and transcribed as r , but mri probably = mhi The language is prakrit close to sanscrit.

Transliteration of the inscription on the Wardak Brass Vessel

Line 1. स.०३३ मन्द्रअफ़्थ1मिति2यस़स्तेहि*)।इमेनगत्रिगे3नषमगु

Possible variants 1.ठब 2.सि 3.ग्रे

पुत्रअ4गमतेग5द्रइयखअण6ग्रषण7=शिग8अगमतिग9विहर
4.व 5.ग्र 6. दमृ 7.द 8.ग्रव 9.ग्र
मृ10फ़ुस्तिमृभग11 अणयष्च12=शतित13पतिध14वेति
10. गठु 11.ग्र 12. दष्ट्रनं 13. रर 14. रज

Line 2. इमेनषुय=लेनमहरजरजतिरजहोवेष्षन्द्र15 अगभग16एभवतु

15.द्र 16.ग्र
मण17पिद18तमेपुश19एभवतुभ्रदत20महेष्फु21र्नमतेगन्द्र22पुय23एभवतु
17.द 18.णर 19.य 20.णर 21.ष्ठु 22.गध्र 23.श
शोकूमेभुय24नतिग25मित्रसं26भतिग27नपुयएभवतुमहिशकू28
24.कुश 25.ग्र 26.स्स 27.ग्र 28.क्कू
अ29गमतेगन्द्र30 अगभग31पत्रियय31म
29.व 30.ग्रद्र 31.ग्र 31.श

Line 3. भवतुसथ32सरेनअतोगद33गोणएभवतुअवि34यनतगपय्थ35रशअभ36

32.ब ? 33.ण ? 34.ति 35.य्ब 36.यव
वग37शो़अच अतरअड38जस39=शु40गशश्रे41तिगअतुप्द्र42तसथि43न
37.ग्र 38.ज 39.र 40.यु 41.शे 42.प्त्र 43. बि
पुशएभवतुमहिशकूतो44हनसत45सवृनअवषत्रिगनसपतिय
44. यक्कूरो 45. द
तकूअग46भग़पत्रि47यमभवतुमिफ़्ट्र48गन्द्रकू49अग50षगभवतु
46.ग्र 47.ति 48.ठ्द्र 49. द्रक्कू 50.ग्र

Line 4 (Seperate Line in large letters) इषवि51हरं52असंश्थ53नमहसंघिगनपतिग54ह

51.त 52.तं 53.ठंश्ब 54.रग्र

Source - Essays on Indian Antiquities: Historic, Numismatic and Palaeographic By James Prinsep, pp.163-164


Archaeological Researches in Sinkiang : vol.1 [3] estimates that Wardak inscription is dated on April, 25, AD 179.

Some Topes of Kohwat in the district of Wardak, where the inscription was found, are situated on the course of the river, which, having its source in the HazaraJat, flows through Loghar into the plain Kabul where it unites with the stream passing through city. They are distant about 30 miles west of Kabul. There are 5 or 6 Topes. The coins found in these monuments were of Indo-Scythic class. The image of the the inscription is given by James Prinsep after page 162.[4]

James Prinsep has proposed to render as ‘san 390, Sravana masa sudi prathame Mahodayasa (maharayasa) Gushanagasa raja’.[5]

Wardak people in Afghanistan

The Wardaks are Karlani Pashtoons by origin. This tribe came into being in the region of Barmal Ghar of the Sulaiman range of mountains and from there the whole group of the Karlanis spread into the regions they inhabit today. To their west lie the mountains of Hazarajat and to the other direction the Ghilzai tribes. Their area from north to south is like an oasis, surrounded by mountains to east and west. Their dwelling places lies in the Parapamisos mountains that divide Logar from Kharwara and the western range of mountains belong to Hazarajat. The river that flows to the south of their region is wrongly called the Ghazni river and waters a lot of their fields. Their northern territory is watered by the Logar river. The famous villages of this region are: Tangey, Sheikhabad, Saidabad, Shniz, Khwat, Jaghtu, Dai Mirdad and Chak.

Some Wardaks also live in the provinces of Kunar, Herat, Hilmand, Zabul, Ghazni and Baghlan. Those Wardaks that live in Kunar dwell in Loy Goriga, Ganshal and Jandul. The elders of Ganshal say that their original region is that of the Wardaks and they belong to the clan of Mayar. About 170 years earlier a few Wardak came to the region of Dir and some stayed there, while others went to Jandul and Ganshal. From Ganshal some families of the Wardaks went to Dangam 140 years ago. They became the farmers of the Salarzais and after some time they cultivated fallow land, which they later bought. Some Wardaks think that their ancestors fled and came here in the first governmental year of Amir Abdul Rahman Khan. Later they were given land by the Khan of Asmar and they stayed here. They cultivated their own land then. There is less trading by them and they are intermingled with the Salarzais and the Mamonds. All aspects of life, including their accent of language is influenced by those two tribes. Also, this part of Wardaks that live in Herat, have their own region, which is called Wardak area, and belongs to the administrative unit of Angil. Some Wardak live in Helmand province in the districts of Nadali and Nawe Barakzai. Other Wardaks live in the periphery of Rawalpindi in Chach and Natu. The abode of the Wardaks is very green, cultivated and fertile, but the autumn (fall) period is very short. Rice, wheat and barley are the products of it. Wardaks are all busy in agriculture and they are very hard working. Some of them are also cattle breeders. Their villages are very small. The names of their famous clans are the following:

Mamak, Mayar, Mirkhel, Noori, Larrem, Gadai, Malekyarkhel, Khwaremkhel, Adinkhel and Massrikhel. The clan of Mirkhel is the biggest by number and then come the Mayar.[6]

Districts in Wardak province

  • Maydan Shahr
  • Jalrez
  • Hisa-I- Awali Bihsud
  • Da Bihsud Markaz
  • Day Mirdad
  • Chaki Wardak
  • Saydabad
  • Nirkh
  • Jaghatu

References

  1. ↑ Bhim Singh Dahiya:"Jats: The Ancient Rulers", p.41
  2. ↑ FE Pargiter - 1912, p. 1060
  3. ↑ Archaeological Researches in Sinkiang : vol.1
  4. ↑ Essays on Indian Antiquities: Historic, Numismatic and Palaeographic By James Prinsep, p.162
  5. ↑ Essays on Indian Antiquities: Historic, Numismatic and Palaeographic By James Prinsep, p.165
  6. ↑ http://wardak.org/ Information about Wardak people

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