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ravichaudhary
February 15th, 2004, 08:45 PM
Dr Vir Singh has for a number of years is currently the Honorary Director of the Research and Publication Centre, Surajmal Memorial education Society, New Delhi.

He has organized a number of conferences of scholars on Jat society and history.

This is one of the papers presented:

Prof. Prasad has brought out the history based on the ancient Indian, The Rig-Veda, the Brahmans, the Mahabharat, etc linking up the Jat Gotras.

This is a major step forward when Indian Academe starts taking serious interest.

I do not agree with all of Dr Prasad's conclusions.

The Jat Gotra "Maur", " Maurya" is not derivable from " Mayur" for example.

The other Jats Gotras Maukhar (later Maukhari, Maukhari's of Punjab, Rajasthan and Kanauj), were all part of the Jat Milieu


He see the Guptas as different from the Jats, despite quoting K P Jayaswal, who on the basis of the of the " Arya Manjushri Mula Kalpa" and 8th century Tibetan history by Taranatha, showed that that they were Jats, from Mathura and their Gotra was Dharan. (He does quote K P Jayaswal (his Note 6) so he is aware of Jayaswal book.


This is a problem with many scholars who refuse to see a continuity of Jat influence from NW India, thru the Maurya, the Kushans, the Dharans( Guptas).


But that is a hang-up that will be hard to shed.


A first step is still a first step.



Ravi

The rest of the article is at URL :

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/1308


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Jats in Ancient India -Prof. Maheswari Prasad
(Banaras Hindu University (B.H.U), Varanasi)

[Published in " The Jats-Their role and contribution to Te Socio Economic Life and Polity of North and North West India (Vol) 1.


Editor: Dr Vir Singh. Suraj Mal Memorial Education Society (2004), ISBN 81-88629-16, Published by D K Publishers, Darya Ganj, New Delhi www.dkpd.com,]

The present paper is an attempt to reconstruct the history of Jat
Community in ancient India. The main difficulty in this task is
that the word 'Jat' has not yet been found in ancient sources.
But its late occurrence does not mean their late arrival on
Indian soil. One reason of the non-occurrence of this word in
ancient literature may be that they were formerly known by
other names-Change of nomenclature is a part of the
historical process. With the branching of a community, its
several branches become known by different names and when
one of them is distinguished by its achievements, other groups
also take its name as a general designation. It is therefore
quite expected that descendents of many old communities
are still present among Jats.


A study of Jat gotra names reveals that Jat is a general term for
a number of cognate clans formerly known by different names.
Admitting that all gotra names may not be original and the
gotra list grew due to different factors such as personal name
of some important member of the family, marriage, adoption
on certain conditions, impact of gurus or religious teachers,
assimilation of new entrants, borrowings or analogy
formations etc. Some old names belonging to different
strata can certainly been recognised in the Jat gotra list.[1]
Such names as Jathu, Jadu, Jadav, Turvas, Davas,
Puruwar remind us of Yadu, Turvasu and Puru, people of
the Rigvedic period.

They were the part Of Panca Janis, a group of five people, the other two being Druhyu and Anu.[2] In the Puranas Yayati is said to have five
sons with these names[3], who were supposed to be the originators of five people. From Yadu arose Yadavas and from them several of sattvatas remained in and Chedis migrated to south i.e. modern Madhya Pradesh. The names Sattvata and Chedi occur in the Jat gotra list. Anu and his
family have a larger share in the Jat Community. From Anu arose Anavas (descendents of Anu) who got divided into two branches under his two sons Usinara and Tituksu. The former branch established various kingdoms in the Punjab and the latter founded ruling families in the east e.g. Videha, Lichhavi, Vanga Pundra and others. Therefore such gotra names among Jats as Videha, Lichhavi, Vanga, Pundir need not surprise us because the tradition shows the eastward migration of the descendents of Anu. Usinara's posterity is given in nine Puranas[4]. Among several descendents of Usinara the Mahabharata and the Puranas make frequent references to Sivi, Ambastha, Yaudheya, Kekaya, Madra. They can be recognised in such Jat gotra names as Saibal, Bath, Yahiya, Kaik, Madra, Maderna, Sovar, and Sovariya.


The Sivis[5], Ambasthas and Yaudheyas were in prosperous conditions on the eve of Alexander's invasion in India. The classical writers locate Sivis (Siboi) at the confluence of Beas and Chenab.[6] Later they migrated to Rajasthan in the area of Madhyamika near Chittor from their coins bearing the legend Sibi (Sivi) janapadesa have been found.
Alexander had met Ambasthas on his return journey while going downward along the river Jhelum. According to the classical writers they had a republican type of government. They had three generals but their elders had suggested avoiding a fight with Alexander.[7]

Alexander had heard about a very powerful people beyond the river Beas. Arrian describes them as gallant fighters, good agriculturists and having constitutional government[8]. Though they have not been specifically named, there is little doubt in their being the Yaudheyas[9]. They find mention in the Sabhaparva of the Mahabharat under a different name-Mattamayura. It is said that starting from Khandavaprastha Nakula marched towards west and reached Rohitaka-beautiful, prosperous and rich in cattle and horses and dear to Kartikeya. He also captured Marubhumi and Bahudhanyaka. Because these three places had been the chief centres of the Yaudheyas and also
because Kartikeya finds depiction on the Yaudheya coins, Mattamayura is merely another name for the Yaudheyas. This ancient name is preserved in Jat gotras Mori, Maur.In the Puranas Nriga, the younger brother of Sivi has been described as an ancestor of the Yaudheyas.[9]

Panini furnishes important information about the people of the Panjab and the adjoining areas who were organized on the lines of gana or Samgha. In connection with the application of a suffix he makes a reference to Yaudheyadi (5.3.117). According to Ganapatha the Yaudheya group included Yaudheya, Kauseya, Saubhreya, Dhartteya, Vartteya, Jabadeya, Trigarta, Bharata and Usinara. They are said to belong to Ayudhajivi Samgha (5.3.114).


It appears that the political power of the Yaudheyas was eclipsed under the Mauryas. But after their decline the Yaudheyas again became politically dominant and had their heyday upto the rise of the Guptas. The Girnar Inscription of their adversary Mahaksatrapa Rudradaman states that they had become haughty as they were recognised as brave among all the Kshatriyas. But the numismatic evidence, which presents
them in flourishing condition upto third-fourth centuries A.D, does not substantiate Rudradaman's claim that he annihilated them.

Coins of the Yaudheyas have been discovered from various parts of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan. Their coin moulds have been found at Sunet near Ludhiana, Khokvakat near Rohtak and Naurangabad near Bhiwani.

On the basis of these coins and coin moulds the Yaudheyas have been given the credit of building up the LARGEST REPUBLIC republic extending from Ludhiana to Saharanpur in one direction and from Saharanpur to Bahawalpur in another.

Some scholars are of the view that they had different parts of
this extensive area in the course of their diffusion at different
times.[11] We would rather say that this large area represents their habitat, only their political centres shifted, for survival, from one part to another.

The numismatists have classified the Yaudheya coins in eight classes each with several varieties. They can be chronologically divided into three groups - the first belonging from the second century B.C. to first century A.D., the second to the second-third century A.D. and the
last belonging to the end of the third and the first half of the
fourth century A.D.

The inscribed Yaudheya coins have the following legends.


1. Yaudheyana
2. Yaudheyan Bahudtrkeh
3. Yaudheya Ganasya Jai
4. Bhagvati Swaminoh Brhamanya Yaudheya
5. Bhagvat Swaminoh Brahmanydevasya Kumarasya

The Coin moulds have legends:

"Yaudheyana Bahudtrkeh
Yaudheyana Jaimantradharana"


From their seals and impressions and also an inscription
of the late Kushan period we learn that the Yaudheya chiefs
were chosen by their gana and bore the titles Maharaja Senapati
or Maharaja Mahaksatrapa Senapati.[12]

On the basis of the archaeological evidence Altekar is of
the opinion that there were three confederating units of the
Yaudheya power:

1. Rohtak
2. Northern Panchal known as Bahudhanyaka
3. Northern Rajputana

During the glorious period of the Yaudheyas their neighbors
in Rajputana were Malavas (Jaipur, Tonk, Ajmer), Sivis (Chittor),
Matsyas (Alwar) and Maukharis (Kota).

The Yaudheyas probably formed a confederacy with these and others and, as Altekar suggests, gave a final blow to the tottering Kushan kingdom.[13]

The Yaudheya chiefs who bore the titles Maharaja Senapati appear to have been chosen for this purpose by the Yaudheya gana. During this period they might have developed some contacts with the Vakatakas, Bharasivas and other Naga families, under the subjugation of the Guptas, they must have developed closer ties with the Guptas. It is probably during these centuries that they absorbed some elements of their neighbours. The Jat Gotra names Malava, Mokhar, Makhar, Machchar, Bharsiv, Nag, Dharan may be understood against this background.

One need not think that the Yaudheyas disappeared after fourth century A.D. They have been mentioned in such late works as the Yasastilaka of
Somadevasuri (10th century) Sarasvati-Kanthabharana (llth century) and Vaijayantl. (12th century). Somadevasuri refers to their Rajapura city (to be identified with Rajpur in former Patiala state or Rajorgarh in Alwar district) and states that the Yaudheyas did not observe the rules of Varnasrama.[15]

Very closely associated with the Yaudheyas were the Trigartas. We are told in the Mahabharata that having defeated Mattamayuras, Nakula proceeded towards Sibis, Trigartas, Ambasthas and Malavas.[16]

Trigartas are said to have gone to the Sabha of Yudhisthra to pay tributes at the time of his Rajasuya.[17] In the connection they are mentioned in a compound with Sibis and Yaudheyas. Others who joined them were Rajanya, Madra, Kekaya, Ambastha etc. Later the Trigartas joined the side of the Kauravas. In the Viratparva their chieftain Susarma has been described as being defeated by the four Pandavas when he ventured to rob the cattle of the Matsyas.[18] The Udyogaparva
makes a reference to the five Trigarta brothers of whom Satyaratha was the leader.[19] In the Dronaparva the Trigartas have been described as fighting against Arjuna.[20] Here their chief is Susarma and his five brothers have been named as Satyaratha, Saryadharma, Satyavrata, Satyesu and Satyakarma. In the Dronaparva the Trigarta army has been described as including Mavellaka, Lalittha and Madraka which may be
recognised in such Jat gotra names as Mavata, Mall, Littha,
Lathaur, Madra and Maderna.




In different sections of the Mahabharata the number of the Trigarta brothers goes on increasing from one to five and then to six. It appears that at the time of the final redaction of the Mahabharata the tradition of the six important clans of the Trigartas was well established.


PANINI. It is curious to note that in connection with the application of a suffix Panini makes a reference to the Damini group and the six Trigartas ( Damanyadi TrigartaShrsta-ch V 3.116).

On the basis of an ancient verse the Kasika commentary names these as Kaundoparastha, Dandaki, Kraustaki, Jalamani, Brahmagupta and Janaki. These communities mentioned in the grammatical literature can be
identified with such Jat gotra names as (1) Damal, Damara,
Damas, (2) Kundu, Kudvasaru, Kandoki, Kont, (3) Dangi,
(4) Khandaya, Khodiwal, (5) Jail, (6) Brahman and (7) Janar.
Janvar.

The Trigartas have been variously located which shows that
they had several settlements. The Puranas call them the inhabitants
of hills (Parvatasrayinah). The Brhatsarhhita locates them in the
Uttarapatha.21 According to the Abhidhanachintanani Trigarta
corresponds to Jalandhara ( Jalanadhara Trigarta: Syu:).


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