Trigarta Kingdom
Trigarta (also known as Jalandhara) was an ancient Indo-Aryan kingdom based in the region of modern day Punjab. The focal point of its administration was situated in Jalandhar. However at its zenith it encompassed the hill territory extending from the Sutlej to the Ravi, with a secondary capital in Kangra. According to a genealogical record of the Kangra State, the first significant monarch is identified as Susarman, who is recognised for his participation in the Kurukshetra War based in the early Iron Age.[1] It was during this period that the Kingdom held Multan.[2]
Trigarta | |
---|---|
1000 BCE–1200 CE | |
Capital | Jalandhar |
Government | Kingdom |
Historical era | Antiquity |
• Established | 1000 BCE |
• Disestablished | 1200 CE |
Geography
Prior to the incursions by Muhammadan forces, Trigarta encompassed the territory situated between the
The etymology of Trigarta has been understood to mean 'The land of the three rivers', referring to the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas in modern day Punjab. However it has also been thought to represent the three tributaries of the Beas in the Kangra district.[4]
History
Ancient Trigarta
The earliest documented reference to Trigarta is found in the works of the
The Audumbaras are a tribal group situated in the north-eastern region of Punjab, particularly around Nurpur. They are mentioned in the Vishnu Purana as being linked with the Trigarta.[6] J. Ph. Vogel notes that during the Early Ghaznavid period, remnants of the Audumbaras persisted, referred to in its corrupt form by Abu Rihan as Dahamala, the capital of Jalandhar suggesting a fusion of the Audumbaras with the Trigarta.[7]
Vedic era
Trigarta was a kingdom mentioned in the epic
Trigarta next finds mention in the Mahabharata's Sabha Parv,[9] where it is included along with a number of other states of the time. According to the historical consensus, the Mahabharata was first penned down around the 4th century B.C. and continued to be written until the 4th century A.D. having existed in oral form prior to this.[10][11] The founder of Trigarta is mentioned as Susarma/Susharman in the Mahabharata.[12] He was credited with building the Nagarkot/Kangra fort.
Post-Vedic
Along with the Greeks, the following were mentioned as vratya kshatriyas or mlechhas: Dravida, Abhira, Sabara, Kirata, Malava, Sibi, Trigarta, and Yaudheya. Historians provide multiple historical mentions during the period between when Pāṇini (5th Century B.C.) mentioned Trigarta and the 5th Century A.D. when Samudragupta invaded Trigarta and various other kingdoms.[13]
Medieval Trigarta
Hiuen Tsang visits Jallandhar
After Samudragupta, the next mention of Trigarta is from
The Chamba Inscription and Invasion by Ghazni
Then, in the 8th century A.D, the Trigarta rulers acknowledged supremacy of the Karkota rulers of
The Trigarta capital was moved from Jalandhara to Nagarkot (Kangra) in 1070 A.D. due to constant contact in Jalandhar with various ambitious invading forces who usually were en route to central India.[16]
Katoch dynasty
The
See also
- Kingdoms of Ancient India
- Kangra-Lambagraon
References
- ISBN 978-81-206-0942-6.
The first name which may be regarded as possibly historical is that of Susarma-Chandra, the 284th from the founder, called Susarman in the Mahabharata, who is believed to have reigned at the time of the Great War and figures as an ally of the Kauravas.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-206-0942-6.
The original seat of the family is said to be Multan... After the great war they lost their lands in Multan
- ISBN 978-81-206-0942-6.
The kingdom of Jalandhara or Trigarta, at the time of its greatest expansion, previous to the Muhammadan invasions in the beginning of the eleventh century, probably comprised almost all the country between the Satluj and the ravi in the outer hills, except Kulu, and also the Jalandhar Doab on the plains. At that early period the State seems to have included two great provinces, under the above names, of which the capital was at Jalandhara, with a subordinate capital at Nagarkot or Kangra.
- ISBN 978-81-206-0942-6.
The alternative name for the kingdom of Jalandhara in the ancient documents is Trigarta, meaning the land of the three rivers, but the common interpretation of the name, as referring to the Bavi, Bias and Sutlej, is open to question. In those documents the name Trigarta is always applied to the Lower Bias Valley that is, Kangra Proper and on the whole it seems much more probable that the reference is to the three main tributaries of the Bias, which water the Kangra District. These are, the Banganga, Kurali and Nayagul, which unite at Haripur, under the name of Trigadh, wnicn is the same as Trigar, and fall into the Bias opposite Siba Fort.
- ISBN 978-81-7387-071-2.
In his book Ashtadhyayi, generally dated to the 5th century B.C. Panini has described Trigarta as a martial republic and a confederation of six states...Again in the mahabarata there is a reference to the seven ganas of Trigarta which may mean that at the time of the epic there were seven constituent units of Trigarta and by the time of Panini one of these units must have either gained freedom or merged with another unit
- ^ Vogel, J. Ph (1933). History Of The Panjab Hill States Vol. 1. p. 215-216.
According to Panini, any country in which the Udumbara flourishes may be called Audumbara. This is true of the Nurpur district in which the glomerous fig tree is common... in the Vishnu Purana they are coupled with the Trigartas and Kulindas
- ^ Vogel, J. Ph (1933). History Of The Panjab Hill States Vol. 1. p. 216.
Its next mention is by Abu Rihan who calls it ' Dahamala the capital of Jalandhara,' from which I conclude that the district had been annexed by its more powerful neighbour of Trigarta or Kangra.
- ^ Narayan, R. K. (2000). The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. University Of Chicago Press. pp. 151–166.
- ISBN 9788171547432. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ISBN 9780819602282. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ISBN 9780226340531.
- ISBN 9788173870903. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- JSTOR 178208.
- ISBN 9788173871047. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ISBN 9788185347066. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- ISBN 9788173870941.
- ^ Charak, Sukh Dev Singh (1978). Indian Conquest of the Himalayan Territories (1978 ed.). Ajaya Prakashan. p. 19.
Sources
- Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, translated to English by Kisari Mohan Ganguli