DARADS

Darads were a 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 often spoken along with the Kambojs. The Pandav hero Arjun had visited this country of Darads during his northern military campaign to collect tribute for Yudhishthir's Rajasuya Yagya.

Location of Darads :

• The Vayu Puran, Brahmand Puran and Vaman Puran mention the Darads with the Kambojs, Chinas, Tushars and the Bahliks etc. The Bhuvankosh of the Purans locates the Darads, Kambojs, Barbars, Bahliks, Lampaks etc. in the Uttarapath division of ancient India. e.g.:

ete desh udichyastu

Kambojah Daradshchaiva Barbarashcha Angalaukikah ||

Chinashchaiva Tusharashcha Pahlavadhayata narah |

• Purans also refer to river Sindhu as watering the lands of Darads, Gandhars and the Aurass (Ursas).

• Brhatsamhita groups the Darads with the Abhisars and the Tangans.

• Mahabharat also mentions the Darads as neighbors to the Kambojs and Bahliks.

• Mahabharat locates the country of Darads in the Himavat-Pradesh.

• Ptolemy refers to the Darads as living below the sources of the Indus River.

• Herodotus refers to the Darads as Dadicae and groups them with the Gandhars and the Aparytae. Herodotus and Strabo also connect the Darads with the gold producing area located in the west of Tibet. There is an evidence that the Darads, in ancient times, had their colonies located in Baltistan and Leh also.

All the above references locate the Darads in Uttarapatha as neighbors to Kambojas of Kashmir-Nuristan.

Fight with Arjun :

Sabha Parv of Mahabharat attests that Arjun had led a digvijaya expedition against the Kashmirs, Ursas, Abhisars, Sinhapurs, Suhmas, Darads, Kambojs, Bahliks, Lohs, Rishiks and Param Kambojs etc.

Fight with Krishna :

Dron Parv of Mahabharat attests that Krishna had vanquished the Darads along with Ang, Vang, Magadh, Kasi, Kosal, Vats, Garg, Karush, Pundra, Avanti, Daserk, Kashmir, Ursa, Madugals, Kambojs, Pisachs, Malavs, Sakas, Yavans etc.

Darads in Yudhishtra's Rajasuya ceremony :

The Darads along with numerous other tribes from northwest had including the Bahliks, Kirats, Pahlavs, Parads, Kambojs, Shaks, Yavans, Trigarts, Kshudraks, Malavs, Angs, Vangs etc. had joined Yudhisthir at his Rajasuya ceremony and brought him numerous gifts.

Darads in Kurukshetra war :

Darads had also participated in the Kurukshetra war fought between the Kauravs and Pandavs. They are variously listed with Sauvirs, Bahliks, Shaks, Yavans, Pahlavs, Parads, Kekayas, Kambojs, Madras, Malechs, northern and westerner tribes etc.

Horses of Darads :

Brahmand Puran refers to the horses from Darad country.

Darads in Brahatsamhita of Varahamihir :

The Darads are mentioned with the Shaks, Yavans, Parads and the Kambojs in the 6th-century AD Brhatsamhita of Varahamihir. They are also mentioned with the Abhisars in the same text as living on the borders of Kashmir.

Darads in Tibetan chronicles :

The Darads are mentioned in the Tibetan chronicle Dpag-bsam-ljon-bzah (The Excellent Kalp-Vrksh), along people like the Yavans, Kambojs, Tukhars, Huns, Khasas etc.

Rajatarangini references to Darads :

According to ancient text Rajatarangini of Kalhan, a Sanskrit text from the north, king Lalitaditya Muktpid of Kashmir undertakes to reduce his neighbouring countries. He launches war expedition onto the region of north from Kashmir and first he fights with the Kambojs and deprives them of their horses. Immediately after the Kambojs, he meets the Tukhars. Tukhars do not give him fight, but run away even abandoning their horses in the field. Then Lalitaditiya meets the Bhautts in Baltistan in western Tibet north of Kashmir, then the Dardas in Karakorum/Himalaya, the Valukambudhi and then he encounters Strirajya, the Uttarakurus and the Pragjyotish respectively.

Kalhan names several Darad rulers: Acalamangal, during the reign of Anant of Kashmir, AD 1028 to AD 1063, Vidhyadhar Shahi during the reign of Harsa, 1089–1101 AD, Jagaddal during the reign of Uccal, AD 1101 to AD 1111, Manidhar during the reign of Sussal, AD 1112 to AD 1120), and Yasodhar during the reign of Jayasimha, AD 1128 to AD 1149.

Epigraphic references to Darads :

Three inscriptions on rocks along the Indus and Gilgit Rivers in the southern reaches of the Karakoram provide the earliest epigraphic references to Darad kings.

The first inscription is found on rocks where the present-day road between Gilgit and Skardu crosses the Gilgit River, over a bridge known as the Alam bridge, now called the Farhad bridge. The inscription is in poor Kharoshthi, and Fussman has read "daradaraya", meaning "King of the Darads". The second inscription is found at Chilas Terrace, near to Chilas village along the Indus River, south of the junction of the Gilgit River and the Indus River. It is in Brahmi script. Hinuber has published a transliteration srir daranmaharajavaisrav, which he interprets as daran-maharaja "great king of Daran" or "great king of the Darads" (1989:57-8). A third inscription is immediately below the Thalpan bridge over the Indus River on the Thalpan side of the bridge. It is also in Brahmi script. Hinuber publishes a transliteration of daratsu maharaj sri vaisravanasena ssatrudamanah, which he translates as "The glorious Vaisravanasen, the subduer of enemies, great King in the land of the Darads" (1989:59). Hinuber has interpreted these Brahmi inscriptions as referring to the same king Vaiaravansen, and dates them to the 4th or 5th centuries AD. He remarks that this king "is the second oldest king of the Darads known by name, preceded only by the daradaraya mentioned at Alam bridge in a Kharoshthi inscription" (1989:59). These inscriptions appear to be the only known self-reference to a Darad people.

Source :

https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Daradas