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Kekaya (Sanskrit:Kekaya) was an ancientIndo-Aryantribe of north-westernSouth Asia whose existence is attested during theIron Age (c.1100–500 BCE). The members of the Kekaya tribe were called theKaikayas.
The Kekayas were located between theGāndhāra kingdom and theVipāśā river, more precisely on a tributary of theIrāvatī river named the Saranges by ancient Greek authors.[1]
The capital of Kekaya was a city named Rājagṛha or Girivraja, identified with the modern-day Girjak orJalalpur in thePakistani Punjab.[1]
The Kekeyas, as well as the neighbouringMadraka andUśīnara tribes, were descended from the ṚgvedicAnu tribe which lived near theParuṣṇī river in the centralPunjab region, in the same area where the Kekayas were later located.[1]
A famous king of Kekaya during the lateVedic period wasAśvapati, who is mentioned in theŚatapatha Brāhmaṇa and theChāndogya Upaniṣad as a patron ofbrāhmaṇas, and was an elder contemporary of theVaideha kingJanaka.[1]
During the 6th century BCE, the Kekayas, along with theMadras,Uśīnaras, andSibis, fell under the suzerainty of theGāndhāra kingdom, which was the principal imperial power in north-west Iron Age South Asia.[2]
The 10th century CEKāvyamīmāṃsā ofRājaśekhara furnishes a list of the extant tribes of his times which also includes theKekayas along with the Shakas, Tusharas, Vokanas,Hunas,Kambojas,Vahlikas,Vahlavas, Limpakas, Tangana, Turukshas, referring to them all as thetribes of Uttarapatha or north division.[3]
A branch of the Kekaya seems to have migrated to southern India in later times and established its authority in Mysore country.[4]
The Kekayas appear in epic Hindu literature, especially in theRāmāyaṇa and theMahābhārata. In the former, the step-mother of the godRāma and mother of the princeBharata is the eponymous princess of Kekaya,Kaikeyī.