There is mention of Rishikas in the Mahabharata, Brhat Samhita, Markendeya Purana and Ramayana etc. The Prishikas of Al biruni, are stated to be the Rishikas (Geographical Data in Earky Purana, p 31). The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. ... Lord Ram, Laxman, Sita and Hanuman(crouching) The Ramayana (Sanskrit: march (ayana) of Rama) is part of the Hindu smriti, written by Valmiki. ... Abu Raihan Al-Biruni (also, Biruni, Alberuni Persian: ابوریحان بیرونی) ; Arabic: أبو الريحان البيروني; (September 15, 973 - December 13, 1048) was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, physicist, scholar, encyclopedist, philosopher, astrologer, traveller, historian, pharmacist and teacher, of Central Asian origin, who contributed greatly to the fields of mathematics, philosophy, medicine and...

Rishikas on Sarasvati/Greater Panjab

Matsya Purana makes us believe that the Rishikas were so called since they had descended from the Rishis or wisemen or learned parentage (Rishika.putra.rishikastu.. 145.86; See also: Vayu Purana 59.84-94). It’s the sixteenth Purana. ...

Since Sarasvati, in ancient times, was connected with people of scholarly lineage, Dr Singh tends to locate the Rishikas of the Puranic accounts on Sarasvati in Haryana. This article is about Saraswati, the Hindu goddess. ... ... Haryana (हरयाणा) is a state in northwest India. ...

Rishikas in Saka-dvipa

The name Uttara Rishika occurs in Mahabharata as a part of Saka-dvipa (II.27.25; India as Known to Panini, p 64).

Lohan. Parama.Kambojan.Rishikan.uttaranapi |

sahita.nstanmaharaja vyajayatpakashasanih ||II.27.25||

These Rishikas of the north are shown as close neighbors to the northern division of the Kambojas i.e the Parama-Kambojas, and have been addressed as Uttara Rshikas (i.e. Rishikan.uttaranapi). Ancient Sanskrit literature reveals that like the Madras/Uttara Madras and the Kurus/Uttara Kurus, the ancient Kambojas also had, at least two settlements. ...

The allied forces of the Lohas, Parama-Kambojas, and these northern Rishikas had fought fierce war with the forces of Pandava Arjuna during latter's Digvijay expedition of the northern division (MBH II.27.25). In Hinduism, the Pandavas are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu. ... In Hindu mythology, Arjuna is one of the heroes of the epic Mahabharata. ...

This epic evidence reveals the Lohas, Param-Kambojas and the Uttara Rishikas as the related (culturally at least) tribes of trans-Himalyan region. EPIC might be an acronym or abbreviation for: Electronic Privacy Information Center Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing Enhanced Programmable ircII Client El Paso Intelligence Center End Poverty In California European Privatisation and Investment Corporation Sometimes it is also used to refer to Epic Games game development company. ...

Rishikas in South-west India

Rishikas are attested in later literature as living in south-western/southern parts of India also.

The Saka inavsion of India in second century BCE was a joint military venture in which the allied tribes of the Shakas, Pahlavas, Kambojas, Paradas, Rishikas etc seem to have participated. These tribes had spread into and occupied parts of western and south-western India. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Shaka Shaka (sometimes spelled Chaka) (ca. ... Coin of Gondophares (20-50 CE), first and greatest king of the Indo-Parthian Kingdom. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... There are parishes that have the name in Portugal: Parada, a parish in the district of Alfândega da Fé Parada, a parish in the district of Almeida Parada, a parish in the district of Arcos de Valdevez Parada, a parish in the district of Bragança Parada, a parish in the...

The Mahabharata Karanaparava and Bhishmaparava refer to Rishikas in Dakshinapatha and show them as neighbors to the Vidarbhas and the Ashmakas. Ancient Buddhist and Brahmanical texts reveal that expression Dakshinpatha, in general was used as a name both for the southern high road as also for the region lying south of Majjhimdesa or Mid India. ...

Brhat Samhita (XIV.11-16) as well as the Markendeya Purana (58.20-28) also attest Rishikas in Dakshinapatha.

The geographical location of these Rishikas is said to fall on river Krsnavena. It laid on south of Vindhya, north of Mulakas, north-east of Nasika, west of Vidharba and south of Anupa or Anupadesha. The Vindhya Range is a range of hills in central India, which geographically separates The Indian subcontinent into northern India and Southern India. ...

Modern Khandesh is stated to have formed part of Rishika country.

The following evidence from Udyogaparava of Mahabharata attests the Rishikas with the Kambojas, Shakas and Pahlavas and states them all living around Anupa region or Anupadesha. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Coin of Gondophares (20-50 CE), first and greatest king of the Indo-Parthian Kingdom. ...

Shakanam Pahlavana.n cha Daradanam cha ye nripah |

Kamboja Rishika ye cha pashchim.anupakash cha ye ||5.5.15||

Translation: The kings of the Shakas, Pahlavas and the Daradas, and the 'Kamboja Rishikas live in the west in Anupadesa or regions.

Anupadesha of Sanskrit traditions is stated to have comprised Doab of rivers Narbada and Tapti. It lied on east of Gujarat, north of Vindhya and south of the Avanti Janapada. The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ... The Narmada or Nerbudda is a river in central India. ... Gujarat (ગુજરાત in Gujarati) is the most industrialized state in India after Maharashtra and is located in western India, bordered by Pakistan to the northwest and Rajasthan to the north. ... The Vindhya Range is a range of hills in central India, which geographically separates The Indian subcontinent into northern India and Southern India. ... The name may refer to one of the following. ... The political process among the ancient Aryans appears to have originally started with semi-nomadic tribal units called Jana (Sanskrit: Jana = tribe). ...

Whatever may be the context, these verses probably reflect on post-Christian times when mass encroachment of interior India had occurred due to invasion of India by these foreign hordes. For the American magazine, see Foreign Policy. ... Look up Horde in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Horde is a term derived from a Turkic word - ordu. ...

On Kamboja Rishika Connection?

There are not enough references in ancient literature on Rishika clan. But it looks like there is somehow, a probable connection between the ancient Rishikas and the ancient Kambojas.

(i) The Sabhaparava of Mahabharata portrays the Lohas, Kambojas and the Rishikas as very close neighborly allied tribes, and places them all in Saka-dvipa in trans-Himalayan territory (MBH II.27.25). Himalayan can refer to: Himalaya, the mountains: Himalayan (cat), the type of cat This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

(ii) Adiparva of Mahabharata collates the Kambojas and the Rishikas together and views them both as despised people. Chandravarma, the king of Kambojas is branded as an incarnation of Daitya Chandra and also the sage Rishika (of the Rishika tribe) is also, likewise, branded as an incarnation of Danva Arka. Moreover, both the Kambojas and the Rishikas are placed side-by-side in the same verses (MBH 1/67/31-32) showing them as possibly connected together, geographically and culturally, at least.

(iii) The Udyogaparava of Mahabharata (5/5/15) again connects the Kambojas and Rishikas together and treats them as if they are one people. Based on the wording of this verse of Mahabharata, Prof Ishwa Misra, a very outstanding Sanskrit scholar and notable contributor on Indiancivilization forum [1], identifies the Rishikas as a sub-section of the Kambojas [2].

(iv) As noted earlier, both the Brahat Samhita of Varaha Mihira as well as Markendeya Purana locate a section of the Rishikas in Dakshinapatha (south/south-west India), on river Krsnavena, in Khandesh (Maharashtra). Interestingly, the same two texts also locate one section of the Kambojas and the Pahlavas in south-west India, in Anupadesha which region is close neighbor to this south-western Rishika country. These people are obviouslly the migrant sections of these invaders who had come and settled in India in the wake of second century BCE Saka invasion of India. Ancient Buddhist and Brahmanical texts reveal that expression Dakshinpatha, in general was used as a name both for the southern high road as also for the region lying south of Majjhimdesa or Mid India. ... Maharashtra (महाराष्ट्र) is Indias third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

(v) Scholars say that the tribal name Rishika implies scholarly class of people as the Matsya Purana and the Vayu Purana would like us to believe. Thus Rishikas had either sprung from Rishis ie. scholarly class of people or they themselves were a scholarly people. This also compares well with the Kambojas who, in Dronaparava of Mahabharata, are also portrayed as a scholarly people.

Sanskrit:

ye tvete rathino rajandrishyante kanchanadhvajah.|

ete durvarana nama Kamboja yadi te shrutah.||43||

shurashcha kritavidyashcha dhanurvede cha nishthitah.|

sa.nhatashcha bhrisha.n hyete anyonyasya hitaishinah.||44||

— (MBH 7/112/43-44)

English Translation:

Those other car-warriors with golden standards, O king, whom you see, and who, like the wild elephants are difficult of being resisted, they are called the Kambojas. They are brave, a learned people (kritavidyashcha) and are firmly devoted to the science of weapons. Desiring one another's welfare, they are all highly united and mutually cooperative.

(vi) And so forth and so on.

Conclusions

The firm ethnical connection between the ancient Rishikas and the Kambojas is difficult to establish due to inadequacy of sufficient reliable references, but the limited evidence we have with us definetly reveals the fact that the ancient Rishikas and the Kambojas were, at least, culturally, militarliy and politically connected together.

Miscellaneous Information on the Rshikas

Panini does not mention Rishikas, but Patanjali refers to them in his Mahabhasya. The Prikrit form of Rishika is said to be Ishika/Isika, Eshika/Esika or Asika/Ashika. Uttara Rishikas, the military allies as well as the cultural & geographical neighbors of the Parama Kambojas, are the well known Yue-chis of the later times. They are also known as Kushanas in Indian Sanskrit literature. The dialect of the Yue-ches was Arsi or Asica. Prof Stein thinks that the Tukharas or Tusharas were a branch of the Yue-ches, where as Dr P. C. Bagchi holds that the Yue-ches, Tokharoi and the Tukharas/Tusharas were identical. Rshikas are the Asioi of the classical writings. Panini can mean one of the following :- A 5th century BC Hindu scholar Panini (scholar) A type of Italian sandwich Panini (sandwich) A brand of collectable stickers Panini (stickers) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Patañjali, is the compiler of the Yoga Sutra, a major work containing aphorisms on the practical and philosophical wisdom regarding practice of Raja yoga. ... Ancient Sanskrit literature reveals that like the Madras/Uttara Madras and the Kurus/Uttara Kurus, the ancient Kambojas also had, at least two settlements. ... The migrations of the Yueh-Chih. ... Boundary of the Kushan empire, c. ... The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ...

See also

Kambojas, Parama Kambojas, Uttara Madras, Uttara Kurus, Indo-Scythians, Sakas, Scythians This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Ancient Sanskrit literature reveals that like the Madras/Uttara Madras and the Kurus/Uttara Kurus, the ancient Kambojas also had, at least two settlements. ... The Uttaramadra was the northern branch of the Madra people numerously referenced in ancient Sanskrit and Pali literature. ... Uttarakuru was the name of ancient country and its people as numerously referenced in ancient Vedic, Brahmanical and the Buddhist texts and numerous other ancient Sanskrit texts. ... Coin of the Indo-Scythian King of Kings Azes II, riding on horseback (c. ... Saka is also the name of a town in Hiroshima, Japan; for information on this town, see Saka, Hiroshima. ... Scythia was an area in Eurasia inhabited in ancient times by an Indo-Aryans known as the Scythians. ...

References

• Mahabharata
• Matsya Purana
• Vayu Purana
• Brhat Samhita of Varaha Mihira
• Markendeya Purana
• Gographical Data in Early Puranas 1972, Dr M. R. Singh
• Ancient Kamboja, People and Country, 1981, Dr J. L. Kamboj.