Trade and Trade Routes in Ancient India c2.23.2

c2.23.2

The empire of Kanishka extending from Kapiśa to Karnatak exercised great influence on trade and commerce, literature and religion. In this connection the author has discussed Indian geography at the time of Alexander. In reality, the Indian names given by the Greek historians owing to the Hellenisation of the Sanskrit orthography appear as if they are of foreign origin. It has been possible to find out the original Sanskrit forms of some of them with the help of Pāṇini. The area occupied by Hastin near Nagarahāra is Hāstināyana of Pāṇini (IV.4.174) and Astakenoi of the Greeks situated around Purshkalāvatī. The Greek historians mention two other names Aspasioi who settled in the valley of the Kunar river were the Āśvāyana of Pāṇini (IV. 1.110) and the second Assakenoi settled in the valley of the Swat river were the same as the Āśvakāyana of Pāṇini (IV. 1.99). Their other Greek name was Assakeoi which is equivalent to Pāṇini’s Aśvakāḥ. The impregnable stronghold of the Āśvakāyanas is mentioned as Aornos, in subduing which even Alexander was put to a lot of trouble. Pāṇini (IV.2.82) names it as Varaṇa. Stein has identified Aornos with the present day Ūṇā or Ūṇarā. The heroic Aśvaka men, women and children fought to the last, but so far they were alive they did not allow Alexander to enter the hill fortress. In other name the Gourians lived on the bank of the Gauri river.