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Kambojas are a very ancient people of north-western parts of ancient Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan , frequently mentioned in ancient texts, although not in the Rig Veda. They are known to belong to the ancient branch of the Iranian peoples of the speakers of Indo-European languages.
The Kambojas still live as Kamboj and Kamboh in the greater Panjab, and as Kams/Kamoz and Katirs/Kamtoz of the Siyaposh tribe in the Nuristan province of Afghanistan. Their numbers have greatly dwindled, and the total population still known by these forms of their ancient name is currently estimated to be about 1.5 million.
Ethnicity & Language of Kambojas
- Main article: Ethnicity of Kambojas
Numerous classical sources indicate that ancient Kamboja was a center of Iranian civilization The Kamboja Janapada, Jan 1964, Purana, Vol VI, No 1, Dr V. S. Aggarwala, p 229; Jataka edited by Fausboll, Vol VI, p 210 . This is evident from the Mazdean religious customs of the ancient Kambojas Jataka, VI, p 110, Trans. E. B. Cowell; cf: Videvati XIV.5-6; cf: Herodotus I.140; Journal of Royal Asiatic Society, 1912, p 256, Dr G. A. Grierson , as well as from the Avestan language they spoke.Nirukuta II/2; Patanjali's Mahaabhaa.sya is p. 9, in Vol. 1 Kielhorn's Edition
It is now widely accepted among scholars that the Kambojas were an Avestan-speaking group of East Iranians, and were located mainly in north-eastern Afghanistan and parts of Tajikstan Journal of Royal Asiatic Society, 1912, p 256, Dr G. A. Grierson; Purana, Vol V, No 2, July 1963, p 256, Dr D. C. Sircar; Journal Asiatique, CCXLVI 1958, I, pp 47-48, E. Benveniste; The Afghans (Peoples of Asia), 2001, p 127, also Index, W. J. Vogelsang and Willem Vogelsang; Also Fraser 1979; The Cambridge Ancient History: Volume 4, Persia, Greece and the Western Mediterranean, (c.525 to 479 BC), Volume 4, 1988, p 199, John Boardman, N. G. L. Hammond, D. M. Lewis, and M. Ostwald; cf Early Eastern Iran and the Atharvaveda, Persica-9, 1980, fn 81, p 114, Dr Michael Witzel who however, locates the Kambojas in Archosia and Kandhahar. Some scholars also believe that the Zoroastrian religion originated in eastern Iran in the land of the Kambojas Bharatiya Itihaas Ki Rup Rekha, p 229-231, Dr Jaychandra Vidyalankar; Bhartrya Itihaas ki Mimansa, p 229-301, Dr J. C. Vidyalankar; Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, p 217, 221, Dr J. L. Kamboj.
The tribal name Kamboja has been traced to the royal name Kambujiya of the Old Persian Inscriptions (known as Cambyses to the Greeks). This view is held by scholars like C. Lassen, S. Levi, M. Witzel, J. Charpentier, La Valle Poussin, A. Hoffman, A. B. Keith, A. A. Macdonnel, G. K. Nariman, E. Kuhn, H. W. Bellow, A. D. Pusalkar, S. Sen, D. R. Bhandarker and numerous others; See also: An Enquiry into the Ethnography of Afghanistan H. W. Bellow; also see: Sectarianism and Ethnic Violence in Afghanistan, Musa Khan Jalza H. W. Bellow writes: "Darius succeeded, about 521 B.C to the empire founded by Cyrus (Kurush), and enlarged and consolidated by his son and successor Cambyses (Kambojia, Kambohji). Cyrus, whose mother was called Mandane (Mandana; perhaps a princess of the Mandan tribe), and said to be a Mede, and whose father was called Cambyses (Kambohji; probably a chieftain of the Kamboh tribe) having reduced the Medes and conquered the kingdom of Croesus the Lydian (Lùdi), thereby became master of all the territory extending from the Indus to the Hellespont".
—(An enquiry into the Ethnography of Afghanistan H. W. Bellow; See also: Sectarianism and Ethnic Violence in Afghanistan, Musa Khan Jalzai). Cf: “Historians tend to believe Kambojas were in fact an Iranian tribe. (Old Iranian and old Sanskrit are very close languages. All these people called themselves Aryan, from which comes the name Iran). Panini, the Indian genius of grammar, observed (Panini's Grammar, IV, 1, 175.) that the word Kamboja meant at the same time the tribe and its king. Later historians identified the same word in the name of several great Persian kings, Cambyse (Greek version) or Kambujiya (in Persian) (See: La Valle Poussin, L'Inde aux temps des Maurya, p. 15 and 40.). Cambyse the Second is famous for his conquest of Egypt (525 B.C.) and the havoc he wrought upon this country (ON SOME CAMBODIAN WORDS, Serge Thion, *).
Kambujiya or Kambaujiya was the name of several great Persian kings of the Achaemenid line. This name also appears written as C-n-b-n-z-y in Aramaic, Kambuzia in Assyrian, Kambythet in Egyptian, Kam-bu-zi-ia in Akkadian, Kan-bu-zi-ia in Elamite, and Kanpuziya in Susian language. The Khmer of Angkor believed their mythical ancestors to be the people of "Kamboja" and traced their lineage to Kambujiya, hence the modern name of Cambodia, "Kampuchea".
Cambyses III, son of Cyrus the Great, is famous for his conquest of Egypt (525 BCE), and for the havoc he wrought upon that country.
Original Home of Kambojas
- Main article: Kamboja Location
Analysis of ancient Sanskrit texts See Mahabharata verses (12/201/40), (6/11/63-64), 5/5/15, 5/159/20 etc; Also Kirfels text of Uttarapatha countries of Bhuvankosha; See: Brahama Purana 27/44-53, Vayu Purana 45/115; Brahmanda Purana 12/16-46; Vamana Purana 13/37 etc and inscriptions Ashoka’s Rock Edicts, V and XIII etc place the Kambojas, Gandharas, Yavanas, Madras, and the Sakas in the Uttarapatha - the northern division of Jambudvipa (the innermost concentric island continent in Hindu scripture). Geographically, this area sat along, and was named for, the main trade route from the mouth the Ganges to Balkh, now a small town in Northern Afghanistan. Some writers hold that Uttarapatha included the whole of Northern India and comprised very area of Central Asia, as far as the Urals and the Caspian Sea to the Yenisei and from Turkistan and Tien Shan ranges to as far as the Arctic (Dr S. M. Ali).
Linguistic evidence, combined with this literary and inscriptional evidence, has led many scholars of note to conclude that ancient Kambojas originally belonged to the Ghalcha-speaking area of Central Asia. For example, Yasaka's Nirukata (II/2) attests that verb shavati in the sense "to go" was used by only the Kambojas. It has been proven that the modern Ghalcha dialects, Valkhi, Shigali, Sriqoli, Jebaka (also called Sanglichi or Ishkashim), Munjani, Yidga and Yagnobi, mainly spoken in Pamirs and countries on the headwaters of Oxus, still use terms derived from ancient Kamboja shavati in the sense "to go". The Yagnobi dialect spoken in Yagnobe around the headwaters of Zeravshan in Sogdiana, also still contains a relic from ancient Kamboja shavati in the sense "to go". Further, the former language of Badakshan was also a dialect of Galcha, said to have been replaced by Persian only in the last few centuries Linguistic Survey of India, X, p. 456 . Thus, the ancient Kamboja probably included the Pamirs, Badakshan, and possibly parts of Tajikstan, including Yognobi region in the doab of the Oxus. On the east it was bounded roughly by Yarkand and/or Kashgar, on the west by Bahlika (Uttaramadra), on the northwest by Sogdiana, on the north by Uttarakuru, on the southeast by Darada, and on the south by Gandhara.
Later, some sections of the Kambojas crossed the Hindukush and planted Kamboja colonies in Paropamisadae and as far as Rajauri. This view is fully supported by the Mahabharata Mahabharata 2/27/23-25 , which specifically draws attention to the Kambojas in the cis-Hindukush region as being neighbors to the Daradas, and the Parama-Kambojas across the Hindukush as being neighbors to the Rishikas (or Tukharas) of Ferghana/Sogdiana.
The two separate Kamboja settlements are also substantiated from Ptolemy's Geography, which references a geographical term Tambyzoi located on the river Oxus in Badakshan, and an Ambautai people living on the southern side of Hindukush in the Paropamisadae Geography 6.18.3; See map in McCrindle, p 8; Indian Antiquary, 1923, p 54. Scholars have identified both the Ptolemian Tambyzoi and Ambautai with Sanskrit Kamboja Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies, Vol. 5,1999, issue 1, September. The Yidga sub-dialect of Galcha Munjani is still spoken on the southern sides of Hindukush in Paropamisadae, further strengthening the view that some Kambojas crossed south of the Hindukush.
With time, the trans-Hindukush Kambojas remained essentially Iranian in culture and religion, while those in the cis-Hindukush region came under Indian cultural influence. This is probably why the ancient Kambojas are attested as having Indian as well as Iranian affinities.
Still later, some sections of the Kambojas apparently moved even farther, to Arachosia, as attested by the Aramaic version of Greco-Aramaic inscriptions of king Ashoka found in Kandahar. Some scholars have identified the original Kamboja with Arachosia, but this view does not seem to be correct.
Kambojas: A Kshatriya Clan
In India, the Kambojas apparently belonged to the Kshatriya caste of Indo-Aryan society.
The earliest and most powerful reference endorsing the Kshatriya-hood of the Kambojas is Panini's fifth century BCE Ashtadhyayi. Panini refers to the Kamboja Janapada, and mentions it as "one of the fifteen powerful Kshatriya Janapadas" of his times, inhabited and ruled by Kamboja Kshatriyas Ashtadhyayi, 4.1.168-175. See: Kambojas of Panini
The Harivamsa attests that the clans of Kambojas, Sakas, Yavanas, Pahlavas etc. were "formerly noble Kshatriyas". It was king Sagara who had deprived the Kambojas, and other allied tribes, of their Kshatiya-hood Harivamsa 14.19 and forbade them from performing Svadhyayas and Vasatkaras Harivamsa, 14.17.
The Harivamsa also calls this group of Sakas, Kambojas, Yavanas, Pahlavas and Paradas as "Kshatriya-pungavas", i.e., foremost among the Kshatriyas.
The Manusmriti attests that the Kambojas, Sakas, Yavanas etc were originally "noble Kshatriyas", but were gradually degraded to the status of Sudras, on account of their neglect of sacred rites and non-entertainment of the Brahmanas in their countries Manusmriti verses X.43-44.
The Mahabharata likewise, also notes that the Kambojas, Sakas, Yavanas, Pahlavas, et al. were originally "noble Kshatriyas", who later got degraded to barbaric status due to the wrath of the Brahmanas MBH 13.33.31-32.
The Arthashastra of Kautiliya Arthashastra 11.1.04 attests the Kshatriya Shrenis (Corporations of Warriors) of the Kambojas, Surashtras, and some other nations, and mentions them as living by agriculture, trade and warfare.
The legend of Daivi Khadga or Divine Sword detailed in Shantiparva of Mahabharata MBH 12.166.1-81 also powerfully endorses the Kshatriya-hood of the Kambojas. The sword as the "symbol of Kshatriya-hood" was wrested by the warrior king Kamboja from the Kosala king Kuvalashava alias Dhundhumara, from whom it went to another warrior king called Muchukunda.
See: Mahabharata Sword
Bhagavata Purana BHagavata Purana 2.7.35 references a king of the Kambojas, and calls him a "powerfully armed mighty warrior" (samiti-salina atta-capah Kamboja).
Kalika Purana Kalika Puranna 20/40 refers to a war between the Buddhist king Kali (Maurya Brihadratha) and the Brahmanical king Kalika (Pusyamitra Sunga), where the Kambojas came as military supporters to Brihadratha, (187-180) BCE. The Purana notes the Kamboja warriors as Kambojai...bhimavikramaih, i.e. the Kambojas of terrific military prowess", again confirming the Kshatriya-hood of the Kambojas.
Brahmanda Purana talks of 21 battles waged by Brahmin sage Parsurama against the ancient Kashatriya clans of the Indian subcontinent. The list of Kshatriyas whom sage Parsurama fought with includes the Kambojas as well. Brahmanda Purana, 3.41.36; Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, p 19, Dr J. L. Kamboj; Kambojas Through the Ages, 2005, p 15, S. Kirpal Singh . This ancient evidence again verifies that Kambojas were a Kshatriya clan.
There are numerous similar references in the Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana and other ancient Sanskrit and Pali literature, that further document the Kshatriya-hood of the Kambojas.
Kambojas: Master Horsemen
- Main article: Kamboja Horsemen
The horses of the Kambojas were famous throughout all periods of ancient history. Ancient literature is overflowing with excellent references to the famed Kamboja horses. The Puranas, the Epics, ancient Sanskrit plays, the Buddhist Jatakas, the Jaina Canon, and numerous other ancient sources, all agree that the horses of the Kambojas were a foremost breed. In Buddhist texts like Manorathpurani, Kunala Jataka and Samangavilasini, the Kamboja land is spoken of as the "birth place of horses" (Kambojo assánam áyatanam.... Samangalavilasini, I, p. 124).
The Aruppa-Niddesa of Visuddhimagga of Buddhaghosa mentions Kamboja as the "base of horses" (10/28).
The Jaina Canon Uttaradhyana-Sutra verse 11/16 tells us that a trained Kamboja horse exceeded all other horses in speed and no noise could ever frighten it.
The Bhishamaparva of Mahabharata MBH 6/90/3-4 lists the best horses from various lands, but places the steeds from Kamboja at the head of the list, and specifically designates them as the leaders among the best horses (Kamboja....mukhyanam).
In the great battle fought on the field of Kurukshetra, the fast and powerful steeds of Kamboja were of greatest service (Dr. B. C. Law).
The Ramayana verse 1/6/22, Kautiliya's Arthashastra Arthashastra 2.30.32-34, the Brahmanda Purana Brahmanda Purana II,2.16.16, Somes'ara's Manasollasa Manasollasa 4.4.715-30, Ashva.Chakitsata by Nakula (p. 415), Raghuvamsha Raguvamsha 4/70 and Mandakraanta of Kalidasa, Karanabhaar (Ch 19) of Bhaasa, Vamsa-Bhaskara, Madhypithika, and numerous other ancient texts and inscriptions make highly laudatory references to Kamboja horses, and state them the finest breed.
Vishnu Vardhana (12th century), the real founder of Hoysala greatness, who later on became ruler of Mysore, made the earth tremble under the tramp of his powerful Kamboja horses.
There were Kamboja steeds in the cavalry of Pandya king Valabhadeva who is referred to as the proud possessor/rider of the Kamboja horses and elephants.Verse twelve of the third Asama-patra (1185 AD) reads:
- Kambojavajivrajavahnendryantabhavad valabha deva aye |
- (Kielhorn, F. (ed) Epigraphia Indica, Vol V, 1898-99, pp 184, 187)
These references amply demonstrate that Kamboja horses were sleek, very powerful and a foremost breed. They have been especially noted for their great fleetness and remarkable behavior on the battle field. No doubt, Kamboja steeds were the prized possession of kings and warriors in ancient times.
It was on account of their supreme position in horse (Ashva) culture that the ancient Kambojas were also popularly known as Ashvakas, i.e. horsemen. Their clans in the Kunar andSwat valleys have been referred to as Assakenois and Aspasios in classical writings, and Ashvakayanas and Ashvayanas in Panini's Ashtadhyayi.
The Mahabharata specifically refers to the Kambojas as Ashva-Yudha-Kushalah, i.e., expert cavalrymen Mahabharata, 12/101/5.
Dronaparva highly applauds the Kamboja cavalry as extremely fast and fleet i.e. ’’Kambojah... yayur.ashvair.mahavegaih’’ MBH, 7/7/14.
The Mahabharata, Ramayana, numerous Puranas and some foreign sources amply attest that "Kamboja cavalry-troopers were frequently requisitioned in ancient wars" (see Ashvaka#Kamboja cavalry in ancient wars).
Therefore, there is no exaggeration in the Mahabharata statement portraying the ancient Kambojas as horse-lords and masters of horsemanship.
Kambojas in Indian Literature
- Main article: Kambojas in Indian Traditions
The Kambojas and Alexander the Great
Because the Kambojas were famous for their horses (ashva) and as cavalry-men (ashvaka) they were also popularly called "Ashvakas". The Ashvakas inhabited Eastern Afghanistan, and were included within the more general term KambojasHindu Polity, Part I & II, 1978, pp 121, 140; Dr K. P. Jayswal . French scholars like Dr. E. Lamotte also identify the Ashvakas with the Kambojas Historie du Bouddhisme Indien, p 110, E. Lamotte; also see: Political History of Ancient India, 1996, p 133, Dr H. C. Raychaudhury, Dr B. N. Mukerjee; History of Panjab, Vol I, Dr Fauja Singh, Dr L. M. Joshi; Ancient Kamboja, People and country, 1981, pp 271-72, 278, Dr J. L. Kamboj; These Kamboj People, 1979, pp 119, 192, K. S. Dardi. Dr J. W. McCrindle, Dr Romila Thapar, Dr R. C. Majumdar etc also think that Ashvakas were Kamboja people. According to one line of scholars, the name Afghan is evidently derived from Ashvakan, the Assakenoi of Arrian. Megasthenes and Arrian, p 180; Alexander's Invasion of India, p 38; J. W. McCrindle; Geographical Data in Early Puranas, A Critical Study, 1972, p 179 Dr M. R. Singh; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, Vol-I, 1966, p 243, William Smith, Phillip Smith; Geographical Dictionary of ancient and Medieval India, Dr Nundo Lal Dey; Itihaas Parvesh, 1948, Dr Jaychandra Vidyalankar; Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, p 118, Dr Kamboj etc
The Kambojas entered into conflict with Alexander the Great as he invaded Central Asia: "The Macedonian conqueror made short shrifts of the arrangements of Darius and over-running Achaemenid Empire, dashed into Afghanistan and encountered stiff resistance of the Kamboja tribes called Aspasios and Assakenois known in the Indian texts as Ashvayana and Ashvakayana" Panjab Past and Present, pp 9-10; also see: History of Porus, pp 12, 38, Dr Buddha Parkash. These Ashvayana and Ashvakayana Kamboja clans fought the invader to a man. When worse came to worse, even the Ashvakayan Kamboj women took up arms and joined their fighting husbands, thus preferring "a glorious death to a life of dishonor" Diodorus in McCrindle, p 270 . The Ashvakas fielded 30,000 strong cavalry, 30 elephants and 20,000 infantry against Alexander.
The Ashvayans (Kambojas) were also good cattle breeders and agriculturists. This is clear from large number of bullocks, 230,000 according to Arrian, of a size and shape superior to what the Macedonians had known, that Alexander captured from them and decided to send to Macedonia for agriculture History of Panjab, Vol I, p 226, Dr L. M. Joshi, Dr Fauja Singh, op cit Dr Kamboj, p 247;cf: A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food (Oxford India Paperbacks), p 91, K. T. Achaya February 2001..
The Kambojas and the Mauryan Empire
The Mudrarakshas play of Visakhadutta as well as the Jain work Parisishtaparvan refers to Chandragupta Maurya's alliance with the Himalayan king Parvatka. The Himalayan alliance gave Chandragupta a composite army made up of Yavanas, Kambojas, Sakas, Kiratas, Parasikas and Bahlikas (Bactrians) (Mudrarakshas, II).
- Sanskrit:
- asti tava Shaka-Yavana-Kirata-Kamboja-Parsika-Bahlika parbhutibhih
- Chankyamatipragrahittaishcha Chandergupta Parvateshvara
- balairudidhibhiriva parchalitsalilaih samantaad uprudham Kusumpurama
- (See: Mudrarakshasa II)
With the help of these frontier warlike clans from the northwest whom Justin brands as "a band of robbers", Chandragupta managed to defeat, first the corrupt Nanda ruler of Magadha and later, upon Alexander's death, the Macedonian straps of Punjab and Afghanistan, thus laying the foundations of a Maurya Empire in northern and north-western India.
The Kambojas find prominent mention as a unit in the 3rd century BCE Edicts of Ashoka. Rock Edict XIII tells us that the Kambojas had enjoyed autonomy under the Mauryas. The republics mentioned in Rock Edict V are the Yonas, Kambojas, Gandharas, Nabhakas and the Nabhapamkitas. They are designated as araja. vishaya in Rock Edict XIII, which means that they were kingless i.e. republican polities. In other words, the Kambojas formed a self-governing political unit under the Maurya Emperors.Hindu Polity, A Constitutional History of India in Hindu Times, 1978, p 117-121, Dr K. P. Jayswal; Ancient India, 2003, pp 839-40, Dr V. D. Mahajan; Northern India, p 42, Dr Mehta Vasisitha Dev Mohan etc
King Ashoka sent missionaries to the Kambojas to convert them to Buddhism, and recorded this fact in his Rock Edict V.
Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa attest that Ashoka sent thera Maharakkhita to Yona, and Majjhantika to Kashmra and Gandhara, to preach Dharma among the Yonas, Gandharas and Kambojas.
Sasanavamsa specifically attests that Maharakkhita thera went to Yonaka country and established Buddha's Sasana "in the lands of the Kambojas and other countries" Sasanavamsa (P.T.S.), p. 49
Thus, the Zoroastrian as well as the Brahmanised Hindu Kambojas appear to have embraced Buddhism in large numbers, due to the efforts of king Ashoka and his envoys.
- See also: Edicts of Ashoka
Kambojas' migration to India and beyond
- Main article: Migration of Kambojas
Modern Kamboj and Kamboh
The population of the modern people who still call themselves Kamboj (or prikritic Kamboh, or Kamoz) or Kambhoj is estimated to be around 1.5 million and the rest of their population, over the time, submerged with other occupationalized castes/groups of the Indian subcontinent.
The Kambojs, by tradition, are divided into 52 and 84 clans. 52 line is stated to be descendants of Cadet branch and 84 from the elder Branch. This is claimed as referring to the young and elder military divisions under which they had fought the Bharata war. Numerous of their clan names overlap with other Kshatriyas and the Rajput castes of the north-west India, thereby suggesting that some of the Kshatriya/Rajput clans of north-west must have descended from the Ancient Kambojas For overlap of Kamboj/Kshatriya clan names, see Glossary of Tribes, II, p 444, fn. iii..
The Kambojs/Kambohs practiced weapon-worship in the past but the practice is now going out of vogue Jatt Tribes of Zira, p 138; Glossary of Tribes, II, p 444 .
Diaspora
The Kamboj or Kamboh living in upper India (Greater Panjab) are identified as the modern representatives of the ancient Kambojas. They are found as Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists and the Jains. Kambojs are known as adventurous and enterprising people. Therefore, as a colonists, servicemen, and businessmen, they have also spread, after the partition, into various parts of India, including a belt of Haryana from Karnal to Yamunanagar, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Ganganagar in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. A minuscule agrarian community called Kambhoj is stated to be living since olden times in Maharashtra, which may have descended from those Kambojas who had settled in South-West India around Christian era.The Tajiks, Siyaposh tribe (Kam/Kamoz, Katir/Kamtoz) of Nuristan, Yashkuns ,Swatis, and the Yusufzais of Eastern Afghanistan and NWFP of Pakistan are said by various scholars to have descended from the ancient Kambojas.See various refs like: Ancient Kamboja, people and the Country, 1981, Dr Kamboj, p 165, 248; Comprehensive History India, Vol II, p 118, Dr N. K. Shastri; Evolution of Heroic Tradition in Ancient Ounjab, Dr Buddha Parkash; Bharatbhumi aur unke Nivasi, Dr Jaychandra Vidyalankar, p 313-14 ; Political History of Ancient India, Dr Raychaudhury, 1996, p 133 etc etc
Traditions
The Kambohs are stated to be the ancient inhabitants of Persia Panjab Castes, Denzil Ibbetson, p 148; Glossary of Tribes, H. A. Rose, p 443; Jatt Tribes of Zira, 1992, p 137, S. S. Gill; Tarikh-i-Kambohan, p 302, Chouhdri Wahhab ud-Din.The Sikh Kamboj of Kapurthala & Jullundur (Punjab) claim descent from Raja Karan. They also have a tradition that their ancestors came from Kashmir Glossary of Tribes, p 443, H. A. Rose; Panjab Castes, p 148, Denzil Ibbetson; Sidhaant Kaumudi, 1966, p 22, Acharya R. R. Pandey.
Hindu Kambohs claim to be related to the Rajputs and to have come from Persia through southern AfghanistanThe Sikh, A. H. Bingley, p 57; Encylopedia of Sikh Religion & Culture, 1997, p 24, Dr Gobind Singh Mansukhani, Romesh Chander Dogra. The Chapter III of Gazetteer of Muzaffarnagar (UP) based on British India census reports of 1881/1891 etc note that about 1200 Muslim and Hindu Kamboj were living in Saharanpur who also claimed to be Rajputs. The Kamboj in Phillaur, District Jullundur, too claimed to be Suryavanshi Rajputs Glossary of Tribes, Vol II, p 443 fn, H. A. Rose. The Kambohs of Bijnor claim to have come from Trans-Indus country and Mr Purser accepts this as evidently true. The Hindu Kambohs from Karnal claim their origin from Garh-Gajni. Their Pandits still pronounce the following couplet at the phera during their marriage ceremony to give information about their original home: Garh Gajni nikaas, Lachhoti Ghaggar vaas (Trans: Originated from the fort of Gajni, and settled down in Ghaggar region (in Haryana or Punjab)). One Gajni or Ghazni is located in Afghanistan, but based on another tradition of the Karnal Kamboj, the eminent ethnographers like H. A. Rose and several other scholars have identified this Gajni in Kambay in Saurashtra (port of Vallabhi) Glossary of Castes, H. A. Rose, p 444; See entry at Kamboh, Punjabi Mahankosh, Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha etc
Muslim Kambohs have a tradition that they descended from ancient Kai dynasty of Persia, to which the emperors Kaikaus, Kaikhusro, Kaikubad, Kai-lehrashab and Darius all belonged. On the last king of the dynasty having been dethroned, and expelled from the country, he wandered about some time with his family and dependents in the neighboring countries and finally settled in Punjab See: Glossary of Tribes and Castes of Punjab and North-west Frontier Province, Vol II, p 444, H. A. Rose. In their writings, A. H. Bingley, H. M. Elliot, Dr G. S. Mansukhani, R. C. Dogra etc also connect the Kambohs to the Kais. Kai = Kaiyani = Kawi. Kawi means glory (Median: Farnah, Khotanese: Pharra)..."In Avesta, the xwarenah is called 'Kawyan', that is belonging to the Kawis or Kais. The Kais or Kawis were a partially a legendary dynasty of Eastern Iranian rulers. Xwarenah can be a creative power used by the gods or it can be a religious power. But generally it embodies the concept of good fortune. As a kind of fiery radiance, it would relate to the word for Sun (Xwar) (Old Iranian: Suvar)(hwar=to shine, xwar=to grasp)". (Malandra: 1983, p 88) Kai or Kawi was a princely title in eastern Iran, or at least in the house of Zarathushtra's eventual patron, Vishtaspa. Zarathushtra attaches no pejorative connection to the title Kawi when it is applied to him. Zarathushtra eventually found a patron, the Kai/Kawi Vishtaspa, who not only espoused the new faith but protected it and helped propagate it by force of arms *. As the name Vishtaspa itself suggests, the Kai dynasty was apparently connected with the horses since Aspa in Iranian means horse. And so are the Kambojas---the Ashvakas or Aspasios/Assakenois of Arrian. Hence, the Kai ruler Vishtaspa might have been from the Ashvaka clan of the Kambojas.
During Muslim Rule
Muslim Kambohs/Kambojs were very influential and powerful in the early days of Moghul rule. General Shahbaz Khan Kamboh was the most trusted general of AkbarThe Sikhs, p 57, A. H. Bingley. Sheikh Gadai Kamboh was the Sadar-i-Jahan in Akbar's reignGlossary of Tribes, Vol I, H. A. Rose. Numerous other Kamboj are known to have occupied very key civil and military positions during Lodhi, Pathan and the Moghul reign in India. 'The Sayyids and the Kambohs among the Indian Muslims were specially favored for high military and civil positions during Moghul rule' The composition of the Mughal nobility, Concise Encyclopedia Britannica, Online , The Mughal Nobility Under Aurangzeb, 2002, p 21, M. Athar Ali, cf: Cultural History of India, 1975, p 261, A. L. Basham.. Abu-Al-Fazal Alami informs us that it was a matter of honor to belong to the Kamboh lineage during the reigns of Mughal emperors like Akbar and Jahangir etc Aina-i-Akbari, Abu-al-Fazal, English Trans by H. Blochman, Part I, p 614. .The Kambohs held Nakodar in Jullundur and Sohna in Gurgaon some centuries ago; and the tombs and mosques that they have left in Sohna show that they must have enjoyed considerable position Glossary of Tribes, p 443, H. A. Rose; Panjab Castes, p 148, Denzil Ibbetson
- Main article: Kamboj in Muslim and British Era
Agriculturists
The modern Kamboj are still found living chiefly by agriculture, business and military service which were the chief professions followed by their Kamboja ancestors some 2500 years ago as powerfully attested by Arthashastra Arthashastra(11/1/04) and Brhat Samhita Brhat Samhita(5/35) . Numerous foreign and Indian writers have described the modern Kambojs/Kambohs as one of the finest class of agriculturists of India. British colonial writers like Rose and Denzil note the Kamboj and Ahir agriculturists as the first rank husbandmen and they rate them above the Jatts Panjab Castes, 1974, p 149, D. Ibbetson; Glossary, II, pp 6 & 442, H. A. Rose. . They occupy exactly the same position in general farming as the Ramgarhias occupy in general industry.The Kambojs have made great contributions in agriculture and military fields. The majority of Krishi Pandit awards in Rajasthan/India have been won by the Kamboj agriculturists Origin of names of Castes and Clans, 2004,Principal Sewa Singh. . Col Lal Singh Kamboj, a landlord from Uttar Pradesh, was the first Indian farmer to win the prestigious Padam Shri Award for progressive farming in 1968 from President of India. According to Dr M. S. Randhawa (Ex-Vice Chancellor, Punjab University), the Kamboj farmers have no equals in industry and tenacity Out of Ashes,p 60,Dr M. S. Randhawa..
Physical Characteristics
Several foreign observers have described the modern Kambojs as a very industrious, stiff-necked, turbulent, skillful, provident and enterprising raceA. H. Bingley, H. A. Rose etc . Some British ethnologists have described the Kambohs as ethnically more akin to the Afghans than to any of the Hindu races among whom they have now settled for generations The Sikhs, p 57, A. H. Bingley; These Kamboj People, 1979, p 192, S Kirpal Singh Dardi; See also The Kambojas Through the Ages, 2005, p 219.There is a medieval era Persian proverb current in the north-west to the effect that of the Afghans, the Kambohs (Kamboj) and the Kashmiris... all three are rogues.
- Agar kahat ul rijal uftad, azeshan uns kamgiri
- Eke Afghan, doyam Kamboh soyam badzat Kashmiri |
- Ze Afghan hila bhi ayad, ze Kamboh kina bhi ayad,
- Ze Kashmiri nami ayad bajuz andoho dilgiri ||
- — (Roebuck’s Oriental Proverbs, Part I. p. 99). However, Richard F. Burton (Arabian Nights, Vol. 10, pp. 178-219) presents this proverb in the following form:
- '''Agar kaht-i-mardurn uftad, az ín sih jins kam gírí;
- Eki Afghán, dovvum Sindí,
- {NOTE: For "Sindí" Roebuck (Oriental Proverbs Part i. p. 99) has Kunbu (Kumboh) a Panjábi peasant and others vary the saying ad libitum.}
- siyyum badjins-i-Kashmírí:
This old proverb conveys the indisputable fact that in the distant past, the Persians, the Afghans, the Kambojs/Kambohs and the Kasmiris lived more or less as neighbors and were one inter-related racial group.
The Kambojs have been noted for their courage, tenacity and stamina for fighting. They (Kamboj) make excellent soldiers, being of very fine physique and possessing great courage.....They have always been noted for their cunning strategy, which now, being far less 'slim' than in former times, has developed into the permissible strategy of warThe Sikhs and the Wars by Reginald Holder From Panjab: Past & Present Vol IV, Part I, 1970, S. No 7, Edited by Dr Ganda Singh .
The modern Kamboj are a generally tall, well-built, sharp featured, and generally very fair (gaura varna) race, with brown, sometimes reddish hair, brown or sometimes gray or blue or even green eye color, and long sharp noses. Kamboj women are noted for their beauty from ancient times "They (Kambojas) were not only famous for their furs and skins embroidered with threads of gold, their woolen blankets, 'their wonderful horses and their beautiful women', but by the epic period, they became especially renowned as Vedic teachers and their homeland as a seat of Brahmanical learning" (See: Hindu World, Vol I, p 520, Prof Benjamin Walker); Cf also: Kamboja was one of the sixteen countries in ancient India, noted for its beautiful women (See: Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms, Soothill and Hodous); Also see: entry Cam Bồ Quốc (=Kamboja) in Buddhist Dictionary of Vietnamese-English*; See also: Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, p 228, Dr J. L. Kamboj; And also: Mahabharata 11.25.1-5. In ancient references also, the Kambojas have been described as a very handsome race Mahabharata 7.23.43. Ancient Kamboj princes have also been noted as tall like towers, exceedingly handsome and of gaura varna See: Mahabharata 8.56.113-114; Mahabharata ; MBH 7.92.72-76, having faces illustrious like the full moonMahabharata 8/56/111 , lotus eyed Mahabharata 8/56/110-114 , handsome like the lord-moon among the stars Mahabharata 1/67/31 . Even Ramayana calls the Kambojas ravisanibha i.e with faces illustrious like the Sun Ramayana 1/55/2 .
Kamboj in Sports
- The Kamboj have made outstanding contributions in wrestling, field hockey and Kabaddi.
- Jodh Singh, Natha Singh, Hazara Singh, Santa Kharasia, Bakshisha, Chhiba, Khushal, Chanan and Maula Bakhsh are the few foremost Punjabi Kamboj wrestlers of yester-years who had earned great name and fame in wrestling.
- Olympian Prithipal was probably the greatest hockey full-back of the 20th century. Known as King of short-corner and the Mahabahu of Indian hockey, Prithipal was the first Indian to win both the Arjuna Award, and later Padma Shri Award for his achievements in hockey.
- Rasool Akhtar, President of Pakistan Hockey Federation, is one of the greatest hockey Olympians from Pakistan. He skippered Pakistani Hockey team in the World Cup competition (1982) which won gold medal by defeating India in the finals. His father, Dr Gulam Rasool Chaudhury was also a world renowned Hockey Olympian who had captained Pakistan Hockey team to victories in 1960 Olympics and later in Asian Hockey Competitions in 1962 and won gold medals for the first time for Pakistan. He also remained President of Pakistan Hockey Federation and Chairman of the Selection Committee. Arshad Chaudhury, nephew of Dr Gulam Rasool Chaudhury is another world renowned Hockey Olympian who participated in 55 international Hockey competitions out of which Pakistan won 50 matches. Arshad won three gold, two silver and one bronze medals in the International Hockey competetions.
- Er. Mohammad Jehangir (Kamboj), the first Pakistani Japanese to obtain black belts both in Judo and Karate had won gold medal in southern Asian Judo Championship. He also won tripple crown by winning three consecutive championships in Judo. From 1977 onwards, Jehangir has bagged several gold and silver medals.
- A fifteen year old Chandita is the most brilliant emerging roller hockey player of India.
- Rattan Singh alias Rattu has been the greatest defender in freestyle Kabaddi.
References
See also
External links
- Some Kshatriya Tribes Of Ancient India, The Kambojas, by Dr. B. C. LAW: *
- Kamboj Society - Ancient Kamboja Country
Kambojas | Indo-European | Warriors | Punjabi tribes | History of India | History of Pakistan | History of Afghanistan | Social groups of India | Social groups of Pakistan
"Kambojas"