Asia

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Author: Laxman Burdak IFS (R)
Map of Asia

Asia (एसिया) is Earth's largest and most populous continent.

Variants

  • Asia (Anabasis by Arrian, p. 37, 38, 49, 68, 66, 91, 93, 106, 112, 114, 155, 156, 158, 178, 192, 197, 200, 203, 205, 210, 234, 242, 243, 270-272, 274, 276, 809, 869, 406, 426.)

Location

Asia is located primarily in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres. It shares the continental landmass of Eurasia with the continent of Europe and the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with both Europe and Africa.

Major divisions

  • North Asia (Siberia) - North Asia or Northern Asia (Northwestern Asia or Northwest Asia; Russian: Северная Азия, lit. 'Severnaya Aziya'), sometimes known as Siberia or Eurasia, is partly a subregion of Asia, consisting of the Russian regions of Siberia, Ural and the Russian Far East – an area east of the Ural Mountains.

Origin of name

Asia gets its name from Asiagh Jats. These people were called Asiagh because they used to keep Asi (असि), which mean the sword in Sanskrit language.

One of the first classical writers to use Asia as a name of the whole continent was Pliny. Asia c. 1300, from Latin Asia, from Greek Asia, speculated to be from Akkadian asu "to go out, to rise," in reference to the sun, thus "the land of the sunrise." Used by the early Greeks of what later was known as Asia Minor; by Pliny of the whole continent.[1] This metonymical change in meaning is common and can be observed in some other geographical names, such as Skandinavia (from Scania).

Chadwick suggests that the names record the locations where these foreign women were purchased.[2] The name is also in the singular, Aswia, which refers both to the name of a country and to a female of it. There is a masculine form, aswios. This Aswia appears to have been a remnant of a region known to the Hittites as Assuwa, centered on Lydia, or "Roman Asia." This name, Assuwa, has been suggested as the origin for the name of the continent "Asia".[3] The Assuwa league was a confederation of states in western Anatolia, defeated by the Hittites under Tudhaliya I around 1400 BCE.

Alternatively, the etymology of the term may be from the Akkadian word (w)aṣû(m), which means 'to go outside' or 'to ascend', referring to the direction of the sun at sunrise in the Middle East and also likely connected with the Phoenician word asa meaning east. This may be contrasted to a similar etymology proposed for Europe, as being from Akkadian erēbu(m) 'to enter' or 'set' (of the sun).

T.R. Reid supports this alternative etymology, noting that the ancient Greek name must have derived from asu, meaning 'east' in Assyrian (ereb for Europe meaning 'west'). The ideas of Occidental (form Latin Occidens 'setting') and Oriental (from Latin Oriens for 'rising') are also European invention, synonymous with Western and Eastern. Reid further emphasizes that it explains the Western point of view of placing all the peoples and cultures of Asia into a single classification, almost as if there were a need for setting the distinction between Western and Eastern civilizations on the Eurasian continent. Ogura Kazuo and Tenshin Okakura are two outspoken Japanese figures on the subject.[4]

Mention by Pliny

Pliny[5] mentions 'The Caspian Sea and Hyrcanian Sea.'....Bursting through, this sea makes a passage from the Scythian Ocean into the back of Asia,1 receiving various names from the nations which dwell upon its banks, the two most famous of which are the Caspian and the Hyrcanian races. Clitarchus is of opinion that the Caspian Sea is not less in area than the Euxine. Eratosthenes gives the measure of it on the south-east, along the coast of Cadusia2 and Albania, as five thousand four hundred stadia; thence, through the territories of the Anariaci, the Amardi, and the Hyrcani, to the mouth of the river Zonus he makes four thousand eight hundred stadia, and thence to the mouth of the Jaxartes3 two thousand four hundred; which makes in all a distance of one thousand five hundred and seventy-five miles. Artemidorus, however, makes this sum smaller by twenty-five miles.


1 His meaning is, that the Scythian Ocean communicates on the northern shores of Asia with the Caspian Sea. Hardouin remarks, that Patrocles, the commander of the Macedonian fleet, was the first to promulgate this notion, he having taken the mouth of the river Volga for a narrow passage, by means of which the Scythian or Northern Ocean made its way into the Caspian Sea

2 The country of the Cadusii, in the mountainous district of Media Atropatene, on the south-west shores of the Caspian Sea, between the parallels of 390 and 370 north latitude. This district probably corresponds with the modern district of Gilan.

3 Now the Syr-Daria or Yellow River, and watering the barren steppes of the Kirghiz-Cossacks. It really discharges itself into the Sea of Aral, and not the Caspian.

History

The Silk Road connected civilizations across Asia[6]

The history of Asia can be seen as the distinct histories of several peripheral coastal regions: East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, linked by the interior mass of the Central Asian steppes.

The coastal periphery was home to some of the world's earliest known civilizations, each of them developing around fertile river valleys. The civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and the Yellow River shared many similarities. These civilizations may well have exchanged technologies and ideas such as mathematics and the wheel. Other innovations, such as writing, seem to have been developed individually in each area. Cities, states and empires developed in these lowlands.

The central steppe region had long been inhabited by horse-mounted nomads who could reach all areas of Asia from the steppes. The earliest postulated expansion out of the steppe is that of the Indo-Europeans, who spread their languages into the Middle East, South Asia, and the borders of China, where the Tocharians resided. The northernmost part of Asia, including much of Siberia, was largely inaccessible to the steppe nomads, owing to the dense forests, climate and tundra. These areas remained very sparsely populated.

The center and the peripheries were mostly kept separated by mountains and deserts. The Caucasus and Himalaya mountains and the Karakum and Gobi deserts formed barriers that the steppe horsemen could cross only with difficulty. While the urban city dwellers were more advanced technologically and socially, in many cases they could do little in a military aspect to defend against the mounted hordes of the steppe. However, the lowlands did not have enough open grasslands to support a large horsebound force; for this and other reasons, the nomads who conquered states in China, India, and the Middle East often found themselves adapting to the local, more affluent societies.

The Islamic Caliphate took over the Middle East and Central Asia during the Muslim conquests of the 7th century. The Mongol Empire conquered a large part of Asia in the 13th century, an area extending from China to Europe. Before the Mongol invasion, Song dynasty reportedly had approximately 120 million citizens; the 1300 census which followed the invasion reported roughly 60 million people.[7]

The Black Death, one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, is thought to have originated in the arid plains of central Asia, where it then travelled along the Silk Road.[8]

The Russian Empire began to expand into Asia from the 17th century, and would eventually take control of all of Siberia and most of Central Asia by the end of the 19th century. The Ottoman Empire controlled Anatolia, most of the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans from the mid 16th century onwards. In the 17th century, the Manchu conquered China and established the Qing dynasty. The Islamic Mughal Empire and the Hindu Maratha Empire controlled much of India in the 16th and 18th centuries respectively.[9]

जाटों का शासन

दलीप सिंह अहलावत[10] ने लिखा है.... ययाति जम्बूद्वीप के सम्राट् थे। जम्बूद्वीप आज का एशिया समझो। यह मंगोलिया से सीरिया तक और साइबेरिया से भारतवर्ष शामिल करके था। इसके बीच के सब देश शामिल करके जम्बूद्वीप कहलाता था। कानपुर से तीन मील पर जाजपुर स्थान के किले का ध्वंसावशेष आज भी ‘ययाति के कोट’ नाम पर प्रसिद्ध है। राजस्थान में सांभर झील के पास एक ‘देवयानी’ नामक कुंवा है जिसमें शर्मिष्ठा ने वैरवश देवयानी को धकेल दिया था, जिसको ययाति ने बाहर निकाल लिया था[11]। इस प्रकार ययाति राज्य के चिह्न आज भी विद्यमान हैं।

महाराजा ययाति का पुत्र पुरु अपने पिता का सेवक व आज्ञाकारी था, इसी कारण ययाति ने पुरु को राज्य भार दिया। परन्तु शेष पुत्रों को भी राज्य से वंचित न रखा। वह बंटवारा इस प्रकार था -

1. यदु को दक्षिण का भाग (जिसमें हिमाचल प्रदेश, पंजाब, हरयाणा, राजस्थान, दिल्ली तथा इन प्रान्तों से लगा उत्तर प्रदेश, गुजरात एवं कच्छ हैं)।

2. तुर्वसु को पश्चिम का भाग (जिसमें आज पाकिस्तान, अफगानिस्तान, ईरान, इराक, सऊदी अरब,यमन, इथियोपिया, केन्या, सूडान, मिश्र, लिबिया, अल्जीरिया, तुर्की, यूनान हैं)।

3. द्रुहयु को दक्षिण पूर्व का भाग दिया।

4. अनु को उत्तर का भाग (इसमें उत्तरदिग्वाची[12] सभी देश हैं) दिया। आज के हिमालय पर्वत से लेकर उत्तर में चीन, मंगोलिया, रूस, साइबेरिया, उत्तरी ध्रुव आदि सभी इस में हैं।

5. पुरु को सम्राट् पद पर अभिषेक कर, बड़े भाइयों को उसके अधीन रखकर ययाति वन में चला गया[13]। यदु से यादव क्षत्रिय उत्पन्न हुए। तुर्वसु की सन्तान यवन कहलाई। द्रुहयु के पुत्र भोज नाम से प्रसिद्ध हुए। अनु से म्लेच्छ जातियां उत्पन्न हुईं। पुरु से पौरव वंश चला[14]

जब हम जाटों की प्राचीन निवास भूमि का वर्णन पढते हैं तो कुभा (काबुल) और कृमि (कुर्रम) नदी उसकी पच्छिमी सीमायें, तिब्बत की पर्वतमाला पूर्वी सीमा, जगजार्टिस और अक्सस नदी


जाट वीरों का इतिहास: दलीप सिंह अहलावत, पृष्ठान्त-185


उत्तरी सीमा और नर्मदा नदी दक्षिणी सीमा बनाती है। वास्तव में यह देश उन आर्यों का है जो चन्द्रवंशी अथवा यदु, द्रुहयु, तुर्वसु, कुरु और पुरु कहलाते थे। भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण के सिद्धान्तों को इनमें से प्रायः सभी ने अपना लिया था। अतः समय अनुसार वे सब जाट कहलाने लग गये। इन सभी खानदानों की पुराणों ने स्पष्ट और अस्पष्ट निन्दा ही की है। या तो इन्होंने आरम्भ से ही ब्राह्मणों के बड़प्पन को स्वीकार नहीं किया था या बौद्ध-काल में ये प्रायः सभी बौद्ध हो गये थे। वाह्लीक,तक्षक, कुशान, शिव, मल्ल, क्षुद्रक (शुद्रक), नव आदि सभी खानदान जिनका महाभारत और बौद्धकाल में नाम आता है वे इन्हीं यदु, द्रुहयु, कुरु और पुरुओं के उत्तराधिकारी (शाखायें) हैं[15]

सम्राट् ययातिपुत्र यदु और यादवों के वंशज जाटों का इस भूमि पर लगभग एक अरब चौरानवें करोड़ वर्ष से शासन है। यदु के वंशज कुछ समय तो यदु के नाम से प्रसिद्ध रहे थे, किन्तु भाषा में ‘य’ को ‘ज’ बोले जाने के कारण जदु-जद्दू-जट्टू-जाट कहलाये। कुछ लोगों ने अपने को ‘यायात’ (ययातेः पुत्राः यायाताः) कहना आरम्भ किया जो ‘जाजात’ दो समानाक्षरों का पास ही में सन्निवेश हो तो एक नष्ट हो जाता है। अतः जात और फिर जाट हुआ। तीसरी शताब्दी में इन यायातों का जापान पर अधिकार था (विश्वकोश नागरी प्र० खं० पृ० 467)। ये ययाति के वंशधर भारत में आदि क्षत्रिय हैं जो आज जाट कहे जाते हैं। भारतीय व्याकरण के अभाव में शुद्धाशुद्ध पर विचार न था। अतः यदोः को यदो ही उच्चारण सुनकर संस्कृत में स्त्रीलिंग के कारण उसे यहुदी कहना आरम्भ किया, जो फिर बदलकर लोकमानस में यहूदी हो गया। यहूदी जन्म से होता है, कर्म से नहीं। यह सिद्धान्त भी भारतीय धारा का है। ईसा स्वयं यहूदी था। वर्त्तमान ईसाई मत यहूदी धर्म का नवीन संस्करण मात्र है। बाइबिल अध्ययन से यह स्पष्ट है कि वह भारतीय संसकारों का अधूरा अनुवाद मात्र है।

अब यह सिद्ध हो गया कि जर्मनी, इंग्लैंण्ड, स्काटलैण्ड, नार्वे, स्वीडन, रूस, चेकोस्लोवाकिया आदि अर्थात् पूरा यूरोप और एशिया के मनुष्य ययाति के पौत्रों का परिवार है। जम्बूद्वीप, जो आज एशिया कहा जाता है, इसके शासक जाट थे[16]

References

  1. "Asia – Origin and meaning of Asia by Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com.
  2. Ventris, Michael; Chadwick, John (1973). Documents in Mycenaean Greek (2nd ed.). Cambridge: University Press. Ventris, Michael; Chadwick, John (1973). Documents in Mycenaean Greek (2nd ed.). Cambridge: University Press.
  3. Bossert, Helmut T., Asia, Istanbul, 1946.
  4. Reid, T.R. Confucius Lives Next Door: What living in the East teaches us about living in the west Vintage Books(1999).
  5. Natural History by Pliny Book VI/Chapter 15
  6. Silkroad Foundation, Adela C.Y. Lee. "Ancient Silk Road Travellers". Silk-road.com.
  7. Ping-ti Ho. "An Estimate of the Total Population of Sung-Chin China", in Études Song, Series 1, No 1, (1970). pp. 33–53.
  8. "BBC – History – Black Death". BBC. 17 February 2011.
  9. Sen, Sailendra Nath (2010). An Advanced History of Modern India. p. 11. ISBN 9780230328853.
  10. Jat History Dalip Singh Ahlawat/Chapter III, p.185-186
  11. महाभारत आदिपर्व 78वां अध्याय, श्लोक 1-24.
  12. ये वे देश हैं जो पाण्डव दिग्विजय में अर्जुन ने उत्तर दिशा के सभी देशों को जीत लिया था। इनका पूर्ण वर्णन महाभारत सभापर्व अध्याय 26-28 में देखो।
  13. जाट इतिहास पृ० 14-15 लेखक श्रीनिवासाचार्य महाराज ।
  14. हाभारत आदिपर्व 85वां अध्याय श्लोक 34-35, इन पांच भाइयों की सन्तान शुद्ध क्षत्रिय आर्य थी जिनसे अनेक जाट गोत्र प्रचलित हुए । (लेखक)
  15. जाट इतिहास (उत्पत्ति और गौरव खण्ड) पृ० 146-47 ले० ठा० देशराज।
  16. जाट इतिहास पृ० 14-18 लेखक श्रीनिवासाचार्य महाराज ।

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