KEKAYA
Ancestry
of Kekaya as per Bhagavat Puran
Kekayas,
Kaikeyas, Kekayas were an ancient people attested to have been living
in north-western Punjab between Gandhar and Beas river since remote
antiquity. They were the descendants of the Kshatriyas of the Kekaya
Janpad hence called Kekayas or Kaikeyas. The Kekayas were often
associated with the Madras, the Usinars, the Sibis etc and their
territory had formed a part of the Vahika country, according to
the evidence furnished by Panini.
Variants
:
• Kekaya (AS, p.221)
• Kaikeya
• Kaikas
• Kaikeyas
Geographical Location :
Numerous Purans include the Kekayas in the list of Gandhars, Yavans,
Shaks, Parads, Bahliks, Kambojs, Daradas, Barbars, Chinas, Tushars,
Pahlavs, etc. and call them as a people of Udichya i.e of northern
division or Uttarpath. The Kekayas are said to have occupied the
land now comprised by three districts of Jhelum, Shahpur and Gujarat.
Mention
by Panini :
Kekaya (????) is mentioned by Panini in Ashtadhyayi.
History
:
V. S. Agrawala writes that Ashtadhyayi of Panini mentions janapada
Kekaya (VII.3.2), under Bhargadi (IV.1.178) V. S. Agrawala. The
descendants of Kshatriyas of the Kekaya janpad were known as Kaikaya.
The Kekaya janpad consisted of three districts Jhelum, Shahpur and
Gujarat.
V.
S. Agrawala writes that Ashtadhyayi of Panini mentions janpad Usinar
(IV.2.118) - Panini mentions Ushinar as part of Vahik. Panini mentions
three divisions of Vahik Country, viz Kekaya, Usinar and Madra.
Fourth division to be added to Vahik country is Savas. Of these
Kekaya and Savas may be located between Jhelum and Chenab, the first
in the south and second in north respectively; Madra and Ushinar
between the Chenab and Ravi River in the north and south respectively.
Kekayas
in Vedic texts :
The Rigvedic Kekayas dwelt on the banks of river Parusni (Ravi).
The king of Kekayas at the time of Janak of Videh was Ashvapati
i.e lord of horses. Satapath Brahman and Chandogiya Upanishad suggest
that Kekaya king Ashvapati had instructed a number of Brahmans viz.
Arjun Aupavesi, Gautam, Satyajna Paulushi, Mahasal Jabal, Budil
Asvatarashvi, Indradyumn Bhallaveya, Jan Sarkarakshya, Prachinshal,
Aupamanyav and Uddaalak Aruni etc.
Kekayas
of Valmiki Ramayan :
There are several references to Kekaya in the epic Ramayan. Kekayi,
one of the three queens of Dashrath, the king of Ayodhya was a Kekaya
princess. Ramayan testifies that the capital of Kekayas lay beyond
river Sudama. River Sudama has been identified with river Saranges
of Arrian which flowed also flowed through Kekians. The Vedic texts
do not mention name of the capital of Kekaya but Ramayan does inform
us that the Kekaya metropolis was Rajagrih or Girivraj which A.
Cunningham has identified with Girjak or Jalalpur on river Jhelum
in the Jhelum district but this view has not been accepted by scholars.
Ramayan further attests that Kekaya lay beyond Vipas or Beas and
abutted with the country of Gandharav or Gandhar vishaya (country).
Vishnu-Dharmottar
Mahapuran :
According to Vishnu-Dharmottar Mahapuran also, the capital of the
Kekayas lay beyond river Sudama which flowed some distance westwards
from the Vitasta or Jhelum river. Prince Bharat, son of princess
Kekayi, while going to Kekaya country from Ayodhya had to cross
river Vitasta and then after crossing river Sudama, he reached the
land of the Kekayas.
Mahabharat
references :
The Kekayas are said to have fought on both sides in the Kurukshetra
War. The five Kekaya princes, led lead by their elder brother Vrihatkshatra,
had joined the Pandav army while other Kekaya brothers opposed Vrihatkshatra
had sided with the Kauravs. The other numerous kingdsoms of ancient
India viz. Dwaraka, Kashi, Magadh, Matsya, Chedi, Pandya and the
Yadus of Mathura were allies of Pandavs while the allies of the
Kauravs were nations of Pragjyotish, Ang, Kekaya, Sindhudesh, Mahishmati,
Avanti in Madhyadesh, Madras, Gandhar, Bahlik, Kamboj (with Yavans,
Sakas, Tusharas etc) and many others had sided with Kauravs.
Karna
Parav refers to the Kekayas, the Malavs, the Madraks, the Dravidas
of fierce prowess, the Yaudheyas, the Lalittyas, the Kshudraks,
the Tundikers, the Savitriputras etc who had supported Karna on
17th day of the war, as all having been slain by Arjun.
Mahabharat
associates the Kekaya peoples with the Madras (Madraschasca saha
Kekayaih), Madra-Kekayah, etc.
Srimad
Bhagavatam references :
There are several references to the Kekayas in the Bhagavatam Puran.
Kekayas
visit Samantapancak :
Srimad Bhagavatam attests that the prince of Kekaya along with princes
from Matsya, Kosal, Vidharbh, Kuru, Srnjaya, Kamboj, Usinar, Madra,
Kunti, Anart, Kerala was present at Samant-pancak in Kurukshetra
at the occasion of the solar eclipse.
Kekayas
join Rajsuya of Yudhishtr :
Srimad Bhagavatam also testifies that the Kekayas and other nation
like those of the Yadus, Srnjays, Kurus and Kambojs had participated
in the Rajsuya sacrifice of yudhishthir. “The massed armies
of the Yadus, Srnjays, Kambojs, Kurus, Kekayas and Kosals made the
earth tremble as they followed Yudhishthir Maharaja, the performer
of the Rajsuya sacrifice, in procession”.
Kekayas
fight Yadavs :
The Kekayas, Madras and Kambojs etc from north are stated to have
sided with king Jarasandh of Magadh and had participated in a war
against Krishna and his Yadav army.
Other
references in Srimad Bhagavatam :
Kekays had participated in the marriage ceremony of Rukmini, queen
consort of Krishna, the daughter of Bhishmak, the king of Vidarbh.
One of the wives of Krishna was a Kekaya princess. When Krishna
was going to Mithila, the Kekays had met him with presents.
Traditional
origin of Kekayas :
Srimad Bhagavatam further states that the Usinars, the Sibi, the
Madras, and the Kekayas were the direct descendants of Yayati's
son Anu. Sibi or Sivi is stated to be son of Usinar.
The
same tradition is also furnished by other Puranic texts like Vayu
Puran and Matsya Puran as well. The Anavs, derived from Anu, were
a tribe of the Rigvedic period and are said to belong to the Iranians.
Kekays
in Panini’s Ashtadhyayi :
Panini refers to the Kaikeyas or Kekayas in his Ashtadhyayi and
mentions their land as a part of the Vahik country. The other three
countries which formed parts of the Vahik land were the Madra, the
Usinar and the Savas lands.
Jain
accounts :
The Jain texts say that one half of the Kekaya was Aryan and refer
to the Kekaya city called Seyaviya.
Kekayas
in Kavyamimamsa of Rajashekhara :
The 10th century CE Kavyamimamsa of Pandit Rajashekhar furnishes
a list of the extant tribes of his times which also includes the
Kekayas along with the Shaks, Tushars, Vokanas, Huns, Kambojs, Vahliks,
Vahlavs, Limpaks, Tangan, Turukshs etc referring to them all as
the tribes of Uttarpath or north division.
Migration
of the Kekayas :
A branch of the Kekaya seems to have migrated to southern India
in later times and established its authority in Mysore country.
Books and periodicals :
• Mahabharat
• Srimad Bhagavatam
• Vayu Puran
• Matsya Puran
• Geographical Data in Ancient Puranas, 1972,
Dr M. R. Singh
• Political History of Ancient India, 1996,
Dr H. C. Raychaudhury, Dr B. N. Mukerjee
• India as Known to Panini, Dr V. S. Aggarwala
• Ancient Geography of India, A. Cunningham
Source
:
https://www.jatland.com/
home/Kekaya
