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90-565: People of this tribe include Khas people of medieval Western Nepal , medieval Indian regions of Garhwal and Kumaon , the Kanets of Kangra, Himachal and Garhwal , the Khasa of Jaunsar-Bawar as well as Khakha Rajputs and Bomba clans of Kashmir and different part of northern Pakistan. The original spelling for the name in Sanskrit literature is Khaśa ( Sanskrit : खश) while variants of

180-628: A Bhavishya Purana passage according to which the term "Magadha" is a synonym of "Maga" and refers to "those who contemplate on the Maga". According to Shastri, Utpala has used the word "Magadha" to denote the Magas, who had been accepted as Shaka-dvipi (Maga) Brahmins in the Indian society. Shastri theorizes that "Varaha-mihira" may be a Sanskritized form of the Iranian name "Varaza-Mihr", and may refer to

270-593: A later stage. In an attempt to disassociate himself with his Khas past, the Rana prime minister Jung Bahadur decreed that the term Gorkhali be used instead of Khas kurā to describe the language. Meanwhile, the British Indian administrators had started using the term Nepal (after Newar) to refer to the Gorkha kingdom. In the 1930s, the Gorkha government also adopted this term to describe their country. Subsequently,

360-702: A legend mentioned in the Mihr Yasht of the Avesta . According to this legend, the god Verethraghna, in the form of a boar ( varaza ), precedes Mihr in his march. Shastri notes that the 5th century Sassanian monarch Bahram V bore the name Mihrvaraza, which is quite similar to Varahamihra. Academic J.E. Sanjana suggests that Varāhamihira was descended from an Iranian Magi priest. Some scholars, such as M.T. Patwardhan and A.N. Upadhye, have identified Varāhamihira with Bazurjmehr, mentioned in Firishta 's writings as

450-571: A minister of the Sasanian king Khusraw Nushirwan (r. 531-578). However, A.M. Shastri dismisses this theory as unconvincing. There are several historically inaccurate legends about the ancestry of Varāhamihira: Kapitthaka, where Varāhamihira studied, was probably his birthplace. While "Kapitthaka" is the most popular reading the place's name, several variants of this name appear in various manuscripts, including Kampilyaka, Kapilaka, Kapishthala, and Kapishkala. Utpala suggests that this village had

540-472: A much larger number of verses to the Sun. His commentator Utpala credits his sharp intellect to a boon by the Sun. Some later writers describe him as an incarnation of the Sun god. Utpala, for example, declares that the Sun descended on earth in the form of Varāhamihira to save the jyotisha-shastra from destruction. The Subhashita-ratna-kosha quotes stanzas that praise Varāhamihira as an incarnation of Vishnu and

630-496: A royal patron. Several scholars theorize that Varāhamihira came from a Brahminized family of the sun-worshipping Magi priests (see Ancestry above). He was a worshipper of the sun god Savitur , and stated that he had received all his knowledge by the grace of this god. For example, in Brhaj-jataka , he states that he was able to compose the text because of a boon by the Sun. While he mentions other deities, he devotes

720-475: A sub-clan of Aida, an "Aryas” clan that originated at Idavritt (modern day Kashmir to Nepal ). Khas were living in the Idavaritt in the 3rd millennium BCE. and the original meaning of the term Khas was Raja or Kshatriya (Yoddha). He further speculates that Kashmir has been named from its local residents Khas as Khasmir . In the 2nd millennium B.C.E., one group of Khas migrated towards Iran while

810-483: A sun temple. According to one theory, Kapitthaka is the modern Kayatha , an archaeological site near Ujjain. Statues of the sun deity Surya (whom Varāhamihira worshipped) dated 600-900 CE have been found there, and kapittha trees are abundant in and around Kayatha. However, no historical source suggests that Kapitthaka was another name for Kayatha. According to another theory, Kapitthaka is same as Sankissa (ancient Sankashya) in present-day Uttar Pradesh: according to

900-514: Is a Shaka legacy and perhaps the standing Surya images with long boots which was commonly found at the Khasha belt of Himalaya. Some examples of it are the Bara-Aditya at Katarmal and Surya images of Baijnath , Bageshwar and Dwarahat . Khasas are believed to have arrived in the western reaches of Nepal at the beginning of first-millennium B.C. or middle of first-millennium A.D. from

990-433: Is a literary forgery, and is dated variously from 12th-18th century. Varāhamihira definitely did not live in the same century as some of the purported "Navaratnas", such as the much older Kalidasa . Much of the undisputed information about the life of Varāhamihira comes from a stanza in his Brhaj-jataka . According to this stanza, he was a resident of Avanti , was a son of Aditya-dasa, and studied at Kapitthaka through

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1080-600: Is almost obsolete, and people resent being addressed as Khas because of the negative stereotypes associated with this term. Furthermore, the Kanets of Kangra and Garhwal , Khasa of Jaunsar-Bawar and the bulk population of Garhwal and Kumaon (referred as "Khasia") are descended from the Khasas . Generally, the Khas people are referred as Rajputs or Kanets in the Himachal Pradesh . According to E.T. Atkinson,

1170-433: Is because according to Amaraja, the author of a commentary on Brahmagupta 's Khanda-khadyaka , Varāhamihira died in 587 CE (Shaka year 509). If Varāhamihira wrote his work in 505 CE even at the young age of 25, he must have been over 105 years old at the time of his death, which seems exceptionally high to these scholars. Consequently, these scholars consider date Varāhamihira's lifespan to 505-587 CE. Other scholars doubt

1260-763: Is interpreted as " Dvija (Brahmana) of Magadha"; instead "Magadha" here means Maga , as attested by the Bhavishya Purana . Besides the above-mentioned stanza, Varāhamihira's association with Avanti is confirmed by other evidence: in Pancha-siddhantika , he calls himself Avantyaka ("of Avanti"), and the later commentators such as Utpala and Mahidhara describe him as Avantikacharya (" acharya of Avanti"). Utpala also describes Varāhamihira's son Prthu-yashas as Avantikacharya, in his commentary on Shat-panchashika . Historian Ajay Mitra Shastri , relying on Utpala, believes that "Avanti" here refers to

1350-521: Is often mistakenly thought to be a single work and attributed to Paul of Alexandria (c. 378 CE). However, this notion has been rejected by other scholars in the field, notably by David Pingree who stated that "...the identification of Paulus Alexandrinus with the author of the Pauliṣa Siddhānta is totally false". A number of his writings share similarities with the earlier texts like Vedanga Jyotisha . Some scholars consider Varāhamihira to be

1440-611: The Bahun (Brahmin) priests to initiate them into the high-caste Chhetri order and adopted high-caste manners. Other Khas families who could not afford to (or did not care to) pay the Bahun priests also attempted to assume the Chhetri status but were not recognized as such by others. They are now called Matwali (alcohol-drinker Khas) Chhetris. Because of the adoption of the Chhetri identity,

1530-563: The Gorkhali warriors. Historian-linguist E.T. Atkinson in his 1886 CE Kumaon gazetteer, mentions that there are 250 'septs among Khasiya Brahmins' and 280 'septs among Khasiya Rajputs' who represent the Khasa tribe. He states that the 90% of the Brahmins of Kumaon belong to the Khas tribe. The Khasiya Brahmins are mentioned to have been chiefly cultivators and agriculturalists and most of them worship chiefly Bhairava , Shiva , Vishnu ,

1620-622: The Himachal Pradesh . The Khasas of Jaunsar-Bawar who are represented by the Jaunsari Rajputs and Brahmins ) practiced polyandrous marriages. Irish Linguist George Abraham Grierson in his Linguistic Survey of India stated that the Khas tribe were the earliest recorded speakers of the Western Pahari languages . He further asserted that the Khas people made the bulk population of the Indo-Aryan speakers throughout

1710-653: The Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent , in what is now the South Asian country of Nepal , as well as the Indian states of Uttarakhand , Himachal Pradesh , West Bengal , Assam and Sikkim . Khas consists of many subtribes like Kshetri , Thakuri , Bahun , khas dalit and Sanyasis and all spread across the Himalayas . Historically, Khas were the speakers of an ancient Khas language from

1800-712: The Indo-Aryan language family and the earliest recorded speakers of the Western Pahari languages . The large portion of the Indo-Aryan speakers throughout lower Himalayas were the Masto people. An intrusion of this tribe from the Western and Northwestern Himalayas into Central Himalayas is substantiated by the early linguistic evidences related to the Nepali language . They were also known as Parbatiyas/Parbates and are currently known as Paharis/Pahadis. (literally, "from

1890-714: The Indus and the Jomanes are the Cesi , the Catriboni who dwell in the forest. E.T. Atkinson speculated that Pliny referred to the terms, Cesi and Catriboni in the above quotations to Khasa and Kshatriya . Irish linguist Sir George Abraham Grierson in his work Linguistic Survey of India (Volume 9 Part 4) mentions the remarks by the Roman Geographer Pliny on the Khasa (referred as 'Casiri') tribe with

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1980-494: The Jaunsar-Bawar is the representative Khasiya tract and it "..forms a very important links between the almost Hinduized Khasiyas of Kumaon and their brethren converts to Islam on the ethnical frontier of the mountains of Hindu Kush and apparently gives customs and practices of Khasiya race in full force at the present day which distinguished them thousands of years ago." Historian Sir Marc Aurel Stein identified

2070-599: The Khakhas of Jhelum Valley , the Kanets of Kangra and Garhwal , Khasa of Jaunsar-Bawar and the bulk population of Garhwal and Kumaon referred as "Khasia". The Katyuris were of the Khasha origin as agreed by most scholars. They belonged to the Khasha people that entirely dominated the inner Himalayan belt up to Nepal and they extensively populated the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand. Previously, Khashas had strongly established themselves from Afghanistan to Nepal in

2160-513: The Khasas mentioned in the ancient Hindu literature. Irish linguist Sir G.A. Grierson asserted that "..the great mass of the Aryan speaking population of the lower Himalaya from Kashmir to Darjeeling is inhabited by tribes descended from the ancient Khasas of Mahabharata ." Historian Bal Krishna Sharma and Dor Bahadur Bista speculates that the Khas people were of Indo-European origin . Historian Baburam Acharya speculates that Khas are

2250-668: The Magadha region. According to another theory, the word "Magadha" in this context refers to the sun-worshipping Maga cult that Varāhamihira was a part of. In his Brhat-samhita , Varāhamihira mentions that the Magas were the only people suitable for consecrating an image of the Sun god. The Magas, as they came to be known in India, originated from the Magi priests of the Achaemenid Empire . Historian Ajay Mitra Shastri cites

2340-671: The Sabhaparvan of the Mahabharata, they are mentioned between Meru and Mandara along with Kulindas and Tanganas, who brought presents of Piplika gold to Yudhisthira . In Dronaparvan of the Mahabharata, they are mentioned with other northwestern tribes such as Daradas, Tanganas, Lampakas and Kulindas. The Vaishnava text Harivamsa describes that the Khasas were defeated by the King Sagara . The Markandeya Purana states that

2430-522: The Saptarishis and Garga . According to Shastri, this, combined with the fact that both Dravya-vardhana and Varāhamihira lived in Avanti, suggests that Dravya-vardhana was the royal patron of Varāhamihira. Shastri theorizes that Dravya-vardhana was a successor of Yashodharman alias Vishnu-vardhana, who may have also been a patron of Varāhamihira. Some other historians identify Dravya-vardhana with

2520-608: The Scythians and feed on human flesh." Indian sociologist R.N. Saksena explains that this imputation was due to the existing suspicion towards Khasas by the Vedic Aryans , though he regards them as the earlier wave of the same ' Aryan settler ' group. The Mongolian-Tibetan historian Sumpa Yeshe Peljor (writing in the 18th century) lists the Khasas alongside other peoples found in Central Asia since antiquity, including

2610-528: The Shaka tribe and further identifies Khashas and Shakas to have been two different waves of the same race. The Shakas were in Indian subcontinent before the first century BCE while the Khashas spread over the Himalayas and extensively populated the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand and the later waves of Shakas got diffused into them. Historian Omchand Handa contends that the "sun worship" among Khashas

2700-687: The Western Himalayan region . Masto is worshipped in Uttarakhand , Himachal Pradesh , and Jammu and Kashmir regions of India as Mahasu , Mahesh , and Mahashiv . Var%C4%81hamihira Varāhamihira ( c. 20/21 March 505 – c. 587), also called Varāha or Mihira , was a Hindu astrologer-astronomer who lived in or around Ujjain in present-day Madhya Pradesh , India. Unlike other prominent ancient Indian astronomers , Varāhamihira does not mention his date. However, based on hints in his works, modern scholars date him to

2790-548: The Yavanas (Greeks), Kambojas , Tukharas , Hunas and Daradas . Irish Linguist George Abraham Grierson quoted that the Khasas that Pliny wrote about were one of the warriors "Kshatriya tribe of Aryan origin" with linguistic connections to both Sanskrit and Iranian languages, who lost claim to Vedichood due to non-observance of Vedic rules: ...in the extreme northwest of India, on the Hindu Kush and mountainous tracts to

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2880-498: The sovereignty over other Gram Rajyas of the entire territory. The Katyuris ruled from Joshimath in the Alaknanda Valley and later they shifted their capital to Baijnath . They have also been connected to the medieval Khasa Malla kingdom . The Khasa kings of West Nepal-Uttarakhand formed the famous Malla Kingdom, which ruled Humla from the eleventh century before collapsing and splintering into local chiefdoms during

2970-487: The "lord of the Khasas". It also describes the chiefs of the Lohara as Khasas. The Khasa chiefs of Rajapuri freely intermarried with Kshatriya rulers of Kashmir while the Khasa chief of Lohara, Simharaja, married a daughter of Shahi Kings of Kabul . The descendants of the royal family of Rajauri later became Muslim Rajput chiefs and they retained the rulership of the territory till the 19th century. Stein also identified

3060-435: The 11th-century writer Kshemendra describes him as a great poet. He apparently wrote a set of two works - detailed and short - in the following areas: The chronological order of some of these works can be determined based on the internal evidence and Utpala's commentary. In order or earliest to latest, these works are: Laghu-jataka states that it was written after Brhaj-jataka , and Utpala's commentary states that it

3150-621: The 6th century CE; possibly, he also lived during the last years of the 5th century. In his Pancha-siddhantika , Varāhamihira refers to the year 427 of the Shaka-kala (also Shakendra-kala or Shaka-bhupa-kala ). Identifying this calendar era with the Shaka era places Varāhamihira in the 505 CE. Alternative theories identify this calendar era with other eras, placing him before the 5th century CE. However, these theories are inaccurate, as Varāhamihira must have lived after Aryabhata (born 476 CE), whose work he refers to. The particulars of

3240-597: The 7th-century Chinese traveler Xuanzang , this town was also known as Kah-pi-t'a. Historian Ajay Mitra Shastri notes that Kah-pi-t'a is phonetically similar to Kapittha or Kapitthaka. Based on the term "Magadha-dvija" (see above), Sudhakara Dvivedi suggests that Varāhamihira was born and brought up in Magadha, and later migrated to Ujjain. Ajay Mitra Shastri disputes this, noting that Utpala describes him as "Avantikacharya" ( Acharya of Avanti ) and "Magadha-dvija": these two terms cannot be reconciled if "Magadha-dvija"

3330-537: The 8th century CE commentator of the Manusmṛiti says "Some people might be led to think that all these races here named are found to be described as Kṣatriyas so that they must be Kṣatriyas still. And it is to preclude this idea that it is asserted that these are low-born." Therefore, the Manusmriti describes them as descendants of outcast Kshatriyas. The Bhagavata Purana gives a list of various outcast tribes,

3420-962: The Coḍas, the Draviḍas, the Kāmbojas, the Yavanas, the Śākas, the Pāradas, the Pahlavas, the Cīnas, the Kirātas, the Daradas and the Khaśas.—(44) The Shukraniti mentions that People born in the Khasa region take the wife of their brother if she has lost her husband. By these acts, they do not attract atonement or restraint. खशजाताः प्रगृह्यन्ति भ्रातृभार्य्यामभर्तृकाम् । अनेन कर्मणा नैते प्रायश्चित्तदमार्हकाः ॥ ४-५-५१ ॥ Medhātithi ,

3510-679: The Gorkha Kingdom, as well as the succeeding Rana dynasty , spoke the Khas language (now called the Nepali language). However, they claimed to be Rajputs of western Indian origin, rather than the native Khas Kshatriyas. Since outside Nepal, the Khas social status was seen as inferior to that of the Rajputs, the rulers started describing themselves as natives of the Hill country, rather than that of

3600-481: The Khas country. Most people, however, considered the terms Khas and Parbatiya ( Pahari/Pahadi or Hill people) as synonymous. Jung Bahadur also re-labeled the Khas jāt as Chhetri in present-day Nepal. Originally, the Brahmin immigrants from the plains considered the Khas as low-caste because of the latter's neglect of high-caste taboos (such as alcohol abstinence). The upper-class Khas people commissioned

3690-510: The Khas language also came to be known as Nepali language . It has become a national language of Nepal and lingua franca among the majority of population of Northern region of West Bengal , Sikkim and Bhutan . Historian Balkrishna Pokhrel contends that the Khas language of Nepal belonged to neither the Iranian language family, nor the Indian languages , but to the mid Indo-Iranian languages . Deuda song and folk dance performed on

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3780-559: The Khasa is a country against the mountain. The Markandeya Purana , Vayu Purana and Kalki Purana describe that Khasas together with Sakas and other tribes have penetrated to the northwest of India. The Skanda Purana mentions the region of Himachal Pradesh and Kumaon - Garhwal as Kedare-Khasa-Mandale. The Brihat Samhita authored by Indian polymath Varāhamihira grouped Khasas with Kulutas, Kashmiras , Tanganas, and Kunatas. The Mudrarakshasa of Indian poet Vishakhadatta mentions that Khasas and Magadhas were Ganas (troops) in

3870-414: The Khasas were one of the warrior "Kshatriya tribe of Aryan origin" with linguistic connections to both Sanskrit and Iranian languages , who lost claim to Vedichood due to non-observance of Vedic rules. Roman geographer Pliny The Elder described the ancient Khasas/Khasiras (referred as 'Casiri') as one of the Indian ethnicity. Historian Rahul Sankrityayan proposes the origin of the Khasha tribe from

3960-444: The Khasas". The Khasa chiefs of Rajapuri freely intermarried with Kshatriya rulers of Kashmir while the Khasa chief of Lohara, Simharaja, married a daughter of Shahi Kings of Kabul . The descendants of the royal family of Rajauri later became Muslim Rajput chiefs and they retained the rulership of the territory till 19th century. The inhabitants of Karnah region in northwestern Kashmir, were Khasas and they were represented by

4050-519: The Khaśa as Kṣatriya-s formerly, due to omission of the sacred-rites and neglect of Brāhmaṇā-s. शनकैस्तु क्रियालोपादिमाः क्षत्रियजातयः । वृषलत्वं गता लोके ब्राह्मणादर्शनेन च ॥ ४३ ॥ But by the omission of the sacred rites, and also by their neglect of Brāhmaṇas, the following Kṣatriya castes have gradually sunk to the position of the low-born.—(43) पौण्ड्रकाश्चौड्रद्रविडाः काम्बोजा यवनाः शकाः । पारदापह्लवाश्चीनाः किराता दरदाः खशाः ॥ ४४ ॥ The Puṇḍrakas,

4140-605: The Khaśas also one of them, which have recovered salvation by adopting the religion of Viṣṇu Vaishnavism . The Mahabharata mentions the Khasas as one of the northern tribes who fought on the side of the Kaurava against Satyaki . In the Karna Parva of Mahabharata, Khasas are mentioned living in the Panjab region between Āraṭṭa and Vasāti: prasthalā Madra - Gandhāra Āraṭṭa nāmatah Khaśāh Vasāti Sindhu - sauvīrā In

4230-593: The Kuluta king with the title Khasadhipati . The inscription of Dadda II (also known as Praśāntarāga) mentions about the Khasas in the phrase "...Yascopamiyate - sat - kataka - samunnata vidhyadharavasa taya Himachale na Khasa parivarataya." Greek Geographer Ptolemy contended that the country of Khasas (referred to as 'Khasia') was located near the Trans-Himalayan range of Northwest India . Roman Geographer Pliny noted that The mountain races between

4320-602: The Sun in the opening stanza of his work Shatpanchashikha . Varāhamihira was well-versed with the Vedic tradition . He recommends the performance of several ancient Hindu rituals such as Punyaham and chanting of Vedic hymns . Varāhamihira praises Vishnu in the chapters 42 and 104 of Brhat-samhita, leading A.N.S. Aiyangar and K.V.R Aiyangar to speculate that he came in contact with the Shrivaishnava saints (Alvars); however, A.M. Shastri dismisses this theory, describing

4410-425: The Sun, presumably because of two parts of his name ( varaha referring to an avatar of Vishnu, and mihira meaning sun). Sun worship seems to have been his family's religion, as his father Aditya-dasa's name literally means "slave (or servant) of the Sun". Kutuhula-manjari , a later text, suggests that Varāhamihira was born to Aditya-dasa by the blessings of the Sun. Varāhamihira's son Prthu-yashas also invokes

4500-453: The accuracy of Amaraja's statement, since he lived a thousand years after Varāhamihira. According to a historically inaccurate tradition, Varāhamihira was associated with the first century BCE legendary emperor Vikramaditya . This tradition is based on Jyotirvid-abharana , a work attributed to Kalidasa , which states that Varāhamihira (along with Kalidasa) was one of the navaratnas ("nine gems") at Vikramaditya's court. However, this text

4590-410: The alcohol drinker Khas group, i.e. Thakuri and Chhetri, but in other contexts may also include the low status (occupational Khas groups such as Kāmi (blacksmiths), Damāi (tailors), and Sārki (shoemakers and leather workers). Khas people are addressed with the term Khayan or Parbatiya or Partyā , Parbaté meaning hill-dweller by Newars . The hill Khas tribe are in large part associated with

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4680-449: The ancient period and as per internal evidence, they managed the village-level theocratic republics like Gram-Rajya and Mandals under various local clans and identities. Katyuri was one of the ruling houses of Joshimath that claimed sovereignty over other Gram Rajyas of the entire territory. The Katyuris ruled from Joshimath in the Alaknanda Valley and later they shifted their capital to Baijnath . Khasas are thought to be connected to

4770-399: The army of Rakshasa and Malayaketu . According to an ancient Kashmiri text Nilamata Purana compiled by Indian scholar Ved Kumari Ghai , the Khasa tribe occupied "the valley to the south and west of the Pir Pantsal range between the middle course of the Vitasta (modern Jhelum River ) in the west and Kastavata (modern Kishtwar ) in the east." This assertion is also corroborated by

4860-400: The boon of the sun god. Varāhamihira's father Aditya-dasa likely trained him in jyotisha (Indian astrology and astronomy ), as suggested by the Brhaj-jataka stanza and the opening stanza of Pancha-siddhantika . Varāhamihira's commentator Utpala calls him "Magadha-dvija". According to one interpretation, this means that Varāhamihira was Brahmana ( dvija ), whose ancestors belonged to

4950-451: The city of Ujjayini in the Avanti region of central India. Scholar Dániel Balogh, however, notes that Avanti here may refer to the city of Ujjayini or the Avanti region in general: there is no concrete evidence that Varāhamihira lived in the city; he may have lived elsewhere in Avanti. Varāhamihira likely lived in the Aulikara kingdom, as the Aulikaras ruled Avanti in the 6th century CE. Varāhamihira's Brhat-samhita states that on

5040-479: The date mentioned by Varāhamihira - Shukla pratipada of the Chaitra month of the Shaka year 427 - align accurately with 20-21 March 505 CE. Al-Biruni also places Varāhamihira in 505 CE. In accordance with the contemporary tradition, 505 CE was most probably the year in which Varāhamihira composed Pancha-Siddhantaka or began planning it. However, some scholars believe that it was the year of Varāhamihira's birth or of another important event in his life. This

5130-556: The earlier Aulikara ruler Drapa-vardhana . Shastri disputes this, arguing that Varāhamihira describes Dravya-vardhana as a maharajadhiraja (emperor), while the Rīsthal inscription describes Drapa-vardhana as a senapati (commander). Balogh disagrees with Shastri, noting that Varāhamihira actually uses the term nrpo maharajadhiraja-kah ( nrpa or ruler "connected to the emperor") for the king, which Shastri has misunderstood as maharajadhirajah (emperor). Only one manuscript reads maharajadhirajah , which can be discarded as it doesn't fit

5220-441: The ethnical frontier of the mountains of Hindu Kush and gives customs and practices of Khasiya race in full force at the present day which distinguished them thousands of years ago." Irish linguist Sir G.A. Grierson asserted that "..the great mass of the Aryan speaking population of the lower Himalaya from Kashmir to Darjeeling is inhabited by tribes descended from the ancient Khasas of Mahabharata ." The Khasa peoples are

5310-404: The fourteenth century. In the initial phase, majority of Khas people became Brahmins and others became Kshatriyas. The ruling Lohara dynasty (1003-1320 CE) of Kashmir were from the Khas tribe as per the 12th century text Rajatarangini written by the local Kashmiri Pandit historian Kalhana . Furthermore, Rajatarangini describes the rulers of Rajapuri (modern Rajauri ) as the "lord of

5400-451: The fourteenth century. The Khasas (identified with Khasa Mallas ) are also mentioned in several Indian inscriptions dated between 8th and 13th centuries CE. The 954 AD Khajuraho Inscription of Dhaṇga states Khasa kingdom equivalent to Gauda of Bengal and Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty. The Nalanda inscription of Devapala and Bhagalpur; a copper plate of Narayanapala also mentions Khasas. The three copper plates from Pandukeshavara explain

5490-581: The hills"). They were also referred to as Yartse in Tibet and are also known as Khasan by Bhotia people. The term Khas has now become obsolete, as the Khas people have adopted communal identities because of the negative stereotypes associated with the term Khas . In Nepal the native speaker of Nepali language are known as Khas people. According to the Constitution of Nepal , Bahun Nepali Dalit , Kshetris , Thakuris , and Sanyasis (Dashnami) who are citizens of Nepal should be considered as "Khas Arya" for electoral purposes. They have been connected to

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5580-423: The iconography of Ganesha , but this verse appears only in one or two manuscripts, and is likely a later interpolation. Similarly, a Tikanika-yatra verse in which the author reveres Ganesha (among other deities), is likely spurious; this verse appears only in one manuscript. Varāhamihira is credited with writing several authoritative texts on astronomy and astrology . He was also known for his poetic skills, and

5670-433: The imputations of cannabalism. Pliny further stated them as "an Indian people": Latin Source (Gabriel Brotier edition): Ab Attacoris gentes Phruri, et Tochari: et jam Indorum Casiri, introrsus ad Scythas versi, humanis corporibus vescuntur. English Translation: "Next to the Attacori [ Uttarakuru ] are the nations of the Thuni and the Forcari; then come the Casiri [Khasiras] , an Indian people who look towards

5760-436: The inner Himalayan belt up to Nepal. Previously, Khashas had strongly established themselves from Afghanistan to Nepal from ancient period and as per internal evidences, they managed the village level theocratic republics like Gram-Rajya and Mandals under various local clans and identities. The ruling Katyuri dynasty (700-1065 CE) of Kumaon who were of Khas origin, was one of the ruling houses of Joshimath that claimed

5850-458: The later 12th century text Rajatarangini translated by British archaeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein . The Bharata Nātyaśāstra by the Indian musicologist Bharata Muni mentions that the mother tongue language of Khaśas was Bāhliki language in the phrase "Bāhlikabhāśodhīchyanāṃ Khaśāṇāṃ ca svadeśajā." (Translation : The Bahliki language is the native tongue of the Northerners and Khasas.) The Kavyamimamsa of Rajashekhara mentions

5940-402: The lower Himalaya from Kashmir to Darjeeling . The Khas people of Nepal originally referred to their language as Khas kurā (Khas speech), which was also known as Parbatiya (the language of the hill country). The Newar people used the term Khayan Bhaya , Parbatiya and Gorkhali as a name for this language, Gorkhalis themselves started using this term to refer to their language at

6030-467: The medieval Khasa Malla kingdom and the modern Khas people of Nepal . The modern Khas people of Nepal have also been connected with the ancient Khasas, although their period of migration in Nepal remains ambiguous. In Nepal the Khas people first settled around present-day Humla and Jumla . The Khasa kings of Nepal formed the famous Malla Kingdom, which ruled Humla from the eleventh century before collapsing and splintering into local chiefdoms during

6120-426: The metre; three others have maharajdhiraja-jah . Thus, the actual title of Drapa-vardhana was nrpa , which is much closer to senapati in status. Utpala also interprets the term maharajadhiraja-kah to mean "born in the dynasty of the (or an) emperor". Hans Bakker interprets the term to maharajadhiraja-kah as a governor installed at Ujjayini by the contemporary Gupta emperor. Balogh believes that Dravya-vardhana

6210-463: The modern Bomba (tribe) who independently ruled the northwestern Kashmir till the Sikh conquest of Kashmir . There was also an independent Khasa lord at the castle located in the foot of Banahal Pass in the territory of Visalata and Dengapala ("Thakkura Dengapala" ) was a Khasa chief at the banks of Chandrabhaga (modern Chenab river ). Until the 19th century, the Gorkhali referred to their country as Khas Desh (Khas country). As they annexed

6300-506: The modern Khakha Rajputs of Azad Kashmir as the descendants of Khasas mentioned in the Rajatarangini . The Khasa tribe in Karnah region in northwestern Kashmir were represented by the modern Bomba (tribe) . Historian Balkrishna Pokhrel writes the communities or caste in Khas group were hill Bahun , Chhetri , Thakuri , Gharti , Damai , Kami , Sarki , Hudka, Tamote, Gaine and Sunar , badi , luhar , parki etc . The tribal designation Khas refers to in some contexts only to

6390-598: The modern Khakhas as descendants of Khasas mentioned in the Rajatarangini . The Bomba clan are descended from the medieval Khas people of Kashmir that inhabited the entire Karnah region of Kashmir. The region of khaśāli which M.A. stein identifies as Khaśalaya is situated in the left bank of the chenab river was identified and studied by Siddheshwar Varma in 1938 in his linguistic survey. Khas people Khas peoples or Khas Tribes , ( English: / k ɑː s / ; Nepali : खस ) popularly known as Khashya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to

6480-637: The more common forms of the Shakti and village deities. Most of them derive their surnames from their village of origin. The Khasiyas of Uttarakhand never attempted to connect themselves with plain regions until recently they found that such connections increases personal dignity. Khas people of the Western Himalayas are considered similar to the Khas people of the Garhwal , Kumaon and Nepal. They are generally referred as Rajputs or Kanets in

6570-473: The name also used are Khasa (खस), Khaṣa (खष) and Khaśīra (खशीर). There are various theories on how Khasas got their name : As per the research conducted by political scientist Sudama Misra, the Khasa Janapada was a late Janapada (around 1100–500 BCE) under the broad division of Parvata-spraying Āryāvarta ( Himalayan Āryāvarta) of the ancient Indian Iron Age. The Manusmṛiti mentions

6660-517: The north-west. The earliest linguistic evidences related to Nepali language also substantiates the linguistic intrusion of an Indo-Aryan speaking Khasa tribe from the West or Northwest Himalayas into Central Himalayas at the present day regions of Western Nepal. It is likely that they absorbed people from different ethnic groups during this immigration. They had extensively populated the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand and they had entirely dominated

6750-487: The occasion of various festivals in the Sudurpashchim and Karnali provinces of Nepal . The majority of Khas profess Hinduism ; some of them also follow Buddhism and some were also converted to Christianity . The Khas people also had their own sect of Shaivism known as Masto religion where 12 Masto gods were worshipped. These gods were said to be sons of Shiva . Masto worship was prevalent throughout all of

6840-487: The other group migrated east of Sutlej river settling only in the hill regions up to Bheri River . Historian Balkrishna Pokhrel contends that Khas were not the Vedic Aryans but Aryans of the latter periods like the Gurjara , Darada , Shaka , and Pallava . He further asserts that post-Vedic Aryans were akin to Vedic Aryans in terms of language and culture. Irish linguist Sir George Abraham Grierson asserted that

6930-626: The popular gods worshipped during his period. He also describes the iconography of two non-Brahmanical faiths, that of the Buddha and the Jinas . He appears to have been religiously liberal, as he reveres the Buddha as "the father of the world" and devotes an entire stanza to Buddha's iconology (compared to shorter descriptions of several Brahmanical deities). A verse in the Brhat-samhita describes

7020-401: The praise for Vishnu as an example of religious eclecticism. In Brhat-samhita , Varāhamihira discusses the iconography of several Brahmanical deities, including Vishnu , Baladeva , Ekanamsha , Shamba , Pradyumna , consorts of Shamba and Pradyumna, Brahma , Skanda , Indra , Shiva , Surya, the divine mothers ( Matrikas ), Revanta , Yama , Varuna , and Kubera . These were presumably

7110-487: The rules for drinking and eating by Sanskritic peoples of India. Khasas were a warlike tribe and were well known to classical writers, who noted, as their special home, the Indian Caucasus of Pliny . According to E.T. Atkinson, the Jaunsar-Bawar is the representative Khasiya tract and it "..forms a very important link between the almost Hinduized Khasiyas of Kumaon and their brethren converts to Islam on

7200-563: The south, and in Western Punjab, there was a group of tribes, one of which was called Khasa , which were looked upon as Kshatriyas of Aryan origin. These spoke a language closely allied with Sanskrit , but with a vocabulary partly agreeing with that of the Eranian Avesta . They were considered to have lost their claim to considerations as Aryans and to have become Mlechhas , or barbarians, owing to their non-observance of

7290-557: The strong candidate for the one who understood and introduced the zodiac signs, predictive calculations for auspicious ceremonies and astrological computations in India. Varāhamihira's works contain 35 Sanskritized Greek astronomical terms, and he exhibits a good understanding of the Greek astronomy. He praised the Greeks ( Yavanas ) for being "well trained in the sciences", though impure in ritual order. Varāhamihira gained reputation as

7380-511: The term Khas is rapidly becoming obsolete. According to Dor Bahadur Bista (1991), "the Khas have vanished from the ethnographic map of Nepal". Modern-day Khas people are referred to as Hill Brahmin ( Bahun ), Hill Kshatriya ( Thakuri / Chhetri ) and Hill Dalit. Further, historian Pokharel adds the Gharti , Damai , Kami , Sarki , Hudka, Tamote, Gaine and Badi to the Khas communities. In modern times, Khas people are popularly referred by

7470-622: The term "Khas Arya". In Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand in India, too, the term Khas has become obsolete. The Khas people of Kumaon termed as Kumaoni khash jimdar, after being elevated to the Rajput status by the Chand kings . During Chand rule in Kumaon, Khas and Rajput were differentiated by their sacred thread, Khas were allowed to wear only 3 thread (3 palli)sacred thread whereas Rajput used to wear 6 palli sacred thread.The term Khas

7560-529: The territories of Khasas. The 12th-century text Rajatarangini translated by British archaeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein links the Khasas with northwestern affiliations. It describes at No such difficulity arises as regards the Khaśas so frequently mentioned in the Kashmir Chronicles. It can be shown from from a careful examinationof all the passages that their seat was to comparatively limited region, which may be roughly described as comprising

7650-560: The topic of omens ( shakuna ), one of the works he consulted was that of Dravya-vardhana, the king of Avanti. Dravya-vardhana likely belonged to the Aulikara dynasty, several of whose members bore names ending in -vardhana . Historian Ajay Mitra Shastri notes that Dravya-vardhana is the only person for whom Varāhamihira employs the honorific Shri , although he mentions several other notable people. Moreover, he mentions Dravya-vardhana's work before he mentions reputed authorities such as

7740-401: The valleys lying immediately to the S. and W. of Pir Panjal range, between the middle course of Vitastā in the W. and Kāṣṭavāṭa in the E. Finally we have evidence of the latter’s settlements in the valley of Khaśālaya, it is certainly the valley of khaiśāl, which leads from Marbal Pass in S.E. corner of Kaśmir down to Kishtwar Rajatarangini describes the rulers of Rajapuri (modern Rajauri ) as

7830-585: The various neighboring countries (such as Nepal or Newa of the Newar people ) to the Gorkha kingdom, the terms such as Khas and Newar ceased to be used as the names of countries. The 1854 legal code ( Muluki Ain ), promulgated by the Nepali Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana , himself a Khas, no longer referred to Khas as a country, rather as a jāt (species or community) within the Gorkha kingdom. The Shah dynasty of

7920-417: Was based on; according to Balogh, this actually makes it more likely that the king lived at a time earlier than Varāhamihira, who did not have access to the older work of Bharadvaja. According to Balogh, Varāhamihira likely lived during the reign of the Aulikara kings Prakasha-dharman, Yashodharman, or an unknown successor of Yashodharman. However, unlike Shastri, Balogh believes that Varāhamihira did not have

8010-429: Was probably same as Drapa-vardhana: "Dravya" may be a variant arising from a mistake in a medieval manuscript, which is the source of later manuscripts. Balogh disputes Shastri's assertion that Varāhamihira shows a particularly reverential attitude to the king, and even if he did, this is no evidence that the two were contemporaries. Varāhamihira consulted the king's work instead of the original work of Bharadvaja that it

8100-637: Was written after the abridged version of Pancha-siddhantika . However, its order with respect to the other works is not certain. Later authors also mention or quote from some other works composed by Varaha-mihira. Manuscripts of some other works attributed to Varaha-mihira exist, but these attributions are of doubtful nature. The Romaka Siddhanta ("The Doctrine of the Romans") and the Paulisa Siddhanta were two works of Western origin which influenced Varāhamihira's thought. The Pauliṣa Siddhānta

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