Historical Geography of Ancient India c5.s5.161

c5.s5.161

Pañcāla.—The Pañcāla country was divided into two divisions, northern Pañcāla and southern Pañcāla, the Bhāgirathi forming the dividing line. The Vedic texts refer to the eastern (Prācya Pañcāla) and western divisions of the country.¹¹ The Pañcālas were known as Krivis in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa. According to the Divyāvadāna (p. 435) the capital of Uttara Pañcāla was Hastināpura, but the Kumbhakāra Jātaka mentions Kāmpilyanagara (Kampillanagara) as its capital.¹² According to Mahābhārata (138, 73-74) northern Pañcāla had its capital at Ahicchatra, identical with modern Ramnagar in the Bareilly district, while southern Pañcāla had its capital at Kāmpilya, identical with modern Kampil in the Farukhabad district. Sometimes Uttara Pañcāla was included in the Kururaṭṭha,¹³ and had its capital at Hastināpura; at other times it formed a part of the Kāmpilyaraṭṭha.¹⁴ Sometimes kings of Kāmpilyaraṭṭha had court at Uttara Pañcālanagara; at other times kings of Uttara Pañcālaraṭṭha had court at Kāmpilya.¹⁵ Visākha who was the son of the daughter of the king of the Pañcālas, succeeded in his title on the death of his father.