Kamboja-Dvaravati Route

Kamboja-Dvaravati Route was the name of an ancient high road running from the port of Dvaraka in Anarta (Gujarat) in western India to Kamboja Mahajanapada located in parts of north-east Afghanistan and southern Tajikstan. It was the second most important ancient caravan route which linked ancient India with the nations of the northwest. The route has been used by the invading hordes from the northwest, the traders, ascetics, monks, missionaries and robbers alike throughout recorded history.

Petavatthu Evidence on Kamboja Dvaravati route

"Ankuravatthu" section of the Petavatthu Jataka suggests that there was a direct long trade-route between Dvaraka (Dvaravati) in Kathiawar and the country of the Kambojas [The Puranas, Vol V, No 2, July 1963, Dr D. C. Sircar; Also: Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India: - 2. ed. rev. and enl., 1971, p 197, Dr D. C. Sircar - India; Calcutta Sanskrit College Research Series, p 11, Sanskrit College (Calcutta, India))

:Yassa atthaya gacchama Kambojam dhana-haraka
:ayam kamdado yakkho imam yakkham nyamase |
:imam yakkham gahetvaana sadhuken pasaham va
:yanam aropayitvana khippam gacchama Dvarakam|
::— " (Ankuravathu section of Petavathu Jataka, verses 257-258)".] [Buddhist Centres in Ancient India, 1969, p 11, B. N Chaudhury - Buddhism.] .

This trade route has been existing from the times of the Indus Valley Civilization. From what we know of the ancient routes, the hub for the branching of various routes was Bahlika (modern Balkh). The Uttarapatha-route from "Tamralipiti-Patliputra-Varanasi-Kausambi-Mathura-Sakali-Takshila-Pushkaravati-Kapisi and Bamian- terminated here; so also the Davaravati-Kamboja route ended here, and then both of these Northern and Southern routes from India restarted towards the Kamboja in (Pamir & Badakshan) to pick up with the Silk Road to China [The Puranas, Vol V, No 2, July 1963; India, a Nation, 1983, p 76, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala - India; Proceedings and Transactions of the All-India Oriental Conference, 1966, p 122, Oriental philology; Encyclopaedia Indica: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh., 1999, p 538, Shyam Singh Shashi - History.] .

The Kamboja-Dvaravati trade route which started from the sea port of Dvaravati Dvaraka, and rpassed through Anarta and touching "Madhyamika" near Chittor to south of Aravalli and reached the Indus River. There it turned north and passed through Roruka (the present Rodi), the capital city of Sovira, where it bifurcated into two routes -- the one turning east and following river Sarasvati led to Hastinapura/Indraprastha, while the second branch continued northwards and finally joined the northern high road (Uttarapatha) at Pushkalavati. There-after, the composite route reached Bahlika or Bactria following through Kabol and Bamian. At Bahlika, it turned eastwards to traverse through Kamboja in (Pamir & Badakshan) to finally pick up with the historical Silk Road leading to Nanking in China [ Proceedings and Transactions of the All-India Oriental Conference, 1966, p 122, Oriental philology; India, a Nation, 1983, p 77, Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala; Trade and Trade Routes in Ancient India, 1977, pp vii, 94 Dr Moti Chandra - Trade routes; Encyclopaedia Indica: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh., 1999, p 537, Shyam Singh Shashi - History); B.C. Law Volume, 1945, p 218, Indian Research Institute, Devadatta Ramakrishna Bhandarkar, Indian Research Institute - Dr B. C. Law.] .

"Dictionary of Pali Proper Names" states that the country (Kamboja) was evidently on one of the great caravan routes and there was a road direct from "Dvaraka to Kamboja" [Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, Vol I, 1960, G. P. Malalasekera, p 526] [Dr B.C. Law Volume, 1945, p 218, Devadatta Ramakrishna Bhandarkar, Indian Research Institution, Indian Research Institute - History.] .

Ancient Kambojas as documented traders

Evidence suggests that ancient Gandhara and Kamboja (modern Afghanistan) had been in direct economic and political intercourse with western India including Surashtra/Gujarat since pre-Christian times. This commercial intercourse between Kamboja and Saurashtra appears to have led to the adoption of similar kind of sociopolitical constitutions both by the Kambojas and the Saurashtras.
*Kautiliya Arthashastra lists Kamboja with Saurashtra and says that same form of politico-economic constitutions (varta-shastr.opajivin) obtained in these two ancient martial republics. It attests both of them as living by agriculture, trade and by warfare. [:Kamboja. Sauraastra.ksatriya.shreny.adayo "vartta.shastra.upajivinah" || 11.1.04 || .]
*The Brhatsamhita of Varaha Mihira also attests the Kamboja as "shastra-vartta" nation i.e living by warfare, trade, agriculture and cattle-culture. [:Panchala Kalinga Shurasenah Kamboja Udra Kirata "shastra varttah" || 5.35ab ||.]
*Mahabharata also attests the fact that the Kamboja lived by warfare and varta. [ :Kambojah................."yama vaishravan.opamah"...|| MBH 7.23.42 ||]

i.e the Kambojas ferocious like Yama, the god of death ("in war"), and rich like Kubera, the god of wealth, "in material wealth".

These references sufficiently verify the trade or commercial aspect of ancient Kambojas and show that the merchants from Kamboja were engaged in trade with outside nations. The naming of western highway road as "Kamboja-Dvaravati Caravan Route" bears ample witness to this fact.

Ancient literary evidence and Archaeology

Buddhist sources like "Apadana" refers to one "Arahant" named "Bahiya Daruciriya" born in Bharukachcha (Bhroach) who had engaged himself in trade voyages in a ship. Seven times he sailed from upper Indus downwards, and across the sea as far as Suvarnabhumi and returned safely home [Apadana, (P.T.S), II. 476.] .

This ancient Buddhist evidence attests that besides "Kamboja-Dvaravati land road", river Indus was also used as a water trade route by upper Indus nations of Kamboja and Gandhara to sail down to Arabian Sea.

Archaeological evidence in Gujarat reveals the existence of many land-locked ports including the one called Kamboi in Surashtra [Ancient Ports of Gujarat, A.R. Dasgupta, Deputy Director, SIIPA, SAC, Ahmedabad, M. H. Raval Ex. Director, Directorate of Archaeology, Ahmedabad.] .

It is also stated that the port of Vallabhi (Kambay or Khambat aka Gajni) was a flourishing sea port of Saurashtra which had been used for conducting sea trade with southern India, Sri Lanka, eastern India, Burma, Suvarnabhumi and Indo-China peninsula during the times of Maitraka rulers of Vallabhi.

This "Kamboi" of Saurashtra is attested as "Kamboika" as early as in 10th C. AD records [G. Buhler, Indian Antiquary, VI, 1877, pp 191-92] .

Kamboika itself derives from Sanskrit "Kambojika" [(Kamojika => Kamboyika => Kamboika: Dr Kamboj).] . Kambojika is one of Pali names for Kamboja. There is evidence of ancient Gandhara port also, located in Saurashtra country near Bharukachcha, which again implies western Indian connections with north-western nations of Gandhara/Kamboja etc.

These references show that ancient nations of Kamboja and Gandhara (Afghanistan) had been in an extensive commercial and political intercourse with western India through the well known ancient "Kamboja-Dvaravati Trade Route".

ea Ports and Sea trade

The traders from Kamboja, Gandhara and Kashmira reached Saurashtra/Gujarat following "Dvaravati-Kamboj trade route", where important sea ports became accessible to them for further trade "by sea" with western world like Rome, Greece, Egypt and Arabian nations on the one hand, and with southern India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Suwannaphum and the nations of Indo-China peninsula, on the other.

Most important sea port fed by Kamboj-Dvarvati trade route was Barygaza or Bharukachha (modern Bhroach) on river Narbada in Gujarat.

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea makes mention of several sea ports beginning with Barbaricum at the mouth of river Indus, followed by Barygaza ( modern Bhroach), Soparaka (Sopara), Calliena (Kalyan) and Muziris (Kerala) located along the west coast of India downwards.

Geographer Ptolemy [Ptolemy's Geography, p 38.] also refers to Barygaza port as a great commercial center situated at the estuary of Narbada.

Ptolemy also refers to Syrestrene (Surashtra) which the author of "Periplus" mentions as a seaboard of Arabia. Yuan Chwang calls it "Sa-la-ch'a" and refers to it as the highway to the sea where all the inhabitants utilized the sea and were traders by profession (Yuan Chwang, p 248). Saurashtra had been a great center of trade where merchants from various nations used to flock ( [Life as depicted in Jain canons, p 273, Bombay, 1947, J. C. Jain; Geographical Data in Early Purana, 1972, p 321, Dr M. R. Singh.] .

Ancient Jaina and Buddhist texts also attest heavy trade activities that went on at western Indian sea ports, some of which had become the official residences of international traders.

Jain canonical texts quote "Bharukaccha" as "donamukha" where goods were carried both by land and water routes [Life in ancient India as depicted in Jain canons, p 273, J. C. Jain.] .

"Brhatkalpa" attests the port of Soparka (Sopara) as great commercial center and residence of numerous traders [Brhatkalpa Bhashya, I, 2506.] .

There is also mention of a merchant sailing from from Bharukaccha and arriving in Ceylon in the court of a king named Candragupta. ["Early History of Education in Ceylon: from earliest times to Mahasena", 1969, p. 33, U. D. Jayasekara]

Ancient International Trade and Afghanistan

The numerous precious objects discovered in course of excavations at Bamian, Taxila and Begram (Kapishi) bear powerful evidence of close trade-relationship of Kamboja/Gandhara (Afghanistan) land with ancient Phoenicia and Rome in the west and Sri Lanka in the south.

Ancient Afghanistan vs Western world

There is good archaeological evidence of Roman trade (AD 1 to 200) coming into Gandhara/Kamboja and Bactria through the Gujarati peninsula. Archaeological finds of objects like frescoes, stucco decorations, statuary and other rare stuff from ancient Phoenicia and Rome in places like Bamian, Kapishi (Begram), Taxila in Afghanistan bears powerful witness to ancient trade between Afghanistan and these ancient western civilizations [Peter T Blood, Lib of Congress, Federal Research Division, 1997.] .

Frankincense was imported into Barbaricum for exchanging it with Chinese silk coming via Bactria/Kamboja. Lapis lazuli from Badakshan (Kamboja) and green turquoise from Hindu Kush (Kamboja) was exported to western countries from ports of Barbaricum and Barygaza. The imports were mostly Yavana (Greek or European) women, coral of various colors especially red, figured linen from Egypt, wines in small quantities, frankincense, decorated silver vessels for presentation to the rulers, gum, stone, and opaque glass, etc. These goods were then exported via inland routes to South Asia and beyond to Tibet, China, Afghanistan (Kamboja) and the Central Asia.

The Roman gold coins were imported from Rome and were usually melted into bullion in Gandhara. However, due to state of balance in trade, very little gold came from Rome after 70 AD. Raw silk, silk yarn and silk cloth from China were brought on foot through Bactria/Kamboja to Barbaricum/Barygaza as is evidenced by "The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea" [Rome Beyond the Imperial Frontiers, M. Wheeler, p. 156] . The trade obviously utilised Kamboja-Dvaravati route or else the river Indus for carrying out trade activities with upper Indus countries.

The commerce of the western Indian coast is attested to be very lucrative and Barygaza (Bhroach) and Soparak had trade entrepreneurial settlements or stations established in the Gulf also. These merchants reaped enormous profits from the Indo-Roman trade and are stated to have paid high rates of interest as evidenced by the Vienna Papyrus of mid-second century A.D [The Indian Ocean in Antiquity, p. 295, J. Reade; A Resurvey of Roman Contacts with the West, H. P. Ray, Ed. Baussac and Salles, p. 103.] .

Ancient Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka and Southeast countries

During archaeological finds, numerous coins, beads and the intaglios belonging to Bactria and Afghanistan have been discovered in Sri Lanka. A fragment of a Gandhara Buddha statue in schist was recently unearthed from the excavations at Jetavanarama in Anuradhapura. The finds of lapis lazuli (of Badakshan type) from Sri Lanka conclusively connect that island with Badakshan in Afghanistan, the home of lapis lazuli ("part of Ancient Kamboja"). The presence of north-west Kambojas in Sri Lanka is powerfully attested by several ancient cave inscriptions as well as by ancient Buddhist texts. The ancient epigraphic inscriptions found in Anuradhapura powerfully attest the existence of "Kamboja corporations" and a "Grand Kamboja Sangha" in ancient Sinhala island, as early as third century BC [Dr S. Parnavitana, Dr J. L. Kamboj and others; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Kambojas/removed#KAMBOJA_SRI-LANKA_CONNECTIONS] , [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migration_of_Kambojas#Kambojas_in_Sri_Lanka] .] .

Also, the Pali text "Sihalavatthu" of about the fourth century AD, attests that a group of people called the Kambojas (p 109) were in the Province of Rohana on the Island of Tambapanni i.e "Sri Lanka" [Ships and the Development of Maritime Technology on the Indian Ocean, 2002, pp 108-109, David Parkin and Ruth Barnes.] .

Ancient Buddhist references sufficiently attest that the nations from north-west including the Kamboja, Gandhara, Kashmira, Sindhu, Sovira etc were in trade loop with western Indian sea ports and huge trade ships regularly plied between western Indian ports and Southern India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Suvarnabhumi and Indo-China peninsula. [cf: All Gratitude To Myanmar, S. N. Goenka, Vipassana Newsletter Vol. 7, No. 10 Dec 97. [http://www.vri.dhamma.org/newsletters/nl9712.html] .] .

Several Iranian records speak of an embassy from Sri Lankan king to Iranian emperor Anusharwan (531-578). Sri Lankan King is reported to have sent the Persian emperor ten elephants, two hundred thousand pierces of teakwood and seven pearl divers.

Dr Don Martino observes: "The traders from north-west Kamboja had been conducting trade in horses with Sri Lanka following west coast of India since remote antiquity" [Epigraphia Zeylanka, Vol II, No 13, p 76.] .

Dr E. Muller also writes ".... (with time) the Kambojas had adopted the Mussalman creed and used to trade all along the west coast ofIndia from Persian Gulf down to Ceylon and probably further-East......" [Jouranal of Royal Asiatic Societry, XV, p 171, E. Muller] .

Ravana, the pre-historic king of Sri Lanka is said to have in his stable the horses from north-western countries including Indus Valley, Aratta, Kamboja and Bahlika etc [Weber 1871: 29f.; Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 122, No. 2, Indic and Iranian Studies in Honor of Stanley Insler on His Sixty-Fifth Birthday (April- June, 2002), pp. 361-373, Asko Parpola.] [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Aratta%2C+Kamboja%2C+and+Valhika+&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Search] .

The above literary evidence again seems to verify ancient links of northwest Kambojas with Sri Lanka.

The ancient Buddhist texts also attest that there was regular trade between Bharukaccha, Sopparaka (Sopara) and Suvannabhumi [Jataka Fausboll, Vol II, p 188; Apadana. Vol II,.p 476; Manorathapurani, Anguttara Commentary, Vol I. p 156.] .

The distance between Ceylon and "Suvannabhumi" (Malay-Peninsula) is said to be seven hundred leagues and with a favourable winds it could be covered in seven days and nights [Manorathapurani, Anguttara Commentary, Vol I. p 265.] .

This reference shows that the Suvarnabhumi and the lands of Indo-China were within easy reach of the adventurous traders from Kamboja/Gandhara group after they had reached Ceylon.

According to Chinese Buddhist record, "Guna Varman", grandson of the king of Kabol, arrived in China by way of Ceylon and Java in AD 424 and made his way to Capital of the Sung Dynasty of China [Journal of Royal Asiatic Society, April 1903, p 369, M. Anesaki.] . This ancient evidence abundantly shows that (1) there were Hindu kings in Kabol more than two centuries before Hiuen Tsang arrived in about 631 AD when he also found a Kshatriya king upon Kabol throne [ The Sun and the Serpent, 1904, p 125, Charles Fredrick Oldham.] . See link: [http://books.google.com/books?id=-IUAAAAAMAAJ&vid=OCLC04208864&dq=Kamoj+Kambojas&jtp=125] . (2) This ancient evidence also powerfully proves that Kabol, the land of the Kambojas was in direct intercourse not only with Ceylon but also with Malaya/Java and further beyond with Indochina and China as well.

'The diffusion of Indian Civilization and its "great tradition" to the extreme south of the peninsula occurred in the earliest stages not by land but by sea....In the half millennium before Christ there was sea traffic between the coasts of Gujarat and Sind, and Ceylon, which laid the basis for the development of civilization in that island...... The earliest attractions of the far southern coasts were pearls and gems, which brought merchants, and ultimately the script, religions and the dynastic traditions..... Hiun Tsang refers to the international trading activities of the Simhalas. Several early Brahmi inscriptions in Ceylon mention the Kamboja merchants in Sinhala...'. [Extracts taken from: The Beginnings of Civilization in South India, Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 29, No. 3 (May, 1970), pp. 603-616, Clarence Maloney.] .

Apparently, the "Kamboja-Dvaravati trade route" had played key role in the promotion of these international commercial and political activities.

No doubt, we find powerful signatures of ancient Kambojas in Sri Lanka, Bengal, Burma and in Cambodia.

The chief export products from Kamboja to various nations were horses, ponies, blankets embroidered with threads of gold, Kambu/Kambuka silver, zinc, Mashapurni, Hingpurni, Somvalak/Punga, walnuts, almonds, Saffron, raisin and precious stones including famed lapis lazuli, green turquoise and emerald etc.

References

ee also

*Kambojas
*Gandhara
*Silk Road
*Uttarapatha
*Dakshinapatha

Book and Periodicals

*Ankuravatthu section of Petavatthu Jataka.
*Barhatkalpa Bhasya I.
*Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, 1960, G. P. Malalasekera
*Dipavamsa, IX
*Mahavamsa, VI
*Classical Accounts of India.
*Ptolemy's Geography.
*Purana, Vol V, No 2, July 1963.
*Trade and Trade Routes in Ancient India, 1977, Dr Moti Chandra - Trade routes
*Ships and the Development of Maritime Technology on the Indian Ocean , 2002, David Parkin and Ruth Barnes.
*The Archaeology of Seafaring in Ancient South Asia [Cambridge World Archaeology] , 2003 Himanshu Prabha Ray, Norman Yoffee et all.
*Life of Ancient India, as depicted in the Jain Canons, 1947, J. C. Jain.
*Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, Dr J. L. Kamboj.
*Bhakati Cult and Ancient Indian Geography, Ed Dr D. C. Sircar.
*On Merchants and Monsters: Common Motifs in Tales from Medieval China and 19th-century Bukhara, by Siamak Adhami
*Ancient Cities and Towns of Rajasthan: A Study of Culture and Civilization, 1972, p 513, Dr K. C. Jain
*B.C. Law Volume, 1945, Devadatta Ramakrishna Bhandarkar, Indian Research Institution, Indian Research Institute - History
*India, a Nation, 1983, p 77, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala - India
*Gujarat as the Arabs Knew it: A Study in Historical Geography, 1959, p 17, Vengalil A. Janaki - Gujarat, India Historical geography
*Proceedings and Transactions of the All India Oriental Conference, 1966, p 122
*Trade and Commerce of Ancient India, C. 200 B. C.-c. 650 A. D.: 200 B.C.-c , 1966, Haripada Chakraborti - India
*Economic life in the great epic: Some Aspects, 1990, Shyamal Kumar Banerjee
*Encyclopaedia Indica: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh., 1999, p 537-38, Shyam Singh Shashi - History

External links

*All Gratitude To Myanmar: [http://www.vri.dhamma.org/newsletters/nl9712.html]

*International Relations in Ancient and Medieval Lanka: [http://www.lankalibrary.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=3009&%20-%2040k]

*The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea: [http://www.homestead.com/wysinger/periplus.html]

*International Trade Of Sindh From Its Port Barbaricon (Banbhore) 200 BC to 200 AD: [http://www.panhwar.com/Article60.htm]

*A Tribute to Hinduism - Seafaring in Ancient India: [http://www.atributetohinduism.com/Seafaring_in_Ancient_India.htm]

*Early Indian Trade and the Traders: [http://education.vsnl.com/atreyi/early_trade.html]

*Parthian Stations by Isidore of Charax: [http://www.parthia.com/parthian_stations.htm]

*On Merchants and Monsters: Common Motifs in Tales from Medieval China and 19th-century Bukhara: [http://indiaculture.net/talk/messages/128/10363.html?1073923318]

*The Beginnings of Civilization in South India: Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 29, No. 3 (May, 1970), pp. 603-616, Clarence Maloney