Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha tells of the family of Rama and his descendents, including the conqueror Raghu. The warrior Raghu leads a military expedition to Transoxiana. He defeats and subjugates local peoples along the way (presumably on his march through Central Asia) until he reaches the Vankshu, as the ancient Indians called the Oxus River. There, Raghu's army battles the Hepthalites, or White Huns, whom the Indians called Hunas and Mlecchas (barbarians). The Hepthalites are defeated, and the Raghuvamsha boasts of "The exploits of Raghu, whose valor expressed itself amongt the husbands of the Huna women, became manifest in the scarlet color of their cheeks." Kaalidasa (कािलदास) is arguably Indias greatest Sanskrit poet and dramatist, his title Kavikulaguru (Preceptor of All Poets) bearing testimony to his stature. ... This article is about a Hindu incarnation of God (i. ... Raghu in Hindu mythology was a valorous king, like his father Dileepa. ... Transoxiana (sometimes spelled Transoxania) is the largely obsolete name used for the portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan and southwest Kazakhstan. ... The Amu Darya (Darya means river) rises in the Pamirs and flows mainly north-west through the Hindu Kush, Uzbekistan to join the Aral Sea in a large delta. ... The Amu Darya (in Persian آمودریا; Darya means river in Persian) rises in the Pamirs and flows mainly north-west through the Hindu Kush, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to join the Aral Sea in a large river delta. ... The Hephthalites, also known as White Huns, were a nomadic people who lived across northern China, Central Asia, and northern India in the fourth through sixth centuries. ...

Interestingly enough, the 6th century Gothic historian Jordanes wrote that the Western Huns, upon the death of Attila, "disfigured their faces horribly, with deep wounds, so that the gallant warrior should be mourned not with the lamentations and tears of women, but with the blood of men." A similar custom was observed among the Kutrigurs, Turks, Magyars, and Tajiks. Presumably, this form of facial mutilation was widespread amongst the steppe peoples of Central Asia. The Goths were an East Germanic tribe which according to their own traditions originated in Scandinavia (specifically Götaland and Gotland). ... Many historians consider the Huns (meaning person in Mongolian language) the first Mongolian and Turkic people mentioned in European history. ... For other uses, see Attila (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Magyar people. ... The Tajiks are one of the principal ethnic groups of Central Asia, and are primarily found in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. ... Map of Central Asia outlined in orange showing one set of possible borders Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ...

After crossing the Oxus, Raghu and his army encountered the Kambojas, an ancient Iranian peoples often mentioned in Indian texts. The Kambojas submitted to Raghu and offered him gifts and treasures. Evidently, the Kambojas dwelt in the vicinity of the Pamirs. Kalidasa describes the preponderance of walnut trees in the Oxus country and indeed, this particular region is still known for the cultivation of walnuts. Kambojas (modern Kambojs/Kambohs) are a very ancient people of north-western parts of ancient India, frequently mentioned in ancient texts, although not in the Rig Veda itself. ... Located in Central Asia, the Pamir Mountains are formed by the junction of the worlds greatest mountain ranges, a geologic structural knot from which the great Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, and Hindu Kush mountain systems radiate. ... This article is about the walnut tree. ...

Curiously, the explicit reference to the Hepthalites seems to lend credence that Kalidasa lived and prospered in the 4th and 5th centuries AD during the rule of Chandragupta Vikramaditya and Kumaragupta, rather than in the 1st century BC. The Hepthalites were implacable enemies of the Imperial Guptas during this era, and were strong enough to launch dangerous invasions and even killed the Sassanian king Peroz I in the 5th century. The ancient Indians were patronizingly contemptuous of the mlecchas who lived beyond the Hindu Kush and scarcely mention any foreign peoples apart from those civilizations they traded with. The barbaric Hepthalites would have to have merited considerable importance to appear in Kalidasa's work, which makes it all the more likely that he lived during the era they were most active, placing him in the 4th-5th centuries. The period of prominence of the Gupta dynasty is very often referred to as the Golden Age of India. ... Silver coin of King Kumaragupta (414-455 CE). ... Silver coin of the Gupta King Kumara Gupta I (414-455 CE). ... Head of king Shapur II (Sasanian dynasty A.D. 4th century). ...

It is not inconcievable that the literary figure Raghu was based off of the historical figure of Chandragupta Vikramaditya, who himself gained fame as a conquerer for the Gupta empire and who subjugated foreign peoples such as the Sakas. Unless the tale is sheer propaganda, the White Huns must have indeed merited a threat in order for Raghu, or his Imperial Gupta prototype to have marched deep into Central Asia in order to fight the mlecchas in their own homeland. For all its aesthetic and literary value, Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha would also have served as a convenient glorification of the great poet's Gupta patrons. Saka is also the name of a town in Hiroshima, Japan; for information on this town, see Saka, Hiroshima. ...

See Also

Kalidasa, Ramayana Indian literature Chandragupta Vikramaditya, Gupta Empire Hepthalites, Huns, Kambojas Kaalidasa (कािलदास) is arguably Indias greatest Sanskrit poet and dramatist, his title Kavikulaguru (Preceptor of All Poets) bearing testimony to his stature. ... Lord Ram, Laxman, Sita and Hanuman(crouching) The Ramayana (Sanskrit: vehicle of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki (c. ... Indian literature is the oldest in the world. ... The period of prominence of the Gupta dynasty is very often referred to as the Golden Age of India. ... Silver coin of the Gupta King Kumara Gupta I (414-455 CE). ... The Hephthalites, also known as White Huns, were a nomadic people who lived across northern China, Central Asia, and northern India in the fourth through sixth centuries. ... Many historians consider the Huns (meaning person in Mongolian language) the first Mongolian and Turkic people mentioned in European history. ... Kambojas (modern Kambojs/Kambohs) are a very ancient people of north-western parts of ancient India, frequently mentioned in ancient texts, although not in the Rig Veda itself. ...

References

Maenchen-Helfen, Otto (1973). The World of the Huns. Berkely: University of California Press.

Basham, A.L. (2000). The Wonder that was India (3rd ed.). London: South Asia Books. ISBN: 0283992573

Jordanes, Getica. The Origin and Deeds of the Goths (Latin: De origine actibusque Getarum), commonly referred to as Getica, was written by Jordanes, probably in Constantinople, and was published in AD 551. ...