Sushil Bhati
I
Modern Kasanas
are historical Kushans:
Alexander Cunningham identified the Kushans with the modern
Gurjars in the Archaeological Survey Report, Volume IV, 1864. He says that
after the Jats, the Gurjars are the largest population in north-western India,
so they might be historical Kushans. In support of his belief, he says that the
Kasana gotra of modern Gurjars is representative of the Kushans.
Alexander Cunningham's point becomes more important because
the Kasana gotra of Gurjars is the largest in terms of area and population.
Kasana gotra is found from Afghanistan to Maharashtra, and in India, it is
found only among the Gurjar caste.
Gurjars have a belief regarding their social organization,
which clearly points towards their Kushan origin. According to H.A. Rose, it is
a social belief that two and a half houses of Gurjars are real, Gorsi, Kasana,
and half Bargat. Hence, the Kasana gotra is of special importance in the social
organization of Gurjars, which, according to Alexander Cunningham, is the
present representative of Kushans.
According to historians, the Kushans were one of the Yue Chi
tribes whose language was Tocharian. Tocharian was a Centum-class language of
the Indo-European group. But after settling in Bactria, they adopted a language
of the Middle Iranian group. Historians have called this language the Bactrian
language. On the coins of Kushan emperors, Koshano is written in the Bactrian
language and in Greek script. The Kasana gotra of Gurjars is called Kosano in
their own Gujari language. Hence, it is completely clear that the modern
Kasanas are the representatives of the Kushans.
Not only Koshano, but the word ‘Kasana’ has also been used
for Kushan since historical times. It is well known that Kasana is the main
gotra of the Gurjars. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the founder of
the Kushan dynasty in India, Kujula Kadphises, has been written as 'Kashana
Yavugo' (Kashana king) on his coins. The word 'Kasana' has also been used on
the coins of Kidar, the founder of the Kidar Kushan dynasty. According to
Studies in Indo-Asian Culture, Volume 1, contemporary Iranians called the
Kushan rulers Shok and Pariok, the Kasana rulers, instead of Kushan rulers.
Some modern historians have also used the word Kasana dynasty for the Kushan
dynasty in their writings, like Hajime Nakamura, who has written Kanishka as
the ruler of the Kasana dynasty in his book.
Therefore, there is no doubt that the Kasana gotra of modern
Gurjars are the descendants and heirs of the historically famous Kushans.
II
Amazing
similarity between the Bactrian language of the Kushans and the Gujari language
of the Gurjars
The Gurjars have always had their own unique language.
Evidence of the existence of the Gujari language exists since the seventh
century. In the seventh century, Rajasthan was called Gurjar Desh, where
Gurjars ruled from their capital Bhinmal. The people of Gurjar Desh had their
own Gurjari language and unique culture. There is strong evidence that modern
Gujarati and Rajasthani have evolved from this Gurjari Apabhramsa. At present,
this language is spoken among the Gurjars of Jammu and Kashmir. G. A. Grierson
has given a detailed description of the Gujari language in Linguistic Survey of
India, Volume IX, Part IV. According to historians, the Kushans were one of the
Yue Chi tribes, whose language was Tocharian. Tocharian was a Centum-class
language of the Indo-European group. But after settling in Bactria, they
adopted a language of the Middle Iranian group. Historians have called this
language the Bactrian language. There is a great similarity between the
Bactrian language spoken by Kushans and the Gujari dialect of Gurjars. The
Bactrian language has been used by Kushans in Kanishka's Rabatak and other
inscriptions. The Bactrian language has been used in Greek script on Kushan
coins. In the Bactrian language used by Kushans, like the Gujari dialect, most
of the words have the alphabet 'O ' and are pronounced especially at the end of
the word. Like Uma is written as Omo, Kumar as Komaro, and Mihir as Miiro in
Bactrian, similarly in the Gujari dialect, Ram is called Rom, Pani as Poni,
Gaam as Gom, Gaya as Gayo, etc. That is why on the coins of Kushans, they are
written as Koshano in Bactrian, and at present, Kosano is spoken in Gujari.
Hence, the similarity between the Bactrian language used by Kushans and the
modern Gujari language also proves the oneness of Kushans and Gujjars. However,
more research is needed on the similarities between Bactrian and Gujari, which
can throw more light on Kushan-Gujar relations.
III
Gusura>Gujur>Gujjar>Gujar>Gurjar
According to some historians, the word Gurjar has originated
from the word 'Gusura'. Gusura is an Iranian word. According to H. W. Bailey,
the word 'Gusura' means a person born in a high family, i.e., Kulputra. The
word 'Gusura' means a royal family or a member of a royal family. According to
B. N. Mukherjee, a part of the royal class of the Kushan Empire was called
'Gusura'. According to him, 'Gusuar' were probably army officers. An
inscription of Senvarman, a contemporary ruler of the Kushan emperor Kujul
Kadphises, has been found in Swat, in which the word 'Gusura' has been used for
army officers.
P.C. Bagchi was the first to put forward the theory of the
'Gusura' origin of Gurjars. Famous historian R.S. Sharma has supported the
theory of the 'Gusura' origin of the Gurjars.
In an inscription found from a stupa in northern
Afghanistan, 'Gusura' has been mentioned as the title of Vihar Swami. As has
been mentioned above, the word 'Gusura' has also been used in the Swat
inscription of Senvarman, a ruler under the Kushan emperor Kujul Kadphises.
In an inscription found in Abbottabad in the Hazara region
of north-western Pakistan, there is mention of a person named Shaphara, who is
the son of Maka and a member of a tribe called 'Gasura'. The language and
script of this inscription are of the Kushan period. The inscription is of the
twenty-fifth year of the unknown era. In the inscription of Kanishka found from
a place called Rabatak in Afghanistan, the name of a Kushan official named
Shaphara is also mentioned. Gashur Shaphara of the Abbottabad inscription and
the Shaphara mentioned in Kaniska's Rabatak inscription may be the same person.
More research is required to establish this identity.
A person named Gosura Simha Bal is also mentioned in the
Sanchi inscription of the Kushans.
So, it is clear from the above description that the members
of the royal family, feudal lords, and the class of military officers of the
Kushans were called 'Gusura'. Gusura is also mentioned in the inscriptions of
Kushans as 'Gasuar', 'Gausura'. Members of the royal family of the Kushans and
high military officers used 'Gusura' as a title. Actually, 'Gusura' is a royal
class of Kushans whose members used to become kings and military officers.
According to F. W. Thomas, Kujul in the name of Kujul
Kadphises, the founder of the Kushan dynasty, is actually the word 'Gusura'. B.
N. Mukherjee has supported the fact that Kujul should be read as 'Gusura'. B.
N. Mukherjee has drawn attention to the fact that in the Bactrian language of
Kushans, 'Sha/S' was pronounced and written as 'J'. For example, the Kushan
emperor Vasudev has been written as Bajodeo. Similarly, in Kanishka's Rabatak
inscription, Saket has been written as Jagedo. Thus, in the Kushans' own
Bactrian language, 'Gusura' was pronounced as 'Gujura' and the founder of the
Kushan dynasty, Kadphises I, used to bear the title of 'Gujura'. 'Gujura' has
been written as Kujula in the North Western Indian Prakrit and script, because
while writing Iranian words in the North Western Indian Prakrit, 'G' was
pronounced as 'K' and the 'R' as 'L'. Hence, Kushan emperors used to call
themselves 'Gujur' in their Bactrian language. What better proof can there be
of the Kushan origin of Gurjars than the fact that in the original region of
Bactria, the Gurjars still call themselves 'Gujur' in Northern Afghanistan
(Bactria). Another form of 'Gusura' mentioned above, 'Gosura', was pronounced
as 'Gojur'. In Kashmir, the Gujjars call themselves Gojar or Gujjar, and their
language is also called Gojri.
It is crystal clear that the word Gurjar has originated from
the Iranian word 'Gusura', which means a member of the royal family or a royal
family. When the Kushans settled in northern Afghanistan (Bactria), they
adopted the title 'Gusura' as 'Gujur' in the Bactrian language there, as their
descendants call themselves even today. In Punjab, under the influence of the
local language, Gujur changed to Gujjar. The word Gujur changed to Gujar in the
Ganges-Jamuna region. The words Gujjar and Gujar have been used in ancient Jain
Prakrit literature. During the same period, the words Gurjjar and Gurjjar have
been used in the Sanskrit language. In the seventh century, copper plates of
Bharoch, Dadda is written as the king of the Gurjjar dynasty. Over time, the
word Gurjjar was refined from Gurjjar to Gurjar.
The Kushan origin of the Gurjars is automatically proved
from the above description.
IV
Historical
connection of Bhinmal, the capital of the Gurjar country, and Emperor Kanishka
Early evidence of the word Gurjar is found in Marwar and the
Abu Mountain region of Rajasthan since the seventh century. Rajasthan was
called 'Gurjar Desh' in the seventh century due to the political dominance of
Gurjars. Bhinmal was the capital of 'Gurjar Desh'. Historian A. M. T. Jackson
has written the history of Bhinmal in detail in the 'Bombay Gazetteer'. He
described many folk traditions and myths prevalent in Bhinmal, which reveal the
very important role of Kushan Emperor Kanishka in populating Bhinmal, the
capital of the Gurjars. According to one such myth, the famous Jagaswami temple
of the Sun God in Bhinmal was built by King Kanak (Emperor Kanishka) of
Kashmir. According to the oral tradition prevalent in Bhinmal, Kanishka also
built a lake named 'Karda' there. Kanishka is also credited with establishing a
city called Kankavati, seven kos east of Bhinmal. It is believed that people of
the Devda gotra of Bhinmal, Shrimali Brahmins, and Oswal Baniyas went from
Bhinmal and settled in Gujarat. Oswal Baniyas came to Bhinmal from Kashmir
along with King Kanak (Emperor Kanishka). A. M. T. Jackson believes that
Shrimali Brahmins and Oswal Baniyas originated from the Gurjars.
In Rajasthan, Gurjars are divided into two endogamous groups
called 'Laur' and 'Khari'. According to Campbell, the Laur Gurjars of Marwar
believe that they came from Lohkot with King Kanak (Kanishka Kushan), and were
called Laur because they came from Lohkot. This belief of the Laur Gurjars is
clearly proof of the Kushan origin of the Gurjars.
So it is clear that Gurjars, Shrimali Brahmins of Gurjar
origin, and Oswal Baniyas all settled in Bhinmal, the capital of Gurjar
country, along with Kanishka Kushan. This historical association of Gurjars
with the Kushan emperor Kanishka from the beginning proves that Gurjars are
Kushans by origin. During the heyday of the Gurjars of Bhinmal, all the Khaps
and tribes of the Kushan confederacy were known as Gurjars.
V
Clan Study
The Khap Study of Gurjars also points towards their Kushan
origin. According to H.A. Rose, the Gurjars of Punjab believe that the two and
a half houses of Gurjars are original - Gorsi, Kasana, and half Bargat. In the
Delhi region, Chechi, Nekadi, Gorsi, and Kasana are considered the original
houses of Gurjars. In the Karnal region, Gorsi, Chechi, and Kasana are
considered the original houses of Gurjars. In the Gujarat district of Punjab,
Chechis are considered to be of Khatana origin. H.A. Rose says that based on
the above description, Kasana, Khatana, and Gorsi can be considered the
original and original Clans of Gurjars. In total, six clans- Chechi, Kasana,
Khatana, Gorsi, Bargat, and Nekadi have been recognized as the original houses
or clans of Gurjars.
According to historians like Cunningham, etc., the ancestors
of Gurjars are the confederation of Kushans and their kindred tribes, and they
came to India from the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan, from where they
spread to North India. According to this concept, the purest or original form
of Gurjars should still be there in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, only six clans
of Gurjars are mainly found: Chechi, Kasana, Khatana, Bargat, Gorsi, and
Nekadi. The ancestors of Gurjars have repeatedly discussed these clans as their
real clans, i.e., gotras. In Northern Afganistan Gurjars are still called Gujur
(Gusura). Gusura was the name given to the royal class of the Kushan Empire.
The word Gurjar has originated from the word Gusura. Therefore, in terms of
ethnonym and other characteristics, the Gurjars in Afghanistan are still in
their purest and original form.
The early history of Yuechi-Kushan is connected to Central
Asia, where it was a tradition that the victorious clans and tribes became
powerful by expanding their numbers by adding similar kindred clans and tribes
to themselves. Therefore, it is not surprising if the Yuezhi-Kushans have done
the same in India.
The Kushan origin of the clans, which are said to be the
original house of the Gurjars, needs to be discussed separately.
Chechi: According to ancient Chinese historians, before the
arrival in Bactria, the kindred clans and tribes of the Kushan confederation
were called Yuchi. In fact, Yuechi was also a confederation of the kindred
tribes, which was called Yuechi after the name of its ruling family clan. When
their ruling family or clan became Kushan, the Yuechi confederation came to be
known as Kushan. There is a phonetic similarity between Chechi and Yuechi.
Yuchi may be the Chinese version of the word Chechi. Or it is also possible
that Chechi is the Indian version of Yuchi. However, more research is required
to identify Chechi as Yuchi. We have seen that Chechi is counted as the real
house or Khap of Gurjars. Chechi gotra is the main gotra of Gurjars in terms of
numbers and area expansion, which is found from the hills of the Hindu Kush to
South India. In most places, their population is found along with Kasanas.
Gorsi: According to Alexander Cunningham, Kushan can also be
read as Kors or Gors on the coins of Kushans. He says that Gorsi is derived
from Gors. Gorsi gotra is found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
Khatana: Khatana is a royal clan of Gurjars. It is a major
Gurjar clan in Afghanistan. Khatana are very strong socially and economically
in Jhelum-Gujarat, situated in Pakistan. There is a tradition among the Gurjars
of Pakistan that the kings of the Hindu Shahi dynasty, Jaipal and Anandpal,
were Khatana. At the time of independence, the kings of the Samthar state
situated in the Jhansi district were Khatana. The Samthar family also considers
itself to be related to Jaipal and Anandpal. The family considers Kaid Rai as
their ancestor. A class of Khatana who came from Punjab to Rajasthan is also
called Turkia. The Hazara state in Pakistan also belonged to the Khatana clan.
Khatana Gujjars are probably the original residents of
Khotan, situated in the Tarim Valley of China. Khotan has a deep connection
with the history of the Kushans. Yuechi-Kushans were originally residents of
the Tarim Valley, situated in China. Yuechi-Kushans had to leave the Tarim
Valley region due to their defeat by the Hing-Nu tribe. But Kushan emperor
Kanishka the Great defeated China and captured the Khotan, Kashgar, and Yarkand
regions of the Tarim Valley. A large number of Kushan coins have been found
here. Kanishka's ally, Khotan King Vijay Singh, has been referred to as Khotana
Rai in Tibetan texts.
Probably, the Khatana clan is related to the Kidar Kushans.
The Khatana kings of the Samthar estate consider King Kaid Rai of Punjab as
their ancestor. Kaid Rai is probably derived from the words Kidar and Rai. The
first king of the Kidar Kushans was also Kidar. It is a subject of research
whether the first ruler of the Kidar Kushans, Kidar, had any relation with
Khotan or Khotana Rai Vijay Singh or not?
Nekadi: Nekadi is considered to be the most sacred clan
among the Gurjars of Rajasthan. The Nekadi clan is found in Afghanistan and
India. It is viewed with special respect among the Gurjars of Rajasthan. Nekadi
are basically considered to be Chechi.
Bargat: Bargat clan is found in Afghanistan and the
Rajasthan region of India.
Kasana: Alexander Cunningham has identified the Kushans with
the modern Gujjars in the Archaeological Survey Report, Volume IV, 1864. In
support of his belief, he says that the Kasana clan of modern Gurjars is the
representative of the Kushans. Alexander Cunningham's point becomes more
important by the fact that the Kasana clan of Gujjars is the largest in terms
of area and population. The Kasana clan is spread from Afghanistan to
Maharashtra. A lot has already been said about Kasanos.
84 villages of the Kalshan clan are found in the upper Doab
of the Ganga and the Yamuna. The word Kalshan has a similarity in phonetics
with Kushan. Kalshan also has a similarity in phonetics with Khalchayan, the
capital of the Kushans in Bactria. Kalshan Khap is probably related to the
Kushan confederation.
Devda/Divda: There are twelve villages of the Devda clan of
the Gurjar in the Muzaffarnagar region of the upper doab of Ganga-Jamuna.
Campbell, in his article, Bhinmal has linked Devda with the title of Devputra
of the Kushan emperor Kanishka.
Deepe/Dapa: The population of the Dapa clan Khap of Gurjars
is found along Kalshan and Devda Khap, and all three Khaps consider themselves
to be one. While following the rule of exogamy, all three do not marry each
other and are considered brothers. Probably like the other two, they are also
related to the Kushan confederation.
Kapasia: Kapasia Khap of Gujjars seems to have originated
from Kapisha (Begram), the capital of Kushans. Kapasia Khap has twelve villages
in the Bulandshahr area situated in the upper doab of the Ganga-Yamuna.
Mundan: The Mundan gotra of Gurjars is probably related to
the title Murunda of Kushan emperors, which means master. In the Allahabad
inscription of Gupta emperor Samudragupta, there is mention of Devputra
Shahnushahi Saka Murund rulers in north-western India. In ancient times, the
rule of the Murund dynasty was also known in Bihar. At present, Mundan Gurjars
are found in the upper doab of the Ganga-Yamuna. Mandar, Modhel, and Motla clan
are related to the Mundan clan.
Meelu: One of the titles of Kushans was Melun. The Milu clan
of Gurjars seems to be related to the title Melun of the Kushan emperor. This
clan is mainly found in Punjab.
the
Dorata: The Dorata clan of Gurjars seems to be related to
the title Domrata (Domrata- Law of the living word) of the Kushan emperor
Kanishka. At present, the clan is found in Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh.
Chandana: Chandana was a title of Kanishka. At present, the
Chandana Gurjars are found in Rajasthan.
Kasana and Khatana, which are considered to be the original
home of Gurjars, have a Na ending. These clans are not found in other castes.
There are many clans of Gurjars with similar endings, such as Adhana, Bhadana,
Harshana, Sirandhana, Karhana, Rajana, Phagana, Mahana, Amaana, Karhana,
Ahmana, Chaparana, Riyana, Awana, Chandana, etc. In terms of numbers, these are
the large clan of Gurjars. Probably all these clans were related to the Kushan
confederacy. An important title of Kanishka himself was Chandana. The title
Gasurana has been used in the Abbotabad inscription. The word Gasurana is
formed by combining the words Gasura and Rana. Probably, this is the first
mention of the use of the title Rana. In the Chaprana clan of Gurjars, Rana is
completely clear. Hence, the word Rana is included in the Gurjar clans ending
with Na. In the Meerut region, Karhana and some Chaprana Gurjar write Rana as
their title. If the title Gasurana has been used for Shaphar in the Kushan
period Abbotabad inscription, the title Gurjarana has been used for the Gurjar
Pratihara ruler of Kannauj in the 10th century Khajuraho inscription. Hence,
Gurjars originated from the Gusura/Gasura/Gausure clan of the Kushans.
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Note- This is an English translation of a paper,
"Gurjaro kii Kushan Utpatti ka siddhant," written in Hindi and first
published on Janitihas blog. Date of publication 29 June, 2016. https://janitihas.blogspot.com/2016/06/blog-post.html
