The Khasas were a northwestern tribe mentioned in the epic ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

''.

References in ''Mahabharata''

Arrival from diverse realms

Khasas were mentioned along with Chivukas and

Pulindas Pulinda (Sanskrit: ) were an ancient non-Aryan tribe of south-central Indian subcontinent, whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. Pulindas were mentioned in Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda (c. 500 BCE) as descendants of Sage Vishvam ...

and

Chinas The Chinas (Sanskrit ) are a people mentioned in the Indian religious texts, such as the ''Mahabharata'', ''Manusmriti'', and the Puran. Etymology The origin of the Sanskrit name is commonly believed to have been the Qin (''Tsin'' or ''Chi ...

Hunas Hunas or Huna (Middle Brahmi script: ''Hūṇā'') was the name given by the ancient Indians to a group of Central Asian tribes who, via the Khyber Pass, entered the Indian subcontinent at the end of the 5th or early 6th century. The Hunas occu ...

Pahlavas The Pahlavas are a people mentioned in ancient Indian texts. According to Patrick Carnegy, a Raj-era ethnographer, the 4th-century BCE ''Vartika'' of Katyayana mentions the ''Sakah-Parthavah'', demonstrating an awareness of these Saka-Parthians, ...

Sakas The Saka, old , mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit ( Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: were a group of nomadic Eastern Iranian peoples who lived in the Eurasian Steppe and the Tarim Basin from the ...

Yavanas The word Yona in Pali and the Prakrits, and the analogue Yavana in Sanskrit, were used in Ancient India to designate Greek speakers. "Yona" and "Yavana" are transliterations of the Greek word for "Ionians" (), who were probably the first Gre ...

, Savaras, Paundras,

Kiratas The Kirāta () is a generic term in Sanskrit literature for people who had territory in the mountains, particularly in the Himalayas and Northeast India and who are believed to have been Sino-Tibetan in origin. ...

, Kanchis,

Dravidas The Dravidian peoples, Dravidian-speakers or Dravidians, are a collection of ethnolinguistic groups native to South Asia who speak Dravidian languages. There are around 250 million native speakers of Dravidian languages. Telugus form the lar ...

, Sinhalas and Keralas. All these tribes were described as Mlechha tribes. Here they were described as the protectors of sage

Vashistha Vasishtha (, ) is one of the oldest and revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vasishtha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vasishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigv ...

and his cow against the attack of king

Vishwamitra Vishvamitra (, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. Vishvamitra is one of the seven Brahmarshi. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Ga ...

. Khasas were described as a barbarous tribe along with the Chivukas (MBh 1,177) At (7,11) the Khasas were mentioned as arrived from diverse realms. Khasas were mentioned along with the

Malavas The Malavas (Brahmi script: 𑀫𑁆𑀫𑀸𑀭𑀯 ''Mmālava'') or Malwas were an ancient Indian tribe. They are believed to be the Mallian people (Malloi) who lived in the Punjab region at the time of Alexander's invasion in the 4th century ...

Daradas Daradas were an ancient people who lived north and north-west to the Kashmir Valley. This kingdom is identified to be the Gilgit region, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region (part of ancient Baloristan) along the river Sindhu or Indus. They are of ...

and

. Here they were mentioned to be vanquished by Vasudeva Krishna. At (8,8) the Gandharas, the Madrakas, the Matsyas, the

Trigartas Trigarta (also known as Kangra and 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 terri ...

, the Tanganas, the Khasas, the Pancalas, the Videhas, the Kulindas, the

Kasi Kasi or KASI may refer to: People * Kasi (Pashtun tribe) * Kasi Fine (born 1964), Tongan rugby player * Kasi Lemmons (born 1961), American film director and actress * Kasi Nayinar Pararacacekaran (died 1570), ruler of the Jaffna kingdom * Kasi ...

- kosalas, the Suhmas, the Angas, the

Nishadhas The Nishadha (IAST: Niṣadha) was a tribe of ancient India that lived in a country of the same name. History Veerasena was a king of the Nishadha kingdom, and the father of Nala. Nala, the son of Veerasena, became the king after his father. He ...

, the

Pundras Pundravardhana or Pundra kingdom (), was an ancient kingdom of Iron Age India located in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent with a territory that included parts of present-day Rajshahi and parts of Rangpur Division of Bangladesh as ...

, the Kichakas, the Vatsas, the Kalingas, the Taralas, the Asmakas, and the

Rishikas The Rishikas (also ''Rshika'' and ''Ṛṣika'') was an ancient Kingdom of Central Asia and South Asia, who are mentioned in Hindu and Sanskrit literary texts, including the ''Mahabharata'', the ''Ramayana'', the '' Brhat-Samhita'', the '' Markend ...

were mentioned to be vanquished by

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He is the son of Surya (the Sun deity) and princess Kunti (later ...

. Pullindas and Khasas were mentioned together at (12,150)

Yudhishthira 's Rajasuya yajna

The Mahabharata details the various gifts given to

Yudhishthira Yudhishthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, ud̪ʱiʂʈʰiɾᵊ IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira''), also known as Dharmaputra, is the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the ancient Indian epic ''Ma ...

by Indian Kings and neighboring states at the Coronation Ceremonial (

Rajasuya yajna Rajasuya () is a śrauta ritual of the Vedic religion. It is ceremony that marks a consecration of a king. According to the Puranas, it refers to a great sacrifice performed by a Chakravarti – universal monarch, in which the tributary princes ...

). The Khasas, Tanganas, and others brought heaps of gold in ''dronas'' (jars) collected by gold-digging ants (which most likely refers to Tibetan miners), ''chamaras'' (yak's tail), and sweet honey extracted from the flowers growing on the Himavat as tribute. These powerful people were known for their strength and generosity. They were described as people "endued with great strength".

Khasas in Kurukshetra War

Khasas were mentioned as part of the

Kaurava ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his ...

army in the

Kurukshetra War The Kurukshetra War (), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the Hindu Indian epic poetry, epic poem ''Mahabharata'', arising from a dynastic struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, for the thr ...

, along with other tribes like the Kamvojas and the

. (5-161,162)

and Tanganas and Khasas and Lampakas and

were mentioned to be battling in the

armed with swords and lances. (7,118) The

, the

Bahlikas The Bahlikas (; ''Bāhlika'') were the inhabitants of a location called Bahlika (, located in Bactria), mentioned in the Atharvaveda, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, Vartikka of Katyayana, Brhatsamhita, Amarkosha, and other ancient inscriptions ...

, the

Nishadas Nishada (') is a tribe mentioned in ancient Indian literature (such as the epic ''Mahabharata''). The ancient texts mention several kingdoms ruled by this tribe. In the Mahabharata, the Nishadas are described as hunters, fishermen, mountaineers ...

, the Andhakas, the Tanganas, the Southerners, and the Bhojas were mentioned as battling with the

Pandya The Pandya dynasty (), also referred to as the Pandyas of Madurai, was an ancient Tamil dynasty of South India, and among the four great kingdoms of Tamilakam, the other three being the Pallavas, the Cholas and the Cheras. Existing sinc ...

king who was on the side of the

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

. (8,20) The

Tusharas The kingdom of Tushara, according to ancient Indian literature, such as the epic ''Mahabharata'', was a land located beyond north-west India. In the ''Mahabharata'', its inhabitants, known as the Tusharas, are depicted as '' mlechchas'' ("barba ...

, the

Khas Khas peoples or Khas Tribes, (; ) popularly known as Khashiya are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, in what is now the South Asian country of Nepal, as well as the Indian stat ...

as, the Darvabhisaras, the

, the

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

, the

of fierce prowess, the Mlecchas, the Mountaineers were mentioned as fighting for

Duryodhana Duryodhana (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ̪ʊɾjoːd̪ʱən̪ᵊ ), also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He is the eldest of the Kaurava, Kauravas, the hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gan ...

. (8,73)

References

Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa Vyasa (; , ) or Veda Vyasa (, ), also known as Krishna Dvaipayana Veda Vyasa (, ''Vedavyāsa''), is a ''rishi'' (sage) with a prominent role in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahābhārata, wh ...

, translated into English by Kisari Mohan Ganguli * Khas Kingdom by Surya Mani Adhikari, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

External links

{{Tribes and kingdoms of the Mahabharata Kingdoms in the Mahabharata

References in ''Mahabharata''

Arrival from diverse realms

Yudhishthira 's Rajasuya yajna

Khasas in Kurukshetra War

See also

References

External links