The Khasas / Khas (खस) or Khasiyas are an Indo-european Aryan ethnic group, that inhabit the Nepal (Thakuri and chhetri) Kangra, Mandi, Kulu, Shimla, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts of Himachal Pradesh, as well as of Kumaon - Garhwal areas of Uttarakhand.^[1]

In Sanskrit literature, this tribe is usually spelt Khasa, with variants such as Khasa, Kasa and Khasira.^[1]

History[link]

In different sections of Mahabharata, the Khasas are expressively mentioned amongst the northern tribes of Ancient India. The Khasas are said to have participated in the Kurukshetra War. They are grouped with the Kambojas, Shakas and Shalvas of north-west in Uluka's list of the warrior clans on the Kuru side.^[2] The Khasas and other tribes from Central Asia including the Kambojas, Sakas, Yavanas, Daradas, Tusharas had fought the Kurukshetra war for the Kauravas under the supreme command of Sudakshin Kamboj.^[3]

At several places, the Mahabharata brackets the Khasas with the Kambojas and Shakas ^[4] and further also attests them as tribes of Udichya or north-west.^[5]

Karna is stated to have fought and defeated the Khasas, Madrakas, Trigartas, Tanganas, Kulindas, Kambojas, Ambasthas and the Kaikeyas and had collected tribute from them for Duryodhana.^[6]

Krishna is also said to have defeated the Khasas of diverse realms along with other tribes like Kasmirakas, Aurasikas, Pisachas, Kambojas, Trigartas, Malavas, Daradas, Sakas, Yavanas. This evidence indicates that there were several settlements of the Khasas.^[7]

In one passage of the Sabha Parva, they are placed between Meru and Mandara near the Sailoda river and mentioned along with the tribes Kulindas and Tanganas, who brought presents of pipilika-gold to Yudhishthira. The river Sailoda arises at Mt. Arjuna smomewhere in the western Tibet according to Matsya Purana.^[1] In Dronaparva they are grouped with western tribes along with the Darads, Tanganas, Lampakas and Kulindas.^[1] In the Karnaparvan they are mentioned as living in Punjab, between the Arattas and Vasati.^[1]

Khasas in Puranic literature[link]

Puranas include the Khasas in the ancient Janapada list and place them in the parvatashrayin (mountainous) division of Puranic Bhuvanakosha.^[8]

Puranas attest that river Sita (Yarkand) flowed through the country of the Khasas.^[9]

The Puranas also attest that river Ganges flowed through the Khasa land.^[10]

These Puranic references obviously show that there were more than one settlement of the Khasas.

• Markandeya Purana associates the Khasas with the tribes of Udichya or north division.^[11]
• Bhagavata Purana associates the Khasas with the Kiratas, Hunas, Andhras, Pulindas, Pukkasas, Abhiras, Yavanas etc.^[12]
• Nilmata Purana mentions the Khasas with the tribes of the Nagas, Paisacas, Darvas, Abhisaras, Gandharas, Shakas, Mundavas, Madaras, and the Yavanas from north-west.
• Skanda Purana asserts that the Khasas, Andhras, Hunas, Kiratas, Pulindas, Pukkashas, Abhiras, Yavanas, Kankas etc. were born from sinful wombs.^[13]
• Vishnu Purana brands the Khasas, Kiratas, Hunas, Andhras, Pulindas, Pulkasas, Abhiras, Sumbhas, Yavanas as addicted to sinful acts, but also suggests that they can be purified by seeking refuge with the devotees of the Lord.^[14]
• Kalika Purana refers to a war between King Kalika and states that the Khasas and the Kambojas, Shakas, the Barbaras had militarily supported king Kali against Vedic Kalika.^[15]
• Vayu Purana mentions that at the end of Kali age, the Khasas and tribes of the Sakas, Yavanas, Gandharas, Katas, Pulindas, Pahlavas, Paradas, Lampakas etc. will be annihilated by king Kaliki. And they were indeed annihilated by king Pramati (Vikramaditya according to Dr V. S. Aggarwala) at the end of Kali age.^[16]
• Bhavishya Purana attests that king Pradyota had defeated the Khasas along with the Haras, Hunas, Barvaras, Gurundas, Sakas, Yavanas, Pahlavas, Romatha and the others (Biblical and Modern History of Kali Yuga from Bhavishya Purana).
• Bhagavata Purana claims that the Khasas were also defeated by Bharata.^[17]

Khasas in Brihatsamhita[link]

Brihat-Samhita (A.D. 500) of Varaha Mihira associates the Khasas with the Abhisaras, Daradas, Darvas and Kiras, which from other sources, are known to have inhabited Kashmir and its neighbouring regions in historical periods.

Khasas in Tibetan chronicles[link]

The Khasas are mentioned in the Tibetan chronicle Dpag-bsam-ljon-bzah (The Excellent Kalpa-Vrksa), along with people like the Yavanas, Kambojas, Tukharas, Hunas, Daradas etc.^[18]

Foreign references on Khasas[link]

The companions of Alexander the Great do not mention the Khasas. Pliny refers to Chesi tribe of the hills who are often identified with the Khasas. Ptolemy refers to the Khasas as Khasia who are often connected with Kashgar. Yuan Chwang refers to Ch'ieh-shih whom the scholars identify with the Khashas and locate then in upper Kunar valley at Kashkar (as the neighbors to the Kambojas).

Geographical distribution[link]

As has been noted from the Puranic and epic references presented above, there had been many settlements of the Khasas.

Prof. Atkinson says that the Khasas had settlements in Kashkara at the head of Kunar valley, in Garhwal, Kumaon (Kamaon), and Nepal, Bikaner desert, under nomadic tribe called Khosa and also in the desert of Thar Desert in Rajasthan.

Khasas, Kambojas in Bengal[link]

The archieves of Bengal contain references on the presence of foreign groups like Khasas, Pukkasha, Pulinda, Thara, Kamboja, Yavana, Sumha, Sabara etc., who were considered outside the caste criteria of Bengal. There are inscriptional references attesting that foreigners like the Khasas, Hunas, Kulitas, Karnatas, Latas Malavas etc. were recruited in the armed forces of the Palas kings.

Dr R. C. Majumdar writes that the armed forces of Pala Dynasty included many foreigners like Khasas, Hunas, Kulitas, Karnatas, Latas, Malavas and the Kambojas etc. Later, some courageous military General of the Kambojas appears to have captured north-east Bengal from the Pala dynasty, thus establishing the Kamboja dynasty in north-east Bengal.^[19]

Miscellaneous[link]

It is theorised that the modern representatives of the Khasas may be the Khakhas to which all the petty chiefs and gentry in the lower Kashmir valley and neighboring hills are said to belong.^[20] However, this is based purely on phonetics, with the tribe itself never having coroborated this in any text.

Epilogue[link]

From the foregoing discussion, it is noticeable that there are several references which bracket the Khasas with the Kambojas, Shakas, Pahlavas, Paradas tribes of the Uttarapatha. According to scholars, the original country of the Khasa was located in Central Asia, north of the Kambojas (i.e. Parama Kamboja branch) and east of Sogdians of Samarkand. From this region, they had later entered India and spread into Kashmir, upper Kunar in Kashkar (obviously as neighbors to the Kambojas), the hill regions of Himalaya, Nepal and also in the plains of Rajasthan. This shows that the Kambojas and Khasas, in some settlements, were very close neighbors.

This view of Kamboja settlements in the hills of Himalaya is also sufficiently re-inforced by the fact that Nepalese tradition applies the name Kambojadesa to Tibet.^[21] This is also supported by manuscripts No 7763 and 7777, described in the Catalogue of Sanskrit and Prakrit MSS, in the Library of India Office, Vol II, part II.^[22]

Sir Charles Elliot and Dr G. G. Gokhale also locate ancient Kambojas in Tibet.

Dr V. A. Smith finds signatures of Kambojas in mountains of Tibet or Hindukush.^[23]

Further, ancient Buddhist texts like Sasanvamsa also attest the Kambhojas in Murma (Burma).^[24]

Notes[link]

See also[link]

• Khas
• Kambojas
• Sakas
• Indo-Scythians
• Gandhara
• Yona

References[link]

• Mahabharata
• Vayu Purana
• Markendeya Purana
• Bhagavata Purana
• Bhaudhayana Dharama Sutra
• Brhatsamhita by Varaha Mihira
• The Geographical Data of Early Puranas, 1972, Dr Singh
• Apastaamba Shrauta Sutra
• Ptolemy
• Beyond the Gorges of the Indus: Archaeology Before Excavation, 2002, Karl Jettmar, Ellen Kattner
• Geographical and Economical Studies in the Mahabharata Upayana Parva, p 47, Dr Motichandra
• Ancient Kambojas, People and the Counrry, 1981, Dr J. L. Kamboja.
• KHAS KINGDOM by Prof Surya Mani Adhikari,Tribhuvan University,Kathmandu,Nepal