Expert: Aupmanyav - 10/20/2007

Question
Dear Aupmanyav,
namaste!

I read that ancient royal dynasty Pallava arose in South India after that as a tribe named pallava's settled at eastern coast of Hindustan-peninsula (in modern Andhra).
Allegedly, Pallava's(tribe) came along with scythian's, shak's (saka's), yavan's (ion's) and other tribes from Persia (Iran)(first centuries B.C. - first centuries A.D.).
Tell me, please, what do You think about it?
Are there any confirmations that Pallava King's are descendants of scythian tribe pallava's (m.b. pahlava's)??

Thanks in advance.  

Answer
Dear Vitaly,

IMHO, what you have read is quite true. There is quite a possibility that Pallavas were from Iran. There are many other pointers. We follow the 'Saka Samvat'(Calender) supposed to have been instituted by the Saka ruler, Salivahana in Maharashtra/Andhra Pradesh. I will also point that the name of the Achaemenid Emperor, Cyrus II, the Great, is mentioned as 'Kurus' in old persian. The Kurus in India are supposed to hail from Uttara Kuru in 'Uttarapatha' (the northern road). Arjuna is called as 'Partha' (does it relate to Parthian?). Even Lord Rama had an ancestor named as 'Prithu'. The Vedas and other scriptures freely mention the Central Asian tribes, Tusharas (Tocharians), Druhyu (Dahae), Parsus (Persians), Panis (Parnis - a scythain tribe which later founded the Parthian dynasty). Valmiki's Ramayana lists Sakas, Yavanas, Pahlavas, and Kambojas (perhaps the tribe to which I belong, my progenitor, Sage Upamanyu, was famously supposed to be a Kamboja who had their spread from Kabul to Kyrghystan).

The basic thing to realize is that North India had close relations with the northern tribes. There was trade, philosophical exchange, and marriage relations. India was not encapsulated as it seems to be now. And just as people from South Asia go to America and Australia in search of greener pastures now, people of these northern tribes used to come to India because of its riches. Though nothing stands proved.

Lastly a special note about Yavanas. The people who gave their name to Ionia were from Central Asia and here they were known as Yavanas. It is not that Indians called the Ionians as Yavanas. They knew Yavanas from much earlier when they were in these areas. Alexander was not the first 'Yavana' who came to India. SrimadBhagawat Purana knows 'Kalavyavana' as one of their kings.

Best regards,

Aupmanyav