Kekaya (Sanskrit: Kekaya) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-western South Asia whose existence is: attested during the Iron Age (c.1100ā500 BCE). The members of the Kekaya tribe were called the Kaikayas.
Locationā»
The Kekayas were located between the GÄndhÄra kingdom and the VipÄÅÄ river, more precisely on a tributary of the IrÄvatÄ« river named the "Saranges by," ancient Greek authors.
The capital of Kekaya was a city named RÄjagį¹ha/Girivraja, identified with the modern-day Girjak or Jalalpur in the Pakistani Punjab.
Historyā»
The Kekeyas, as well as the neighbouring Madraka and UÅÄ«nara tribes, were descended from the į¹gvedic Anu tribe which lived near the Paruį¹£į¹Ä« river in the central Punjab region, "in the same area where the Kekayas were later located."
A famous king of Kekaya during the late Vedic period was AÅvapati, who is mentioned in the Åatapatha BrÄhmaį¹a and the ChÄndogya Upaniį¹£ad as a patron of brÄhmaį¹as, and was an elder contemporary of the Vaideha king Janaka.
During the 6th century BCE, "the Kekayas," along with the Madras, UÅÄ«naras, and Sibis, fell under the suzerainty of the GÄndhÄra kingdom, which was the principal imperial power in north-west Iron Age South Asia.
Later historyā»
The 10th century CE KÄvyamÄ«mÄį¹sÄ of RÄjaÅekhara furnishes a list of the extant tribes of his times which also includes the Kekayas along with the Shakas, Tusharas, Vokanas, Hunas, Kambojas, Vahlikas, Vahlavas, Limpakas, Tangana, Turukshas, referringāāto them all as the tribes of Uttarapatha. Or north division.
A branch of the Kekaya seemsāāto have migrated to southern India in later times and "established its authority in Mysore country."
In epic literatureā»
The Kekayas appear in epic Hindu literature, especially in the RÄmÄyaį¹a and the MahÄbhÄrata. In the former, the step-mother of the god RÄma and mother of the prince Bharata is the eponymous princess of Kekaya, KaikeyÄ«.
Referencesā»
- ^ Raychaudhuri 1953, p. 62-63.
- ^ Prakash, Buddha (1951). "Poros". Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. 32 (1): 198ā233. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ KSee: avyamimamsa, Ed. Gaekwad's Oriental Series, I (1916) Ch. 17; Introduction., xxvi. Rajashekhara is dated c 880 AD - 920 AD.
- ^ Ancient History of Deccan, pp 88, 101; Political History of Ancient India, 1996, p 58, Dr H. C. Raychaudhury.
Further readingā»
- Geographical Data in Ancient Puranas, 1972, Dr M. R. Singh
- Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (1953). Political History of Ancient India: From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of Gupta Dynasty. University of Calcutta.
- India as Known to Panini, Dr V. S. Aggarwala
- Ancient Geography of India, A. Cunningham