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Tribes in Ancient India c34: Chapter XXX. The Vāṭadhānas—The Ātreyas—The Bharadvājas—The Lampākas

Tribes in Ancient India c34

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Chapter XXX. The Vāṭadhānas—The Ātreyas—The Bharadvājas—The Lampākas

The Vāṭadhānas

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The Vāṭadhānas are mentioned in the *Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa*, once along with the Vāhlīkas, the Ābhīras, the Aparāntakas and the Śūdras, all grouped in the north-west (LVII, 36), and at another place, along with the Śiviḍas, Dāserakas, Śavadhānas, Puṣkalas, Kairātas, etc., all grouped as peoples of the north (LVII, 44). The *Vāyupurāṇa*, erroneously no doubt, reads Vāḍhadhānas (XLV, 115).

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That they were a Punjab tribe is also borne out by the evidence of the *Mahābhārata*. There the Vāṭadhānas are said to be derived from an eponymous king Vāṭadhāna who belonged to the same *Krodhavaśa* group as the eponymous kings of the Vāhlīkas, Madras and Sauvīras (*Ādiparvan*, LXVII, 2695-9). The *Sabhāparvan* locates their country in the western region (XXXI, 1190-1), and the *Udyogaparvan* seems to suggest that they joined the side of the Kurus in the great Bhārata War (XVIII, 569-601). The people are mentioned elsewhere in the Epics as well, e.g. *Sabhāparvan*, I, 1826; *Udyogaparvan*, III, 86; *Bhīṣmaparvan*, IX, 354 and *Droṇaparvan*, XI, 398. Vāṭadhāna-dvijas were amongst those who were conquered by Nakula (*Sabhāparvan*, XXXI, 1190-1).

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According to Manu, Vāṭadhāna was the offspring of an outcaste Brāhmaṇa woman (X, 21), but Pargiter points out that this ‘is no doubt an expression of the same arrogance which in later times stigmatised all the Punjab races as outcastes’ (*Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa*, p. 312, notes).

The Ātreyas

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The *Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa* list mentions the Ātreyas along with the Bharadvājas, Puṣkalas, Kuśerukas, Lampākas, etc., as peoples of the north (LVII, 39-40). The *Matsyapurāṇa* reads Atris who are undoubtedly the same as the Ātreyas (CXIII, 43).

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The Ātreyas are also mentioned in several places in the *Mahābhārata*. They are represented as a family of Brāhmaṇas dwelling in the Dvaitavana (*Vanaparvan*, XXVI, 971) not far from the Sarasvatī (*Vanaparvan*, CLXXVII, 12354-62). They are also mentioned in the *Bhīṣmaparvan* list (IX, 376), and the *Harivaṃśa* seems to suggest that the people originated from the Ṛṣi Prabhākara of Atri’s race (XXXI, 1660-8) whence came the name of the tribe Ātreya.

The Bharadvājas

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What is true of the Ātreyas seems to be equally true of the Bharadvājas or Bhāradvājas. The *Mārkaṇḍeya* list (LVII, 39-40) mentions the tribe along with the Ātreyas, Puṣkalas, Lampākas, etc., and locates them in the north. They are also mentioned in the *Bhīṣmaparvan* list (IX, 376) in the same context as that of the Ātreyas; the Great Epic tradition connects Bhāradvāja with the upper Gangetic region near the hills (*Ādiparvan*, CXXX, 5102-6; CLXVI, 6328-32; *Vanaparvan*, CXXXV, 10700-28; *Śalyaparvan*, XLIX, 2762-2824), and Bhāradvāja, the Ṛṣi, was evidently the originator of the race or tribe. Like the Ātreyas, it is tempting to connect the people of various caste divisions of present-day India claiming to belong to the Bhāradvāja gotra with the Bhāradvāja tribe.

The Lampākas

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The Lampākas are mentioned in the *Mārkaṇḍeya* list (LVII, 40) along with the Kuśerukas, Śūlakāras, Culikas, Jāguḍas, etc. as a people of the north. The *Matsyapurāṇa* reads (CXIII, 43) Lampākas instead, which is no doubt wrong. The *Mahābhārata* (*Droṇaparvan*, CXXI, 4846-7) also mentions the tribe and seems to suggest that they were a rude mountain tribe like the Daradas and Pulindas. Long ago Cunningham identified the region of the Lampākas with modern Lamghan, hundred miles to the east of Kapisene, north-east of Kabul, which practically upholds Lassen’s identification of the place with Lambagae, south of the Hindu Kush in modern Kafiristan.

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If the tradition contained in Hemacandra’s *Abhidhānacintāmaṇi* is to be believed, then Lampāka seems to have once been the centre of the Sai-wang or the Śaka-Muraṇḍa people (*Lampākāstu Muraṇḍāḥ syuḥ*).

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