Pragjyotisha is a mythological kingdom that is mentioned in a multitude of Hindu epics. It came to be associated with the historical Kamarupa[1] after Bhaskaravarman of the Varman dynasty by drawing his lineage from Naraka/Bhagadatta of the legendary Pragjyotisha to bring his peripheral kingdom closer to mainland traditions at a time when he was emerging as a powerful king with interests in North India.[2] The identification with the mythical Naraka/Bhagadatta lineage continued to be used by the Mlechchhas and Palas for roughly similar purposes.[3]
Pragjyotisha Kingdom | |
|---|---|
_LACMA_M.72.3.1.jpg) A scene involving king Naraka | |
| Status | Legendary |
Scriptures
All early references do not locate Pragjyotisha in or around Kamarupa in Northeast India.[4] The first mentions of this kingdom are found in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, in sections not written much earlier than the first century.[5] In the Kishkindha Kanda of the former, Pragjyotisha is placed in the west near Mount Varaha on the sea.[6] In Aswamedha-Parva of the latter, Arjuna defeated Vajradatta of Pragjyotisha in a three-day battle near Punjab in the Lower Indus Valley;[7] the Harivamsa Parva features multiple mentions as well.[8][9] The kingdom was contemporary of Bana kingdom.
Popular culture
A popular mythical narrative claims that Jyotisha is the sanskritised form of Zuhthis, who were (apparently) the first migrants to Assam from China — this has little historical evidence in support.[10]
See also
Notes
References
- Sircar, D C (1990), Barpujari, H K (ed.), The Comprehensive History of Assam, vol. I, Guwahati: Publication Board, Assam, pp. 79–93
- Shin, Jae-Eun (2018), "Region Formed and Imagined: Reconsidering temporal, spatial and social context of Kamarupa", in Dzüvichü, Lipokmar; Baruah, Manjeet (eds.), Modern Practices in North East India: History, Culture, Representation, London & New York: Routledge, pp. 23–55
- Sax, William S. (2002). "Hunting the Rhinoceros". Dancing the Self : Personhood and Performance in the Pandav Lila of Garhwal. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195139143.
- Banerjee, Paula (2010). Borders, Histories, Existences: Gender and Beyond. SAGE Publications. ISBN 9788132102267.
- Brodbeck, Simon (2019). Krishna's Lineage : The Harivamsha of Vyasa's Mahabharata. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190279172.
- Misra, Sanghamitra (2011). "Histories, Memories, and Identities". Becoming a Borderland : The Politics of Space and Identity in Colonial Northeastern India. Transition in Northeastern India. Routledge. ISBN 9780415612531.