Historical Geography of Ancient India c10.288

c10.288

Prārjunas.—They are mentioned in the Allahabad Pillar Inscription. They may be located somewhere near Narsimhagarh in C.I. Vincent Smith (J.R.A.S., 1897, p. 892) places the Prārjunas in the Narasimhapur district of the C.P., but a more plausible location is Narasimhagarh in C.I. (I.H.Q., Vol. I, p. 258), inasmuch as three other tribes which are coupled with the Prārjunas, namely, the Sanakānikas, Kākas and Kharaparikas, seem to have occupied regions more or less within the bounds of Central India. The author of the Bṛhatsaṃhitā locates them in the northern division of India. The Allahabad Pillar Inscription of Samudragupta refers to a host of tribes including the Prārjunas who obeyed the imperial commands and paid all kinds of taxes. Some hold that the Prārjunas have some connection with the name of the epic hero Arjuna, but this is doubtful.