The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c7.s4: 4. Kiraṇa-Suvarna.

The Ancient Geography of India. I. The Buddhist Period, including the Campaigns of Alexander, and the Travels of Hwen-Thsang c7.s4

Language: English

4. Kiraṇa-Suvarna.

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Hwen Thsang places the capital of *Kie-lo-na-su-fa-la-na*, or *Kiraṇa Suvarna*, at 700 *li*, or 117 miles, to the north-west of Tâmralipti, and the same distance to the north-east of *Odra* or Orissa.† As the capital of Orissa in the seventh century was Jájipur on the Vaitarani river, the chief city of Kirana Suvarna must be looked for along the course of the Suvarna-riksha river, somewhere about the districts of Singhbhúm and Barabhúm. But this wild part of India is so little known that I am unable to suggest any particular place as the probable representative of the ancient capital of the country. Bara Bâzâr is the chief town in Barabhûm, and as its position corresponds very closely with that indicated by Hwen Thsang, it may be accepted as the approximate site of the capital in the seventh century. The territory was from 4400 to 4500 *li*, or from 733 to 750 miles, in circuit. It must, therefore, have comprised all the petty hill-states lying between Medinipur and Sirguja on the east and west, and between the sources of the Damuda and Vaitarani on the north and south.

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∗ Julien's ‘Hiouen Thsang,’ iii. 83.

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† Ibid., iii. 84 and 88. See Map No. I.

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This large tract of country is now occupied by a number of wild tribes who are best known by the collective name of Kolhán or Kols. But as the people themselves speak various dialects of two distinct languages, it would appear that they must belong to two different races, of whom the Múnda and the Uraon may be taken as the typical representatives. According to Colonel Dalton,* “the Múndas first occupied the country and had been long settled there when the Uraons made their appearance;” and “though these races are now found in many parts of the country occupying the same villages, cultivating the same fields, celebrating together the same festivals and enjoying the same amusements, they are of totally distinct origin, and cannot intermarry without loss of caste.” This difference of race is confirmed by the decisive test of language, which shows that the Uraons are connected with the Tâmilian races of the south, while the Mûndas belong to the hill men of the north, who are spread over the Himâlayan and Vindhyan mountains from the Indus to the Bay of Bengal.

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∗ Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 1866, p. 154.

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The various tribes connected with the Mûndas are enumerated by Colonel Dalton* as the Kuars of Elichpur, the Korewas of Sirguja and Jaspur, the Kherias of Chutia Nâgpur, the Hor of Singhbhûm, the Bhumij of Mânbhûm and Dhalbhûm, and the Sántals of Mânbhûm, Singhbhûm, Katak, Hazâribâgh, and the Bhâgalpur hills. To these he adds the Juangas or Pattuns (leaf-clad) of Keunjar, etc. in the Katak tributary districts, who are isolated from "all other branches of the Mûnda family, and have not themselves the least notion of their connection with them; but their language shows that they are of the same race, and that their nearest kinsmen are the Kherias." The western branches of this race are the Bhils of Malwa and Kânhdes, and the Kolis of Gujarât. To the south of these tribes there is another division of the same race, who are called Suras or Suars. They occupy the northern end of the eastern Ghâts.

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According to Colonel Dalton,† the Ho or Hor tribe of Singhbhûm is "the nucleus of the Mûnda nation." He calls it "the most compact, the purest, the most powerful and most interesting division of the whole race, and in appearance decidedly the best-looking.

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∗ Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 1866, 158. I write Sántal in preference to Sonthal, as I believe that the short o is only the peculiar Bengali pronunciation of the long á.

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† Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 1866, 168.

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In their erect carriage and fine manly bearing the Hos look like a people that have maintained and are proud of their independence. Many have features of sufficiently good cast to entitle them to rank as Arians; high noses, large but well-formed mouths, beautiful teeth, and the facial angle as good as in the Hindu races. . . . When the face of the Múnda varies from the Arian or Caucasian type, it appears rather to merge into the Mongolian than the Negro. . . . They are of average stature, and in colour vary from brown to tawny yellow.”

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In the different dialects of the Múnda language ho, hor, horo, or hoko is the term for “man.” The assumption of this name by the people of Singhbhûm is a strong confirmation of Colonel Dalton’s description of the tribe as the most powerful division of the Múnda nation. But they also call themselves Larakas, or the “warriors,” which points to the same conclusion that they are the leading division of the Mûnda race.

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Colonel Dalton gives no explanation of the name of Múnda; but as I find that the head men of the villages are called Múnda or Moto amongst the Hors of Singhbhûm and other divisions of the Mûnda race, I conclude that the Múndas or Motos must once have been the ruling division of the nation. The name of Múnda is found in the Vishnu Purâna* as the appellation of a dynasty of eleven princes who succeeded the Tusháras or Tokhari. In the Vayu Purâna, however, the name is omitted, and we have only Marunda, which is most probably the variant form of another name, Muruṇḍa, as found in two inscriptions of the second and third centuries.* Ptolemy has *Marundai* as the name of a people to the north of the *Ganges*; but to the south of the river he places the *Mandali*, who may be the *Múndas* of Chutia Nâgpur, as their language and country are called *Mundala*. This is only a suggestion; but from the position of the *Mandali* they would seem to be the same people as the *Monedes* of Pliny, who with the *Suari* occupied the inland country to the south of the Palibothri.† As this is the exact position of the country of the *Múndas* and *Suars*, I think it quite certain that they must be the same race as the *Monedes* and *Suari* of Pliny.

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∗ Wilson’s translation, edited by Hall, book iv. 24, and vol. iv. p. 203.

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In another passage Pliny mentions the *Mandei* and *Malli* as occupying the country between the *Calingæ* and the *Ganges*.‡ Amongst the *Malli* there was a mountain named *Mallus*, which would seem to be the same as the famous Mount Maleus of the *Monedes* and *Suari*. I think it highly probable that both names may be intended for the celebrated Mount Mandar, to the south of *Bhágalpur*, which is fabled to have been used by the gods and demons at the churning of the ocean. The *Mandei* I would identify with the inhabitants of the *Mahánadi* river, which is the *Manada* of Ptolemy. The *Malli* or *Malei* would therefore be the same people as Ptolemy's *Mandalæ*, who occupied the right bank of the *Ganges* to the south of Palibothra. Or they may be the people of the *Rájmahal* hills who are called *Maler*, which would appear to be derived from the Kanarese *Male* and the Tâmil *Malei*, a “hill.” It would therefore be equivalent to the Hindu *Pahári* or *Parbatiya*, a “hill man.”

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∗ Samudra Gupta, about A.D. 125; and a copper-plate dated in 214 or A.D. 292. † Hist. Nat. vi. c.

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²² “Ab iis (Palibothris) in interiore situ Monedes et Suari, quorum mons Maleus,” etc. ‡ Hist. Nat. vi. c.

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²¹ “Gentes : Calingæ proximi mari, et supra Mandei Malli, quorum mons Mallus, finisque ejus tractus est Ganges.”

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The *Suari* of Pliny are the *Sabaræ* of Ptolemy, and both may be identified with the aboriginal *Savaras*, or *Suars*, a wild race of wood-cutters, who live in the jangals without any fixed habitations. The country of the *Savaras* is said to begin where that of the *Khonds* ends, and to extend as far south as the Pen-nâr river. But these *Savaras* or *Suars* of the eastern Ghâts are only a single branch of a widely-extended tribe, which is found in large numbers to the south-west of Gwalior and Narwar, and also in southern Rajputâna. The *Savaris* or *Saharias* of the Gwalior territory occupy the jangals on the Kota frontier to the westward of Narwar and Guna. They are found along the course of the Chambal river and its branches, where they meet the Rajputâna *Surrias* of Tod. The name is preserved in the *Soræ Nomades* of Ptolemy, who are placed to the south of the *Kondali* and *Phyllitæ*, or the *Gonds* and *Bhils*. They must therefore be the *Suars* or *Savaras* of central India, who occupy the wild hilly country about the sources of the Wain Gangâ, and who are also found along the valley of the Kistna river. As *Kiraṇa* means a “man of mixed race,” or barbarian, it seems probable that the name of *Kiraṇa Suvarna* may be the original appellation of the barbarian *Suvaras*, or *Suars*.

Linked texts (3)

Vāyupurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Viṣṇupurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Pāṭaliputra