Panchala Pañcāla | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 1100 BCE –c. 340 BCE | |||||||||||||
.png) Panchala and other kingdoms in the Late Vedic period. | |||||||||||||
.png) Panchala and other Mahajanapadas in the Post Vedic period. | |||||||||||||
| Capital | Ahichatra (northern),Kampila | ||||||||||||
| Common languages | Vedic Sanskrit | ||||||||||||
| Religion | Historical Vedic religion Jainism Buddhism | ||||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||||
| Raja | |||||||||||||
• c. 850 BCE | Keśin Dālbhya | ||||||||||||
• c. 750 BCE | Pravahana Jaivali | ||||||||||||
• c. 400 CE | Achyuta | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Iron Age | ||||||||||||
• Established | c. 1100 BCE (inLate Vedic period) | ||||||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 400 CE (inGupta Empire) | ||||||||||||
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| Today part of | India | ||||||||||||
Panchala (IAST:Pañcāla) was an ancientkingdom ofnorthern India, located in theGanges-Yamuna Doab of theUpper Gangetic plain which is identified asKanyakubja or region aroundKannauj.[1][2] During LateVedic times (c. 1100–500 BCE), it was one of the most powerful states ofancient India, closely allied with theKuru kingdom.[3] By the c. 5th century BCE, it had become anoligarchicconfederacy, considered one of thesolasa (sixteen)mahajanapadas (major states) of theIndian subcontinent. After being absorbed into theMauryan Empire (322–185 BCE), Panchala regained its independence until it was annexed by theGupta Empire in the 4th century CE.
The Pañcāla state was located to the west of theGomti river, and the north of theChambal River. Its western neighbours were theSūrasenas and the Yakṛllomas, while in the north-west it was separated from theGanga and theKurus by dense forests. The northern boundaries of Pañcāla were the forests around the region of the Gaṅgā's source. The territory of Pañcāla corresponded to the modern-day areas of Rohilkhand such asPilibhit,Bareilly,Budaun,Shahjahanpur,Farrukhabad,Kannauj andKanpur, and parts of Awadh such as the western half ofHardoi, and parts ofLakhimpur[4][5] as well as theCentral Gaṅgā-YamunāDoab inUttar Pradesh.[6]
Drupada, the king ofPanchala was the father ofDraupadi, who married thePandavas. To avenge her humiliation duringthe game of dice played atHastinapur which led to their lengthy exile, he fought on the side of the Pandavas in theKurukshetra War.Bhishma ranked him a MightyMaharathi, his sonDhrishtadyumna anAtirathi and his other son,Shikhandi, aRathi. He contributed three (of the seven)Akshauhini armies to the Pandavas during the war.[7]
The Panchalajanapada is believed to have been formed by multiplejanas (tribes). TheShatapatha Brahmana suggests that Panchala was the later name of the Krivi tribe (who, according to theRigveda, lived on the bank of theIndus river). The laterVedic literature uses the term Panchala to describe the close associates of theKurus. Panchala is identified with the city ofKanyakubja or the region around it.[8][9]TheMahabharata mentions the 'Saranjayas' as a tribe or a family among the Panchalas, occasionally using the terms interchangeably, but also separately at a few places. TheMahabharata further mentions that thePanchala country had its capital atKanyakubja or modern dayKannauj[10][11][12][13] but was later divided into two territories: the northern Panchala with its capital atAhichchhatra, and the southern Panchala with its capital atKampilya.[14][15]
According to the political scientist Sudama Misra, the name of the Panchala janapada suggests that it was a fusion of five (pancha)janas (tribes).[16]H.C. Raychaudhuri theorised that these five clans were the Krivis, the Turvashas, the Keshins, the Srinjayas, and the Somakas.[17] Each of these clans is known to be associated with one or more princes mentioned in the Vedic[18] texts – the Krivis with Kraivya Panchala, the Turvashas with Sona Satrasaha, the Keshins with Keshin Dalbhya, the Srinjayas with Sahadeva Sarnjaya, and the Somakas with Somaka Sahadevya. The names of the last two clans, the Somakas and the Srinjayas, are also mentioned in theMahabharata and thePuranas.
King Drupada, whose daughter Draupadi was married into the Pandavas in the Mahabharata, belonged to the Somaka clan.[19] However, the Mahabharata and the Puranas consider the ruling clan of the northern Panchala as an offshoot of theBharata clan, identifyingDivodasa,Sudas, Srinjaya, Somaka, andDrupada (also called Yajnasena) as its most notable rulers.[20] It is also mentioned thatSutasoma, the son of Draupadi and the Pandava princeBhima, was the king of the Somaka tribe during theKurukshetra War.
The Panchala Kingdom rose to its highest prominence in the aftermath of the decline of the Kuru Kingdom, culminating in its eventual defeat by the non-VedicSalva tribe. The king of Panchala,Keśin Dālbhya (approximately between 900 and 750 BCE[21]), was the nephew of the Kuru king, who had died heirless; Keśin subsequently took over the leadership, establishing his kingdom as the new political and cultural center, and ensuring the continuation of the Vedic tradition.[22] His dynasty remained in power for many generations; one of his later successors was the philosopher-kingPravahana Jaivali, who was the contemporary of KingJanaka ofVideha and the philosophersUddalaka Aruni andSvetaketu (8th–7th centuries BCE).[23]
Originally amonarchicalclan, the Panchalas appear to have switched to a republican model of government around 500 BCE. The Buddhist textAnguttara Nikaya mentions Panchala as one of the sixteenmahajanapadas of the c. 6th century BCE.[24] The 4th century BCE textArthashastra also attests to the Panchalas as following theRajashabdopajivin (king consul) constitution. Panchala was annexed into theMagadha empire during the reign ofMahapadma Nanda in the mid-4th century BCE.[25]
Numismatic evidence reveals the existence of independent rulers of Panchala during the post-Mauryan period. Most of the coins issued by them are found atAhichatra and adjoining areas. All the coins are round, made of a copper alloy and have a set pattern on the obverse-a deeply incised square punch consisting of a row of three symbols and the ruler's name placed in a single line below them. The reverse bears depictions of the deities or sometimes of their attributes, whose names form a component of the issuers' names (for example, coins ofAgnimitra bear the depiction ofAgni). The names of the rulers found on these coins are Vangapala, Yajnapala, Damagupta, Rudragupta, Jayagupta, Suryamitra, Phalgunimitra, Bhanumitra, Bhumimitra, Dhruvamitra, Agnimitra, Indramitra, Vishnumitra, Jayamitra, Prajapatimitra, Varunamitra, Anamitra, Bhadraghosha and Yugasena (the reverse of the coins of Varunamitra, Yugasena and Anamitra do not exhibit any deity). Shaunakayaniputra Vangapala, ruler of Ahichatra, whom Vaidehiputra Ashadhasena mentioned as his grandfather in his Pabhosa inscription, is identified with king Vangapala, known from his coins. The name of Damagupta is also found on a clay sealing.[26][27]
The last independent ruler of Ahichatra wasAchyuta, who was defeated bySamudragupta, after which Panchala was annexed into theGupta Empire.[28] The coins of Achyuta found from Ahichatra have a wheel of eight spokes on the reverse and the legendAchyu on the obverse.[29]
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Ajamida II had a son named Rishin. Rishin had two sons namely Samvarana II whose son wasKuru and Brihadvasu whose descendants were Panchalas.[30][31][32][33]
| Preceded by | Panchala (850 BC–500 BC) | Succeeded by |
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