Paradas

The Paradas are a people mentioned in ancient Indian texts such as the Manu Smriti, various Puranas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In Puranic literature, they are also referred to as "Varadas" and "Paritas". "Paradas" and "Paritas" are sometimes equated to the "Paladas" and "Palidas" of the Edicts of Ashoka, and the "Paradene" tribe of Ptolemy (see below), and may be identical with the archaeologically documented Paratarajas.

Location

The Vayu Purana and Matsya Purana locate the tribe on the upper course of the Amu Darya (a.k.a. Chaksu) and Syr Darya rivers in Central AsiaAlexander's Invasion of India, p. 57] .

The Mahabharata, however, associates the Paradas with the tribes of Uttarapatha, and places them on the Sailoda River in the Xinjiang province of China.

The Ramayana locates the people in the trans-Himalayan territories, i.e. in the Sakadvipa [Ramayana Kisk. Kanda, 43-12] .

Edicts of Ashoka

Many different populations were the object of the Ashoka’s proselytism, among them the "Palidas", thought to be the Paradas:: "Here in the king's domain among the Yavanas, the Kambojas, the Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the Andhras and the Palidas, everywhere people are following Beloved-of-the-Gods' instructions in Dhamma." Rock Edict Nb13 (S. Dhammika)

The "Panca-ganah"

Numerous Puranic texts associate the Paradas with the Kamboja, Saka, Yavana and Pahlava tribes, and brand them together as "Panca-ganah" ("five hordes"). These five hordes were military allies of the Haihaya and Taljunga Kshatriyas of the Yadava line, and were chiefly responsible for dethroning King Bahu of Kosala. Later, King Sagara, son of Bahu, was able to defeat the Haihayas and Taljungas together with the five hordes.

Divestment of Kshatriyahood

According to Puranic accounts [Manusmriti X.43-44] , King Sagara had divested the Paradas and other members of the "Panca-ganah" of their noble Kshatriyahood and demoted them to the barbaric caste of Mlechchas, due to their non-observance of sacred Brahmanical codes and neglect of the priestly class. Before their defeat at the hands of King Sagara, these five-hordes were called "Kshatriya-pungava" ("foremost among the Kshatriyas").

Annihilation in "Kali Yuga"

Puranic texts such as Vayu Purana state that the Udichya tribes, including the "Panca-ganah", the Gandharas, Tusharas, Khasas, Lampakas, Madhyadesis, Vindhyas, Aprantas, Dakshinatyas, Dravidas, Pulindas and Simhalas, would be proceeded against and annihilated by Kalki in Kali Yuga.

Association with the "Paradene"

The Paradas of Sanskrit texts have been identified with the "Paradene" tribe mentioned by the geographer Ptolemy. The "Paradene" lived in Western India in the interior of Gedrosia or Balochistan in the post-Christian period. This shows that the Paradas had moved to the western region of India around Christian times. This movement of the Paradas appears to have been associated with the well known tribal movements of several Central Asian tribes, which had occurred around the second century prior to the Christian era.

ee also

* Paratan (satrapy)

References