Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c8.291

c8.291

⁴ The *Mbh.* list in practically the same form occurs in the Purāṇas, in which the Śūdras are mentioned as a people along with the Ābhīras, Kālatoyakas, Aparāntas, Pahlavas (wrongly mentioned as Pallavas in the Cr. Edn. VI. 10.66) and others. *Mārk. P.*, ch. 57. 35-36 and *Matsya P.*, ch. 113. 40. In the Gupta period the Śūdra tribe seems to have held a definite territory, which is listed in the *Viṣṇu Purāṇa* (IV. 24.18) along with the territories Saurāṣṭra, Avanti and Arbuda. There is no justification for Diksitar’s reading *śūra* (Gupta Polity, pp. 3-4), for the text clearly mentions *śūdra* territory.