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'Daradas' were a people who lived north and north-east to the Kashmir valley. This kingdom is identified to be the Gilgit region in Kashmir along the river Sindhu or Indus. They are often spoken along with the Kambojas. The Pandava hero Arjuna had visited this country of Daradas during his northern military campaign to collect triubute for Yudhisthira's Rajasuya sacrifice.

Contents

Location of Daradas

Degraded Kshatriyas

Fight with Arjuna

Fight with Krishna

Daradas in Yudhishtra's Rajasuya ceremony

Daradas in Kurukshetra war

Horses of Daradas

Daradas in Brahatsamhita of Varahamihira

Rajatrangini references to Daradas

Epigraphic References to Daradas

References

See also

Location of Daradas

★ The Vayu Purana, Brahmanda Purana and Vamana Purana mention the Daradas with the Kambojas, Chinas, Tusharas and the Bahlikas etc. The Bhuvankosha of the Puranas locates the Daradas, Kambojas, Barbaras, Bahlikas, Lampakas etc in the Uttarapatha division of ancient India. e.g:
:''ete desha udichyastu''
:''Kambojah 'Daradas'hchaiva Barbarashcha Angalaukikah ||''
:''Chinashchaiva Tusharashcha Pahlavadhayata narah |'' ^[1]

★ Puranas also refer to river Sindhu as watering the lands of Daradas, Gandharas and the Aurasas (Ursas).

★ Brhatsamhita groups the Daradas with the Abhisaras and the Tanganas.

★ Mahabharata also mentions the Daradas as neighbors to the Kambojas and Bahlikas ^[2].

★ Mahabharata locates the country of Daradas in the ''Himavata-Pradesa''.

★ Ptolemy refers to the Daradas as living below the sources of the Indus River.

★ Herodotus refers to the Daradas as ''Dadicae'' and groups them with the Gandharas and the Aparytae (Afridis?). Herodotus and Strabo also connect the Daradas with the gold producing area located in the west of Tibet. There is an evidence that the Daradas, in ancient times, had their colonies located in Baltistan and Leh also.
All the above references locate the Daradas in Uttarapatha as neighbors to Kambojas of Kashmir-Kafirstan.

Degraded Kshatriyas

Fight with Arjuna

''Sabha Parva'' of Mahabharata attests that Arjuna had led a digvijaya expedition against the Kashmiras, Ursas, Abhisaras, Sinhapuras, Suhmas, Daradas, Kambojas, Bahlikas, Lohas, Rishikas and Parama Kambojas etc. ^[3].

Fight with Krishna

''Drona Parva'' of Mahabvharata attests that Krishna had vanquished the Daradas along with Anga, Vanga, Magadha, Kasi, Kosala, Vatsa, Garga, Karusha, Pundra, Avanti, Daserka, Kashmira, Ursa, Madugalas, Kambojas, Pisachas, Cholas, Malavas, Sakas, Yavanas etc ^[4].

Daradas in Yudhishtra's Rajasuya ceremony

The Daradas along with numerous other tribes from northwest had including the Bahlikas, Kiratas, Pahlavas, Paradas, Kambojas, Shakas, Yavanas, Trigartas, Kshudrakas, Malavas, Angas, Vangas etc had joined Yudhishtra at his Rajasuya ceremony and brought him numerous gifts^[5].

Daradas in Kurukshetra war

Daradas had also participated in the Kurukshetra war fought between the Kauravas and Pandavas. They are variously listed with Sauviras, Bahlikas, Shakas, Yavanas, Pahlavas, Paradas, Kekayas, Kambojas, Madras, Mlechcvhas, northern and westerner tribes etc ^[6]

Horses of Daradas

Brahmanda Purana refers to the horses from Darada country ^[7]

Daradas in Brahatsamhita of Varahamihira

The Daradas are mentioned with the Shakas, Yavanas, Paradas and the Kambojas in 6th c AD Brhatsamhita of Varahamihira^[8]. They are also mentioned with the with the Abhisaras in the same text as living on the borders of Kashmir ^[9].

Rajatrangini references to Daradas

According to ancient text Rajatarangini of Kalhana, a Sanskrit text from the north, king Lalitaditya Muktapida of Kashmir undertakes to reduce his neighbing countries. He launches war expedition onto the region of north from Kashmir and first he fights with the Kambojas ^[10] and deprives them of their horses. Immediately after the Kambojas, he meets the Tukharas. Tukharas do not give him fight, but run away even abandoning their horses in the field ^[11]. Then Lalitaditiya meets the Bhauttas in Baltistan in western Tibet north of Kashmir ^[12], then the Dardas in Karakorum/Himalaya ^[13], the Valukambudhi ^[14] and then he encounters ''Strirajya'' ^[15], the Uttarakurus ^[16] and the Pragjyotisha respectively.
Kalhana names several Darada rulers: ''Acalamangala'', during the reign of Ananta of Kashmir, A.D. 1028 to A.D. 1063 ^[17], ''Vidhyadhara Shahi'' during the reign of Harsa, 1089-1101 A.D. ^[18], ''Jagaddala'' during the reign of Uccala, A.D. 1101 to A.D. 1111 ^[19], ''Manidhara'' during the reign of Sussala, A.D. 1112 to A.D. 1120 ^[20]), and ''Yasodhara'' during the reign of Jayasimha, A.D. 1128 to A.D. 1149 ^[21].

Epigraphic References to Daradas

Three inscriptions on rocks along the Indus and Gilgit Rivers in the southern reaches of the Karakoram provide the earliest epigraphic references to Darada kings. 'The first inscription' is found on rocks where the present-day road between Gilgit and Skardu crosses the Gilgit River, over a bridge known as the Alam bridge, now called the Farhad bridge. The inscription is in poor Kharoshthi, and Fussman has read "daradaraya", meaning "King of the Daradas" ^[22]. 'The second inscription ' is found at Chilas Terrace, near to Chilas village along the Indus River, south of the junction of the Gilgit River and the Indus River. It is in Brahmi script. Hinuber has published a transliteration ''srir daranmaharajavaisrava'', which he interprets as daran-maharaja "great king of the Daradas" (1989:57-8). 'A third inscription' is immediately below the Thalpan bridge over the Indus River on the Thalpan side of the bridge. It is also in Brahmi script. Hinuber publishes a transliteration of ''daratsu maharaja sri vaisravanasena ssatrudamanah'', which he translates as "The glorious Vaisravanasena, the subduer of enemies, great King in the land of the Daradas" (1989:59). Hinuber has interpreted these Brahmi inscriptions as referring to the same king Vaiaravanasena, and dates them to the 4th or 5th centuries A.D. He remarks that this king "is the second oldest king of the Daradas known by name, preceded only by the ''daradaraya'' mentioned at Alam bridge in a Kharoshthi inscription" (1989:59). These inscriptions appear to be the only known self-reference to a Darada people.

References

1. Kirfel's text of the Uttarapatha Countries of Bhuvanakosha, based on the Puranas.
2. Mahabharata II.27.20-23
3. Mahabharata II.27.18-25.
4. MBH 7.13.15-18.
5. Mahabharata 2.51-2.53; 3.51
6. Mahabharata 6.51, 6.118, 7.20, 7.90, 7.116, 7.118, 8.73 etc
7. Brahmanda Purana, III, Upodghata -pada 16-17
8. Brhatasamhita verse 13.09
9. Brhatsamhita verse 14.29.
10. Rajatrangini: 4.164- 4.165
11. Rajatrangini 4.166.
12. Rajatrangini 4.168
13. Rajatrangini 4.169, 4.171
14. Rajatrangini 4.172
15. Rajatrangini 4.173-174
16. Rajatrangini 4.175
17. Rajatrangini VII, 167
18. Rajatrangini VII, 913
19. Rajatrangini VIII, 209
20. Rajatrangini VIII, 614
21. Rajatrangini VIII, 2454
22. Fussman 1978:1-6.

See also

Darada Kingdom

Kambojas

Parama Kambojas