Rishika edit
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Rishika edit
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Rshikas were an ancient tribe living in the northern division of ancient India. They find references in the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Brhat Samhita, Markendeya Purana etc. Ashtadhyayi of Panini does not mention the Rishikas, but Mahabhasya of Patanjali does make reference to this people. Mahabharata refers to the Rishikas as Uttara Rishikas as well as Parama Rishikas 1. Rishikas are stated to have been living as neighbors to the Parama-Kambojas and the Lohas in Transoxiana region, in Saka-dvipa. In second century prior to Christian era, a section of them is believed to have migrated to south-west India via Afghanistan, Balochistan, Sindhu, Sovira and settled in a region, later known as Khandesh (north-western Maharashtra). This settlement of the Rishikas is known as Southern Rishikas. The southern Rshikas are also attested as Saha.isikas, Saha.chaisika and Saha.vaisikyas in Puranic literature. The Prakrit form of Rishika is said to be Isika/Ishika, Esika/Eshika or Asika/Ashika (Dr Motichandra). The Prishakas of Al biruni, are stated to be same as the Rishikas. The Uttara Rishikas were the military allies as well as the cultural & geographical neighbors of the Parama Kambojas 2.
Some scholars hold that the Rishikas are same as the Yuezhis 3. Prof Stein thinks that the Tukharas or Tusharas were a branch of the Yue-ches (Yuezhi) 4, where as Dr P. C. Bagchi holds that the Yue-ches, Tokharoi/Tokarai and the Tukharas/Tusharas were identical 5. Dr J. C. Vidyalankar believes that the Kushanas or Kanishkas are same as Rishikas 6. Thus, according to above several equations, the Rishikas are also indentifiable with the Tusharas/Kushanas. On the other hand, based on the syntactical construction of the Mahabharata verse 5.5.15 7 and verse 2.27.25 8, the outstanding Sanskrit scholar Ishwa Mishra believes that the Rishikas were a section of the Kambojas i.e. Parama Kambojas. Dr V. S. Aggarwala also relates the Parama Kambojas of the Trans-Pamirs to the Rishikas of Mahabharata 9 located in the Shakadvipa (or Scythia) 10. According to Dr B. N. Puri, the Kambojas were a branch of the Tukharas.11. Based on the above Rishika-Kamboja connections, some scholars also claim that the Kambojas were a branch of the Yuezhi themselves 12. Dr Moti Chander also sees a close ethnic connections between the Kambojas and the Yuezhi 13.
The Rishikas are also stated to be same as the Asioi or Asii of Strabo. The name Asioi/Asii, according to one view 14, alludes to their connections with Asva or Assa (horses). Based on the earlier information from Indika of Megasthenes (350 BCE- 290 BCE), Pliny (23 AD – 79 AD) also mentions Osii/Orsi, Asoi, Aseni, Taxillae, Peucolaitae etc among the Indian races living in the upper Indus valley south of Hindukush 15 16. The Taxillae and Peucolaitae are obviously the Gandharans of the Indian traditions while the Asoi, Osii/Orsi and Aseni appear yet other variants of the Assaceni/Aspasioi and Assacani/Assakenoi (Asvayana and Asvakayana of Panini and Katyayana). The Aspasios and Assakenois (q.v.) were important clans of the Kambojas exclusively engaged in horse culture. It is therefore, very likely that the Asioi/Asii or Asiani of Strabo may have been or part of the people of Parama-Kamboja (the bigger and the further branch of the Kambojas and Parama-Rishikas living in Scythia or Shaka-dvipa, across the Hindukush/Himalaya) in Transoxiana region. Thus, the Assakenoi and Aspasioi (the Asvakas) of Swat/Kunar valley appear to have been the earlier migrants from the Transoxian Parama Kambojas/Parama Rishikas.
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Matsya Purana wants to make us believe that the Rishikas were so called since they had descended from the Rishis or wisemen or learned parentage 17.
Since Sarasvati, in ancient times, was connected with people of scholarly lineage, Dr M. R. Singh tends to locate the Rishikas of the Puranic accounts on Sarasvati in Haryana 18.
The name Rishika ans well as Parama Rishika occurs in Mahabharata as a part of Saka-dvipa 19.
These northern Rishikas have been addressed as Uttara Rishikas (i.e. Rishikan.uttaranapi) and Parama Rishikas and are shown to be very close neighbors of the northern division of the Kambojas i.e the Parama-Kambojas and the Lohas.
Per Mahabharata evidence, the allied tribes of the Lohas, Parama-Kambojas, northern Rishikas and Parama Rishikas had fought a fierce war with the forces of Pandava Arjuna during latter's Digvijay expedition against the tribes of Uttarapatha or northern division 20.
The Kishikindha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana also refers to these northern Rishikas 21 and locates them in Saka-dvipa, in the neighborhood of the Sakas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Bahlikas, Tanganas, Chinas, Parama-Chinas etc of the Central Asia.
The Saka invasion of India in second century BCE was a joint military venture in which the allied tribes of the Shakas, Pahlavas, Kambojas, Paradas, Rishikas, Bahlikas etc seem to have participated. These tribes had spread into and occupied the parts of western and south-western India.
Thus, the Rishikas are attested in later literature as living in south-western/southern parts of India also.
Some verses in Karanaparava and Bhishmaparava of Mahabharata composed and edited during post-Christian times (400 AD) refer to the Rishikas in the Dakshinapatha or southern India and show them as a Janapada located in close vicinity to the Vidarbhas and the Ashmakas 22.
The Kishikindha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana also refers to this second branch of the Rishikas and also places them in Dakshinapatha in the neighborhood of the Vidarbhas 23.
Many scholars assume that the current version of the Valmiki Ramayana was a creation of 200 BCE to 200 CE, hence this reference to the southern Rishikas .
Post-Christian creation Markendeya Purana24 also attests the Rishikas of the Dakshinapatha or southern division.
Likewise, a sixth century creation Brhat Samhita by Varaha Mihira also attests the Rishikas in Dakshinapatha or southern division 25.
The geographical location of these Rishikas is said to fall on river Krsnavena. Rishika country laid on south of Vindhya, north of Mulakas, north-east of Nasika, west of Vidharba and south of Anupa or Anupadesha.
Modern Khandesh is stated to have formed part of southern Rishika country.
It is notable that the same Brhat Samhita 26 and the Markendeya Purana 27 also attest some Kamboja and Pahlava settlements located in south-west India 28.
The geographical location of these Kambojas and Pahlavas is thought to be around Gujarat/Maharashtra somewhere, thus in close neighborhood of the southern Rishikas.
The following evidence from Udyogaparava of Mahabharata associates the Rishikas with the Kambojas, Shakas and Pahlavas and states them all living around Anupa region or Anupadesha 29.
Trans: The kings of the Shakas, Pahlavas and the Daradas, and the Kamboja Rishikas live in the west in Anupadesa or sea coast regions.
The Daradas in the verse above appears to be a copyist's mistake for Daradas since it were the Paradas, not the Daradas, who have, most often, been associated with the corporated military confederation of the Shakas, Kambojas and Pahlavas etc (Pānca-ganah or five hordes of Kshatriyas in the Puranic texts, for instance) 30 31.
Anupadesha of Sanskrit traditions is stated to have comprised Doab of rivers Narbada and Tapti. It lied on east of Gujarat, north of Vindhya and south of the Avanti Janapada.
Whatever may be the context, these verses probably reflect on the post-Christian scenario when mass encroachment of interior India had occurred due to invasion of India by these foreign hordes.
There are not enough references in ancient literature on Rishika clan. But it looks like there is somehow, a connection between the ancient Rishikas and the ancient Kambojas. Some notable observations follow:
The firm ethnical connection between the ancient Rishikas and the Kambojas may not be easy to establish due to inadequacy of sufficient reliable references, but whatever limited evidence we have with us definitely points towards this connection and at least attest the fact that the ancient Rishikas and the Kambojas were culturally, militarliy, politically and geographically connected together. Therefore, it may be possible that the Rishikas were a furthermost tip of the Parama-Kambojas.
Kambojas
Parama Kambojas
Uttara Madras
Kurus
Uttara Kurus
Indo-Scythians
Sakas
Scythians
Yona