Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahabharata: Upayana Parva c6.43

c6.43

We have already seen that most of the Indologists are convinced of the Iranian connections of the Kambojas, that leaves out Chibhāl country out of consideration. The consensus of opinion also seems to be in favour of locating Kamboja in the north-west of India. That the country was situated in the north even as late as the early seventh century is evident from the campaign of Muktāpīḍa Lalitāditya of Kashmir (695-732 A.D.). After conquering Avanti Lalitāditya entered the region of north (*Rāja-taraṅgiṇī*, IV. 163). After defeating the Kambojas he deprived them of their horses (*Ib.*, IV. 165). The Tukhāras also abandoned their horses and fled (*Ib.*, IV. 166). Immediately after them the Bhauṭṭas and Daradas are mentioned and as the location of the Bhauṭṭas of Baltistān and Bolor and Dardistan is practically certain, the Kambojas could only be placed in Kāfiristān, Balkh-Badakshān and the Pamirs. There is another very important reference in Buddhist literature which should settle the location of Kamboja. As already mentioned in the *Paramatthadīpanī* (P. T. S., p. 113) a commentary on the *Petavatthu* the name of Dvāraka occurs with Kamboja. Naturally our mind is diverted to the famous Dvārakā in Kāṭhiāwār and we begin feeling the absurdity of the reference. But there is very little doubt that the Dvārakā of the *Paramatthadīpanī* could be identified with the country of Darwaz—the exact Persian translation of Dvārakā in the north of Badakshān. Rhys Davids very nearly hits the nail when he describes Dvārakā as the capital of Kamboja, this is however not definite. The Tambyzoi (Ptolemy, VI. 11, 6) which Ptolemy places south of the Oxus is explained by M. Lévi as Kamboja only the initials going alteration—a distinguishing feature of the Austro-Asiatic languages. He has shown the exact parallel of the same phenomena occurring in the far east in the same words as Kemboja and Semboja⁸⁵. Another very important reference in this connection is found in Idrisī, a medieval Arab geographer. After describing the beauties of Badakshān, the fertility of its soil, its fruits, its good breed of horses and mules and its richly coloured precious stones and the musk brought from Wakhān he mentions that Badakshān bordered on Qanauj (قنوج) a dependency of India.⁸⁶ There cannot be any doubt that the Qanauj of Idrisī is a mistake for Qabauj-Kamboj. The misplacing of the dots in the manuscripts of Idrisī's Geography is a common occurrence. Thus Bāmian is invariably written as Nāmian⁸⁷ and also Kāshān is written as Nāshān.⁸⁸ Apparently in the time of Idrisī the extent of the territory of the Kambojas had much decreased as Badakshān is mentioned as a separate state. Now the problem rises where to place the Kamboja of Idrisī: The pointer is towards Kafiristan—its Indian relationship pointing to the suzerainty of the Shāhis of Kābul.