Yavana Kingdom - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This article is about the kingdom of Yavana in Indian epic literature. For the historical kingdoms, see Greco-Bactrian Kingdom

Greco-Bactrian Kingdom

The Greco-Bactrian Kingdom was the easternmost part of the Hellenistic world, covering Bactria and Sogdiana in Central Asia from 250 to 125 BC...

and Indo-Greek Kingdom

Indo-Greek Kingdom

The Indo-Greek Kingdom or Graeco-Indian Kingdom covered various parts of the northwest regions of the Indian subcontinent during the last two centuries BC, and was ruled by more than 30 Hellenistic kings, often in conflict with each other...

Yavana or Yona

Yona

"Yona" is a Pali word used in ancient India to designate Greek speakers. Its equivalent in Sanskrit, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil is the word "Yavana" and "Jobonan/Jubonan" in Bengali...

is grouped under western countries along with Sindhu

Sindhu Kingdom

Sindhu&sandhu was a kingdom mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. It stretched along the banks of river Sindhu in the Ancient Greater India, which is now Pakistan. It is believed that Sindhu kingdom was founded by Vrsadarbh, one of sons of Sivi...

, Madra

Madra Kingdom

Madra Kingdom was a kingdom grouped among the western kingdoms in the epic Mahabharata. Its capital was Sagala, modern Sialkot . The Kuru king Pandu's second wife was from Madra kingdom and was called Madri. The Pandava twins, Nakula and Sahadeva, were her sons. Madri's brother Shalya was the king...

, Kekeya

Kekeya Kingdom

Kekeya is a kingdom grouped among the western kingdoms in the epic Mahabharata. The epic Ramayana also mentions Kekeya as a western kingdom. One of the wives of Dasaratha, the king of Kosala and father of Raghava Rama, was from Kekeya kingdom and was known as Kaikeyi...

, Gandhara

Gandhara Kingdom

Gandhara is a kingdom grouped among the western kingdoms in the epic Mahabharata. The epic Ramayana also mentions it as a western kingdom. Gandhara prince Sakuni was the root of all the conspiracies of Duryodhana against the Pandavas, which finally resulted in the Kurukshetra War. Sakuni's sister...

and Kamboja as per the descriptions in the epic Mahabharata

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

. In later history, this word was used to indicate the Greeks

Greeks

The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

and the Arabs, leading to much confusion.

Location in Ancient India

Yavanas were described to be beyond Gandhara. There was another country mentioned in the epic as Parama Yona, in the far west of Yavana. This could be the Ionia

Ionia

Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...

of Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, somehow related to Indian Ionians or Yavanas. The name Yavana could be the Sanskritized form of the name Ionia. Yavanas, Sakas, Pahlavas and Hunas were sometimes described as Mlechhas. Sometimes along with them, the Madras, Kambojas, Kekeyas, Sindhus and Gandharas were included. This name was used to indicate their cultural differences with the Vedic culture, prevailed in the Kuru

Kuru Kingdom

Kuru was the name of an ancient kingdom in Vedic India, and later a republican Mahajanapada state. The kingdom was located in the area of modern Haryana, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh in India. They formed the first political center of the of the Vedic India, with its capital at Hastinapur. It...

-Panchala

Panchala Kingdom

This article is about the kingdom of Panchala during the epic-ages. For the historical kingdom, see Panchala.Panchala Kingdom extended from Himalayas in the north to river Charmanwati in the south during the period of Mahabharata. It had Kuru, Surasena and Matsya kingdoms to the west and the forest...

Kingdoms.

"... in the ports of southern India, where the early Tamil poems of uncertain date speak of a settlement of the Yavanas."(1)
The same author (2) does not follow the assumption that Yavanas were Roman traders, although she points out that between the first-second cent BC up to and included the third-fourth cent AD, rightly or wrongly "the term yavana denoted an Ionian Greek".(3) On pages 83–5 she makes mention of early Indian literature where foreigners were dubbed "yavana", and points to an Asokan inscription where a border-people is given this appellation. In central and western India, she says, Yavana "figure prominently as donors to the Buddhist Sangha".(4)

(1) H.P.Ray, The Winds of Change, Delhi, 1994:49, 84;
(2) ibid p. 52;
(3) ibid p. 54;
(4) ibid p. 84

Integration with the Vedic culture

Thus the Vedic

Vedic period

The Vedic period was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed. The time span of the period is uncertain. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas, was composed roughly between 1700–1100 BCE, also...

society acknowledged their extra ordinary skills, but kept them as outcasts. An account in the epic depicts Yavanas as the descendants of Turvusu, one of the cursed sons of king Yayati

Yayati

Yayati was a Puranic king and the son of king Nahusha and one of ancestors of Pandavas. He was a great scholar of Vedas. He had five brothers, Yati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati and Kriti. He had two wives, Devayani and Sharmishtha. Devayani was the daughter of Shukracharya, the priest of Asuras ....

. Only the fifth son Puru's line was considered to be the successors of Yayati's throne, as he cursed the other four sons and denied them kingship. Pauravas inherited the Yayati's original empire and stayed in the Gangatic plain who later created the Kuru

Kuru Kingdom

and Panchala Kingdom

Panchala Kingdom

s. They were the followers of proper Vedic culture.

Yavana was the name of one of the sons of Maharaja Yayati

Yayati

who was given the part of the world known as Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

to rule. Therefore the Turks

Turkish people

Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...

are Yavanas due to being descendants of Maharaja

Maharaja

Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...

Yavana. The Yavanas were therefore kshatriya

Kshatriya

*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...

s, and later on, by giving up the brahminical culture, they became mleccha

Mleccha

Mleccha , also spelt as Mlechchha, people of foreign extraction in ancient India. Mleccha was used by the Aryans much as the ancient Greeks used barbaros, originally to indicate the uncouth and incomprehensible speech of foreigners and then extended to their unfamiliar behaviour...

-yavanas. Descriptions of the Yavanas are in the Mahabharata

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

(Adi-parva 85.34). Another prince called Turvasu was also known as Yavana, and his country was conquered by Sahadeva

Sahadeva

Sahadeva was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. He was one of the twin sons of Madri, who invoked Ashvins using a mantra shared by Kunti for a son. His twin brother was named Nakula...

, one of the Pandava

Pandava

In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...

s. The western Yavana joined with Duryodhana

Duryodhana

In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...

in the Battle of Kurukshetra

Kurukshetra

Kurukshetra is a land of historical and religious importance. Historically the land belonged to Punjab now a district in Haryana state of India. It is a holy place and is also known as Dharmakshetra . According to the Puranas, Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and...

under the pressure of Karna

Karna

Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...

. It is also foretold that these Yavanas also would conquer India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, and it proved to be true. (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.4.18 http://vedabase.net/sb/2/4/18/en1)

The races originated from Yayati's sons

King Yayati

Yayati

a king of the Lunar Dynasty

Lunar Dynasty

In Hindu mythology, the Lunar Dynasty is one of the three principal houses of the Kshatriya varna, or warrior–ruling caste...

is mentioned to have 5 sons, all of whom became the founders of many royal dynasties

The sons of Yadu are known by the name of the Yadavas

Yadu

Yadu is one of the five Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig Veda . The Mahabharata, the Harivamsha and the Puranas mention Yadu as the eldest son of king Yayati and his queen Devayani. The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self-respecting and a very established ruler...

: while those of Turvasu have come to be called the Yavanas. And the sons of Drahyu are the Bhojas, while those of Anu, the Mlechchhas. The progeny of Puru

Puru

The Purus were a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda, formed around 3180 BCE. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas...

, however, are the Pauravas (1:85). Yadavas became strong in central India. The Pauravas (Kurus and Panchalas were branches of this race) became strong in northern India. The sons of Anu were also called Anavas, thought to be the Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian tribes, who were all grouped as Mlechas. The Yavanas along with the Anavas established themselves in the far western regions.

It is not clear if the Bhojas mentioned here represents the Bhoja-Yadavas, a sub-sect of the Yadavas. However the epic mentiones about a king named Kunti-Bhoja

Kunti-Bhoja

Kunti-Bhoja was the foster-father of Kunti the mother of Pandavas, as per the epic Mahābhārata. He was the ruler of the Kunti Kingdom. The name Kunti denotes the kingdom. Pandavas's mother's maiden name was Pritha. She was one of the sisters of Vasudeva, a Yadava chief, who was also the father of...

(the king of Kunti

Kunti Kingdom

As per the epic Mahabharata, the Kunti Kingdom was the kingdom of Kuntibhoja, one of the prominent kings among the Bhoja Yadavas.Kunti, the mother of Pandavas and the first wife of Kuru king Pandu, was the adopted daughter of the king Kuntibhoja. Her given name was Pritha and she was a sister of...

and the foster-father of Pandava

Pandava

's mother Kunti) and a city named Bhojakata in Vidarbha

Vidarbha Kingdom

Vidarbha kingdom was one among the many kingdoms ruled by Yadava kings in the central and western India, in a region still known as Vidarbha. It was the southern most kingdom known to the kings of Gangatic Plain until they explored Southern India.Damayanti, the wife of Nala was the princess of...

. There is a highly speculative possibility that the Druids of Ireland were the descendants of Drahyu.

The tale of Kamadhenu's army

When the sage Vasistha

Vasistha

Vashist in the seventh, i.e the present Manvantara, and the Rajpurohit / Rajguru of the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty. He was the mānasaputra of Brahma. He had in his possession the divine cow Kamadhenu, and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners...

was attacked by king Viswamitra's army, Vasistha's cow, Kamadehnu, brought forth from her tail, an army of Palhavas

Pahlava Kingdom

Pahlava Kingdom is identified to be a kingdom of an Iranian tribe. The kingdom was well known, even during the campaign of Alexander. It was also mentioned in the epic Mahabharata.- Yudhisthira's Rajasuya :...

, and from her udders, an army of Dravidas

Dravida Kingdom

During the time of Mahabharata Dravida was mentioned as one among the kingdoms ruled by non-Vedic tribes, in southern India. Its territories include the southern part of modern day Andhra Pradesh and the northern part of Tamil Nadu...

and Sakas

Saka Kingdom

Sakas were a Mlechcha tribe grouped along with the Yavanas, Tusharas and Barbaras. They were later known as Scythians. They were Soma drinkers, Soma being an intoxicating liquor famous in the land of Devas . There were a group of Sakas called Apa Sakas meaning water dwelling Sakas, probably living...

; and from her womb, an army of Yavanas, and from her dung, an army of Savaras; and from her urine, an army of Kanchis

Kanchi Kingdom

Kanchi was a southern kingdom mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. This kingdom took part in the Kurukshetra War. It was considered as one among the Mlechcha kingdoms, that follows non Vedic practices.It is identified as the Kanchi city in Tamil Nadu....

; and from her sides, an army of Savaras. And from the froth of her mouth came out hosts of Paundras

Pundra Kingdom

Pundra was an eastern kingdom located in West Bengal, Bangladesh and Purnia . A Pundra king challenged Vasudeva Krishna by imitating his attributes. He called himself Paundraka Vasudeva. He was later killed by Vasudeva Krishna in a battle...

and Kiratas

Kirata Kingdom

Kirata Kingdom in Sanskrit literature and Hindu mythology refers to any kingdom of the Kirata people, who were dwellers mostly in the Himalayas and North-East India. They took part in the Kurukshetra War along with Parvatas and other Himalayan tribes...

, Yavanas and Sinhalas

Sinhala Kingdom

Sinhala was a kingdom in the island Lanka, modern day Sri Lanka, mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. From 'Sinhala Diva' are derived the Tamil 'Eelam', Persian/Arabic Serendipor Sarandib, and the European 'Ceilao', 'Zeylan' and 'Ceylon'....

, and the barbarous tribes of Khasas

Khasa Kingdom

Khasas were a north western tribe mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. They were probably the modern day Kazakhs found predominantly in Kazakhstan a Central Asian Republic. It is not clear if the Khasas mentioned in Mahabharata were a migrant group from Khasakhstan or original Khasakhs...

and Chivukas and Pulindas

Pulindas

The Pulindas were an ancient tribe of India, likely resident in the environs of the Vindhya Range of Central India. The Rock Edicts of Ashoka mention the Pulindas, their capital Pulinda-nagara, and their neighboring tribes, based on which their capital is sometimes located in present-day Jabalpur...

and Chinas and Hunas

Huna Kingdom

Hunas were a Chinese tribe close to Himalayas that, because of limited interaction with Indian kingdoms, were mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. They belonged to the Xingjiang province of China, east of Jammu-Kashmir...

with Keralas

Kerala Kingdom

This article is about the Kingdom of Kerala in Indian epic literature. For the present-day region, see Kerala, For the historical kingdom, see Chera dynasty...

, and numerous other Mlechchhas.

In the ancient Indian literature, cow is a symbol of earth or land. Thus the myth mentioned above simply means that, these tribes gathered for the protection of sage Vasistha's land against the army of king Viswamitra.

This myth is also found in Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

:- the tribes like the Kambojas

Kambojas

The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...

, Barbaras, Pahlavas, Yavanas, Sakas, Mlecchas, Haritas and Kiratas etc. had originated from the body parts of the divine cow, Kamadhenu

Kamadhenu

Kamadhenu , also known as Surabhi , is a divine bovine-goddess described in Hindu mythology as the mother of all cows. She is a miraculous "cow of plenty" who provides her owner whatever he desires and is often portrayed as the mother of other cattle as well as the eleven Rudras...

of sage Vasistha

Vasistha

, as hords of army men, to protect him from the attack of the king Viswamitra

Viswamitra

Brahmarshi Vishvamitra is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient times in India. He is also credited as the author of most of Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gayatri Mantra. The Puranas mention that only 24 rishis since antiquity have understood the whole meaning of, and...

(Ramayana 1.55.2-3). This myth indicates that the ancient people could not understand the real oringins of these Mlechcha tribes who were highly skilled in weapons, warfare and material sciences but never followed the Vedic rites properly.

The confusion of ancient Vedic people in dealing with the unfamiliar tribes is evident in the following passage from Mahabharata. At (12:35) is mentioned:- What duties should be performed by the Yavanas, the Kiratas, the Gandharvas, the Chinas

China of Mahabharata

China in the Mahābhārata refers to an ancient Chinese people who lived across the Himalayas north of India in the first millennium BC or even earlier, and were mentioned in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata...

, the Savaras, the Barbaras, the Sakas, the Tusharas

Tushara Kingdom

Tusharas were a Mleccha tribe, with their kingdom located in the north west of India as per the epic Mahabharata. An account in Mahabharata depicts Mlechchas as the descendants of Anu, one of the cursed sons of king Yayati. Yayati's eldest son Yadu, gave rise to the Yadavas and youngest son Puru...

, the Kankas, the Pathavas, the Andhras

Andhra Kingdom

Andhra in Indian epic literature was a kingdom mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. It was a southern kingdom. Andhra and Kalinga are often used interchangeably. Andhras are sub-tribes of Andhra satavahanas. The state Andhra Pradesh got its name from this kingdom.Andhra Tribes are also mentioned in...

, the Madrakas, the Paundras

Pundra Kingdom

, the Pulindas

Pulindas

, the Ramathas, the Kamvojas, the several castes that have sprung up from Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, the Vaisyas, and the Sudras, that reside in the dominions of (Arya) kings?.

They were later given the status of Sudras. The Mekalas, the Dravidas

Dravida Kingdom

, the Lathas, the Paundras

Pundra Kingdom

, the Konwasiras, the Saundikas, the Daradas

Darada Kingdom

Daradas were a people who lived north to the Kashmir valley. This kingdom is identified to be the Gilgit region in Kashmir along the river Sindhu or Indus. They are often spoken along with the Kambojas...

, the Darvas, the Chauras, the Savaras, the Varvaras, the Kiratas, the Yavanas, and numerous other tribes of Kshatriyas, have become degraded into the status of Sudras through the wrath of Brahmanas. (13:35). It is in consequence of the absence of Brahmanas from among them that the Sakas, the Yavanas, the Kamvojas and other Kshatriya tribes have become fallen and degraded into the status of Sudras. The Dravidas, the Kalingas

Kalinga Kingdom

Kalinga forms the sea shore of Orissa and Andhra region of Andhra pradesh state in India. Kuru king Duryodhana's wife was from Kalinga. Kalingas sided with Duryodhana in the Kurukshetra War...

, the Pulandas, the Usinaras, the Kolisarpas

Mushika Kingdom

Mushika Kingdom was an ancient kingdom of the Tamil Sangam age in present day northern Kerala, India ruled by the Royal dynasty of the same name. They ruled the strip of land between Mangaluru in the north and Vadagara in the south...

, the Mahishakas and other Kshatriyas, have, in consequence of the absence of Brahmanas from among their midst, become degraded into Sudras (13:33).

The rising power of Yavanas

A passage in the Mahabharata, which is rendered as a futuristic prediction mentions thus:- The Andhra Kingdom

Andhra Kingdom

Andhhas, the Sakas, the Pulindas, the Yavanas, the Kamvojas, the Bahlika Kingdom

Bahlika Kingdom

All the western Indian kingdoms were known by the general name Bahlika meaning outsider. Thus these people were considered as outsiders of the Vedic culture. However, the name Bahlika is sometimes used to denote a kingdom within the present Punjab, different from Madra, Sindhu, Kekeya, Gandhara or...

Valhikas and the Abhira Kingdom

Abhira Kingdom

Sura and Abhira tribe were mentioned as two kingdoms where the river Saraswati existed only as a dried up river bed during the time of Kurukshetra War. They were sometimes referred to as Surabhira also, combining both Sura and Abhira kingdoms...

Abhiras, will then become possessed of bravery and the sovereignty of the earth (3:187).

Encounters with Yavanas of ancient India

Yavana rulers might have spread throughout ancient India, who established their city-states or small kingdoms during the period of Mahabharata. Many ancient Indian warriors like Pandu, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva, Karna and Vasudeva Krishna were mentioned as encountering Yavana kings.

Mention of Yavanas who fought with Arjuna

Arjuna

Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...

and his father Pandu

Pandu

In the Mahābhārata epic, King Pandu is the son of Ambalika and Rishi Ved Vyasa. He is more popularly known as the father of the Pandavas and ruled Hastinapur.-Birth:...

:- The king of the Yavanas himself whom the powerful Pandu even had failed to bring under subjection was brought by Arjuna under control (1:141). Mention of a Yavana strong-hold in Mathura:- The Yavanas, the Kamvojas, and those that dwell around Mathura are well skilled in fighting with bare arms (12:100). Nakula

Nakula

Nakula, also spelt "Nakul" was one of the five Pandava brothers according to the epic Mahābhārata. Nakula and Sahadeva were fraternal twins born to Madri, who had invoked the Ashvins using a mantra for a son, the mantra shared by Kunti...

the son of Pandu reduced to subjection the fierce Mlechchas residing on the sea coast, as also the wild tribes of the Palhavas

Pahlava Kingdom

, the Kiratas, the Yavanas, and the Sakas. And having subjugated various monarchs, and making all of them pay tributes, Nakula that foremost of the Kurus

Kuru Kingdom

, full of resources, retraced his way towards his own city (2:31). Sahadeva

Sahadeva

, the son of Pandu, brought under his subjection and exacted tributes from the Paundrayas

Pandya Kingdom

The Pandyas were fierce warriors who took part in the Kurukshetra War as per the epic Mahabharata. A Pandya king named Sarangadhwaja, is mentioned as participating in the Kurukshetra War, siding with the Pandavas. It is not clear if Pandyas were linked to the Pandavas of North India...

and the Dravidas along with the Udrakeralas

Kerala Kingdom

This article is about the Kingdom of Kerala in Indian epic literature. For the present-day region, see Kerala, For the historical kingdom, see Chera dynasty...

and the Andhras

Andhra Kingdom

and the Talavanas

Telinga Kingdom

Telinga was a kingdom south to Kalinga. Andhra Kingdom lay to the south of it. Telinga was one of the ancient South Indian kingdoms.It falls in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, i.e., the northern part of Andhra Pradesh.References i Mahabharata...

, the Kalingas

Kalinga Kingdom

Kalinga forms the sea shore of Orissa and Andhra region of Andhra pradesh state in India. Kuru king Duryodhana's wife was from Kalinga. Kalingas sided with Duryodhana in the Kurukshetra War...

and the Ushtrakarnikas, and also the delightful city of Atavi and that of the Yavanas (2:30). The Yavana city mentioned here seems to be a south Indian port city of the Yavanas during the ancient era.

Having come to the western regions, Karna

Karna

Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...

made all the Yavana and Varvara kings pay tribute. The Suta’s son brought the Sasakas and the Yavanas under his sway.(3:252). Vasudeva Krishna slew the Yavana called Kaseruman (3:12). The Sakas, and the Yavanas with followers, were all vanquished by Krishna. (7:11).

Kings in Yudhisthira's court

A king named Chanur is mentioned as present in the court of Pandava

Pandava

king Yudhisthira. Another king Kampana is mentioned to make the Yavanas tremble. He was also present in the court of Yudhisthira at Indraprastha(2:4).

King Bhagadatta

King Bhagadatta (ruler of Pragjyotisha

Pragjyotisha Kingdom

Pragjyotisha was a mythological kingdom first mentioned in the Hindu epics and later Hindu literature. According to later versions of the epic, King Bhagadatta ruled the kingdom during the time of the Kurukshetra War where he met his death. In historical times, it came to be named as the Kamarupa...

(in Assam

Assam

Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...

)) is mentioned as a Yavana king at some passages in Mahabharata.

He also that beareth on his head that gem which is known as the most wonderful on earth, that king of the Yavanas, who hath chastised Muru and Naraka, whose power is unlimited, and who ruleth the west (or east?) like another Varuna

Varuna

In Vedic religion, Varuna is a god of the sky, of water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld...

, who is called Bhagadatta, and who is the old friend of Pandu, hath bowed his head before Jarasandha

Jarasandha

Jarasandha was a great and legendary king of Magadha. He was the son of a vedic king named Brihadratha. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. But he is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahābhārata....

(of Magadha

Magadha Kingdom

Magadha was a kingdom ruled by non-Vedic kings. Jarasandha was the greatest among them during epic times. His capital was Rajagriha or Rajgir a modern hill resort in Bihar. Jarasandha's continuous assault on the Yadava kingdom of Surasena resulted in their withdrawal from central India to western...

), by speech and specially by act (2:14). That great warrior king Bhagadatta, the brave ruler of Pragjyotisha and the mighty sovereign of the mlechchas, at the head of a large number of Yavanas waited at the gate of king Yudhisthira

Yudhisthira

In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Yudhisthira , the eldest son of King Pandu and Queen Kunti, was king of Indraprastha and later of Hastinapura. He was the leader of the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra War...

(2:50).

In Kurukshetra War

Kurukshetra war

According to the Indian epic poem Mahābhārata, a dynastic succession struggle between two groups of cousins of an Indo-Aryan kingdom called Kuru, the Kauravas and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura resulted in the Kurukshetra War in which a number of ancient kingdoms participated as allies of...

, the Yavanas sided with the Kauravas under the Kamboja king Sudakshina.

Sudakshina, the king of the Kambhojas, accompanied by the Yavanas and Sakas, came to the Kuru

Kuru Kingdom

chief with an Akshauhini

Akshauhini

An Akshauhini , was an ancient battle formation that consisted of 21,870 chariots ; 21,870 elephants; 65,610 cavalry and 109,350 infantry, as per the Mahabharata . The ratio is 1 chariot : 1 elephant : 3 cavalry : 5 infantry soldiers...

of troops (5:19). The Sakas, the Kiratas, and Yavanas, the Sivis

Sivi Kingdom

Sivi is mentioned as a kingdom and as the name of a king in the epic Mahabharata. Probably there was a Sivi king who became famous as Sivi or the kingdom itself may be named after him. Sivi king was famous for his truthfulness...

and the Vasatis with their Maharathas at the heads of their respective divisions joined the Kaurava

Kaurava

The term Kaurava is a Sanskrit term, that means the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata.The term is used in the Mahābhārata with two meanings:...

army(5:198). The Sakas, the Kiratas, and Yavanas, and the Pahlavas

Pahlava Kingdom

, took up his position at the northern point of the army (6:20).

Of terrible deeds and exceedingly fierce, the Tusharas

Tushara Kingdom

, the Yavanas, the Khasas

Khasa Kingdom

, the Darvabhisaras, the Daradas

Darada Kingdom

, the Sakas, the Kamathas, the Ramathas, the Tanganas the Andhrakas

Andhra Kingdom

, the Pulindas, the Kiratas of fierce prowess, the Mlecchas, the Parvatas

Parvata Kingdom

Parvatas Kingdom refers to the territory of a tribe known as Parvatas , mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. Most of the descriptions of Parvata kingdom in the epic refer to a mountainous country in the Himalayas. Parvatas are people from Nepal. There used to be a nation named Parvata in Nepal until...

, and the races hailing from the sea-side, all endued with great wrath and great might, delighting in battle and armed with maces, these all united with the Kurus (8:73).

Yavanas were armed with bow and arrows and skilled in smiting. They were followed by Sakas and Daradas

Darada Kingdom

and Barbaras and Tamraliptakas, and other countless Mlecchas (7:116). Three thousand bowmen headed by Duryodhana

Duryodhana

, with a number of Sakas and Kamvojas and Valhikas

Bahlika Kingdom

and Yavanas and Paradas

Parada Kingdom

The Parada Kingdom is an ancient Indian kingdom, described in various surviving Hindu texts, including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In Puranic literature, they are also referred to as Varadas and Paritas....

, and Kalingas

Kalinga Kingdom

Kalinga forms the sea shore of Orissa and Andhra region of Andhra pradesh state in India. Kuru king Duryodhana's wife was from Kalinga. Kalingas sided with Duryodhana in the Kurukshetra War...

and Tanganas and Amvashtas and Pisachas

Pisacha Kingdom

Pisacha kingdom refers to the territory of Pishachas who were a group of mountain dwellers who lived in the mountains around the Kashmir Valley. These tribes were mentioned in the epic Mahabharata along with other exotic tribes. The Kashmiri language is considered to be a language in the group of...

and Barbaras and Parvatas

Parvata Kingdom

, inflamed with rage and armed with stone, all rushed against Satyaki

Satyaki

Yuyudhana , better known as Satyaki , was a powerful warrior belonging to the Vrishni clan of the Yadavas, to which Krishna also belonged. According to the Puranas, he was grandson of Shini of the Vrishni clan, and son of Satyaka. Satyaki was devoted to Krishna and his best friend Arjuna, with...

(7:118). Having the vanquished the Yavanas and the Kamvojas that foremost of car-warriors, viz., Yuyudhana (Satyaki), proceeded towards Arjuna (7:117).

Yavanas were mentioned along with other tribes like the Sudras

Sudra Kingdom

The Sudra Kingdom is mentioned as one of the kingdoms of ancient India mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. They were mentioned along with another tribe called the Abhiras along the banks of Sarasvati River where it dried up in the desert. The Yadava Balarama visited this place during his pilgrimage...

, the Abhiras

Abhira Kingdom

, the Daserakas, the Sakas, the Kamvojas, the Hangsapadas, the Paradas

Parada Kingdom

, the Vahlikas, the Samsthanas, the Surasenas

Surasena Kingdom

Surasena Kingdom was ruled by Yaduvanshi kings as per the epic Mahabharata. It is said to be named after the King Shoorsen. The capital city of this kingdom, Mathura was founded by Shatrughna, the brother of Sri Rama the ruler of Kosala in Treta Yuga. He conquered this region after defeating the...

, the Venikas, the Kukkuras, the Rechakas, the Trigartas

Trigarta Kingdom

Trigarta was a kingdom mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. Mahabharata mentions two different Trigarta kingdoms, one in the west close to the Sivi Kingdom and the other north to the Kuru Kingdom. Modern Kangra district is one of the ancient town in North Trigarta, India, extending westward to the...

, the Madrakas, the Tusharas

Tushara Kingdom

and the Chulikas as battling on the side of Kauravas at various passages.(6:51,75,88, 7:20,90).

A number of Saka and Tukhara

Tushara Kingdom

and Yavana horsemen, accompanied by some of the foremost combatants among the Kambojas, quickly rushed against Arjuna (8:88). All the Samsaptakas

Samsaptakas

Samsaptaka means 'sworn warrior'. They were the bravest of the Trigartas, who, led by their King Susarman, had sworn an oath to either kill Arjuna or die in that attempt...

, the Kambojas together with the Sakas, the Mlecchas, the Parvatas

Parvata Kingdom

, and the Yavanas, have also been slain by Arjuna (9:1).

Arjuna's campaign after the Kurukshetra War

Yavanas continued in ancient India even after the Kurukshetra War as evident from the following passage:-

Innumerable Kiratas, Yavanas, all excellent bowmen, and diverse tribes of Mlechechas too, who had been discomfited before (by the Pandavas on the field of Kurukshetra), and many Arya kings, possessed of soldiers and animals endued with great alacrity, and all irresistible in fight encountered Arjuna in battle. (14:73)

Other references

Yavana king was present in the self choice ceremony of Panchala princess (1:189).
King Jayadratha
Jayadratha
In the epic Mahābhārata, Jayadratha was the king of Sindhu Kingdom . He was married to Dushala, the only sister of the 100 Kaurava brothers. He was the son of the sinful king Vridhakshtra.- Abduction of Draupadi:...

of Sindhu had a Kamboja princess and a Yavana princess as his wives (11:22).
A Yavana king is mentioned in the list of great kings that includes Yayati, Nahusha, Puru, Bharata and Yadu (13:165)

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.